Former presidential candidate Ralph Nader went public Thursday with an allegation that Virginia gubernatorial hopeful Terry McAuliffe offered his campaign money to stay off the ballot in key states during the 2004 elections — a disclosure timed to raise questions about McAuliffe’s fitness for public office.
“Terry McAuliffe is slipperier than an eel in olive oil,” Nader said in an interview.
He said McAuliffe, who was the Democratic National Committee chairman at the time, had offered Nader’s campaign an unspecified amount of money, believed to be party funds, to spend in 31 states in exchange for an agreement to withdraw from 19 battleground states where he could potentially hurt Democrat John Kerry.
The allegation — which McAuliffe has not disputed — is the latest attempt to suggest that the candidate’s lengthy career as a confidant to President Bill Clinton and top party fundraiser could now be a political liability. McAuliffe’s aides countered that any effort he made to thwart Nader might actually play well with party loyalists.
“It looks like Ralph Nader misses seeing his name in the press,” said Elisabeth Smith, McAuliffe’s spokeswoman. “Terry’s focused on talking with Virginians about jobs, not feeding Ralph Nader’s ego.”
Nothing to see here. Business as usual. Move along.
Check out the second portion of this interview of a dealer.
Paying Ralph to shut up and go away? Who does that McAuliffe think he is – Ford?
McAuliffe is a weasel.
The most ethical chairman, of the most ethical party-evah!…
That is, until he faced off against
GoebblesAxelrod and the O!ne…Both bastions reserve, finesse, nuance, and integrity, whose ethics and charcter are matters of metaphysical certitude…
Well, there’s a Nader quote, and there’s a quote that insults Nader.
So the story is over. Old news.
Yet you’re still going on and on about it. What’re you, obsessed?
McAuliffe’s aides countered that any effort he made to thwart Nader might actually play well with party loyalists.
They expect their people to be sneaky, underhand, and dishonest.
“They expect their people to be sneaky, underhand, and dishonest.”
They are.
That’s why the party loyalists like it.
Actually is pretty good politics.
I had a much lower opinion of McAuliffe prior to this.
I also think that the really funny thing isn’t even written: For most of his life and career, McAuliffe was NYC-based. Particularly, Wall Street and Midtown.
You know the “Culture of Corruption” is bad when …
CREW goes after Murtha Inc.
Pennsylvania Rep. John Murtha has recently come under scrutiny for the millions in earmarks he nabs for his district. And today, a watchdog group released an interactive graphic — You Don’t Know Jack — that illustrates the Democrat’s ties to various special interests.
Wasn’t he involved in the Global Crossing fiasco, but got a pass from the MSM?
McAuliffe opens his mouth and out flows Upstate NY. I wonder what downstate Virginians hear?
“Terry McAuliffe is slipperier than an eel in olive oilâ€
And Delicious grilled!
Slippery as an eel? Thye question isn’t one of slipperiness, but of potential bribery.
Yep. Reportedly made 11 mil. Remember all the outrage? Me neither.
McAuliffe Global Crossing 2002 Drudge page and other.
Oh, it was 18 mill, huh?
Waiting for some troll to point out how much Dick Cheney made…
I know someone who worked on the Oregon campaign for Nader in 2004. The local secretary of state basically tore the rules and state constitution to shreds to make SURE he wasn’t on the ballot that year. He simply threw out enough signatures, for no reason whatsoever, that Nader’s name couldn’t appear there. That’s just one state.
The question that begs to be asked here is why this didn’t become public knowledge during the 2004 campaign. The corruption involved in this type of behavior was obviously overlooked by the Nader campaign at the time for political reasons. They are all absolute pieces of shit, IMHO.
I don’t think it was his mouth, and I wonder what Virginians smell?
You keep the skank, please. Upstate NY has problems enough without him.
#8 – I think the folks at CREW might want to update the ol’ list…they still have Ted “intertubes” Stevens as a Senator…
The question that begs to be asked here is why this didn’t become public knowledge during the 2004 campaign.
They were yelling about it then, it just didn’t get much press. Nader is an idiot, a jerk, and a paranoiac conspiracy theorist, but he was trying to get the word out before. I’m frankly amazed he was able to get this much attention now.
The fact that McAuliffe was trying to get Nader out of the race to help John Kerry proves that Kerry was the lamest of the lame lame-os that has ever been nominated for the presidency by a major party in the last hundred years.
I mean, really. He thought that Nader bowing out would get his true-believers to vote for Kerry and not just go off to their natural habitats in the Greens or Socialists or CPUSA?
Really. Think about it. “We can clinch this thing if we get the commies, and the greens, and the wobblies to our side. Terry – you old Clinton big business DLC enabling Democrat party hack – go out there and appeal to them to support someone they think is just like Bush, only much, much taller. Oh, and change your clothes to a beret, a Mao jacket and organic hemp sandles before you meet them. And call yourself Comrade Terra McLaborFront Van Guard.”