The Gamut

Quinnipiac University | May 5, 2004 -- Bush and his team get lowest approval ever, nationwide poll by Quinnipiac University finds; but Kerry gains little ground in matchup:

But President Bush still leads Democratic challenger John Kerry 43 -- 40 percent, with 6 percent for independent candidate Ralph Nader...

Okay, here's a thought. Is it just possible that Nader's candidacy is keeping Kerry from succumbing to Howard-Dean-Syndrome?

I supported Dean, and even voted for him in Ohio's primary after it was all but a done-deal that he couldn't win. One thing I noticed was that a lot of the media pile-up that drove him from the race was on account of his front-runner status. They left Lieberman and Kucinich alone and Kerry didn't begin taking flack until after he became the presumptive front-man. Perhaps Nader's raison d'etre (even if he doesn't realize it) is to keep the election from becoming a runaway too soon.

Think about it. Six points of this poll which would almost certainly be Kerry's are going to Nader. If Kerry had those points, he would be leading in this poll 46 - 43. In other recent polls, the difference would be even greater. In fact, Bush would not lead in any polls that i can remember seeing recently absent Nader. It would be all Kerry all the time. Imagine what the press would do with a bone like that.

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