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July 9, 2004/Tamuz 20 5764, Vol. 56, No.42
U.S. Jews shun Nader
MATTHEW E. BERGER
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
WASHINGTON - Jewish communal officials are trying to ensure that Ralph Nader does not play the same role in the 2004 presidential election as he did four years earlier.
Nader, the 2000 Green Party candidate who some say took key votes away from Democratic candidate Al Gore in a razor-tight election, again is seeking the White House, this time as an independent.
An outspoken opponent of aid to Israel and a constant critic of U.S. policy in the Middle East, Nader for years has been a thorn in the side of many liberal and conservative Jews. While his domestic policy views, which traditionally have focused on consumer rights, align closely with those of most Jewish voters, Jews largely have avoided Nader because of other differences with him and his style.
As the Democratic and Republican candidates vie to prove their pro-Israel credentials - long a staple of American presidential races - Nader has chosen to voice views critical of Israel.
But while there is genuine fury at what Nader is saying, some liberal Jews may also want to discredit Nader to minimize the Jewish vote for him in key states, aiding the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, against President Bush.
On July 2, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Mark Armstrong ordered that Nader not be granted a spot on the Arizona presidential ballot, after a lawyer for Nader said that there were "technical errors" in the independent candidate's ballot petition. Nader has not yet qualified for any state's presidential ballot, which he attributes to "dirty tricks" from the Democratic Party attempting to keep his name off ballots, especially in key states like Arizona.
Staff Writer Michael Miklofsky and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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