An Ad Campaign Asserts a Bush-Nader Alliance

What an intelligent use of time, money, and effort.


     An Ad Campaign Asserts a Bush-Nader Alliance
     By Mark Glassman
     New York Times

     Tuesday 24 August 2004

     Washington - A new advertising campaign satirizing the Republican 
financial support of Ralph Nader's independent campaign for the presidency 
sums up the effort this way: Bush-Nader '04.

     In a 60-second television advertisement that begins running on Tuesday an 
announcer alludes to an unlikely partnership between Mr. Bush, the 
conservative incumbent, and Mr. Nader, the long shot who has made a career out 
of championing liberal causes. The advertisement displays state by state where 
Republican groups have supported Mr. Nader.

     "Republicans are helping Nader get on the ballot in Oregon, Nevada, 
Michigan, Iowa, New Hampshire, New Mexico, even Florida," an announcer says. 
"Why? Because the right wing believes that helping Ralph Nader helps George Bush."

     The advertisement is sponsored by TheNaderFactor.com, a liberal group 
seeking to prevent the re-election of President Bush. Chris Kofinis, a senior 
adviser to the group, said the goal of the advertisement was to discourage Mr. 
Nader from accepting money and help from Republicans in qualifying for ballots.

     "We're talking about organized Republican operatives," Mr. Kofinis said. 
"They're not doing it nonbattleground states."

     The advertisement concludes with a blue italicized Bush-Nader logo, a 
parody of the Bush-Cheney logo. The advertisement is tongue-in-cheek, Mr. 
Kofinis said, "but the message of the ad is that Republicans are helping 
Nader, and Nader is not disavowing that help."

     The commercial cost $5,000 to produce, and the TheNaderFactor.com is 
spending an additional $20,000 to run it dozens of times this week in New 
Mexico and Wisconsin, where Mr. Nader won a significant number of votes in 
2000. His deadline for submittting the necessary number of signatures for 
getting on the ballot in those states is Sept. 7.

     Polls suggest Mr. Nader could get at least 2 percent to 3 percent of the 
vote in a dozen swing states.

     "He is now at a point where his entire legacy may come down to him 
helping Bush stay in office for another four years and him cooperating with 
the right-wing groups that he's opposed," Mr. Kofinis said.

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