Ralph Nader wants to run again. (Apparently he's not happy with handing the presidency to just one Republican)

Ralph Nader is at it again:

Ralph Nader says he is seriously considering running for president in 2008 because he foresees another Tweedledum-Tweedledee election that offers little real choice to voters.
"You know the two parties are still converging -- they don't even debate the military budget anymore," Nader said in a 30-minute interview. "I really think there needs to be more competition from outside the two parties."

Little real choice for voters? Who is he kidding? The Democratic and Republican candidates offer wildly divergent positions on the Iraq War, foreign policy, immigration, health care, taxes, trade, and the environment. Want to get out of Iraq? Vote Democratic. Want an indefinite occupation? Vote Republican. Want a mulitlateral foreign policy? Vote Democratic. Want a unilateral foreign policy? Vote Republican. Want more immigration? Vote Democratic. Want less? Vote Republican. Want universal healthcare? Vote Democratic. Want to keep healthcare the way it is? Vote Republican. Want to get rid of the Bush tax cuts? Vote Democratic. Want to keep them? Vote Republican. Want more environmental protection? Vote Democratic. Want less? Vote Republican. Want to protect civil liberties? Vote Democratic. Think civil liberties just get in Jack Bauer's way? Vote Republican. Want separation of church and state? Vote Democratic. Don't want separation of church and state? Vote Republican. Want stem-cell research? Vote Democratic. Don't want it? Vote Republican. Want more liberal judges on the Supreme Court? Vote Democratic. Want more conservative judges? Vote Republican. Etc etc etc.

I'm getting a little tired of Nader's willful ignorance of the way our political system works:

And while Nader, 73, realizes he might once again be accused of being a "spoiler" candidate, he says the Democrats could win in 2008, unless they spoil things for themselves.

"Democrats have become, over the years, very good at electing very bad Republicans," Nader said.

Bold words from the man who cost Al Gore Florida and handed George Bush the presidency.

A Thought Experiment, Part II (the Parties of the Left)

(See here for a full explanation of this thought experiment. Basically, I'm imagining what the political landscape would look like if America had some form of proportional representation, allowing third parties to flourish.)

Here are the parties of the left. I am assuming that the tension between free-traders and protectionist Democrats (and, more generally, between New Democrats and traditional Democrats) will break the party in two. These two successor parties will garner the majority of votes on the left but will be joined by a strengthened Green Party and a small but vocal Black Congressional Caucus.

New Democrats

Archetypical members: Bill & Hillary Clinton.

Base of support: Middle-class suburban voters, voters with college degrees.

Policies: Neoliberal economic policies such as a balanced budget and free trade, combined with social liberalism.

Comments: The New Democrats, masters of triangulation, could conceivably enter into coalitions with parties on the right if the need arose.

Social Democrats

Archetypical member: John Edwards.

Base of support: Labor unions, working class, minorities, the religious left. Strongest in industrial states that suffer from the negative effects of globalization.

Policies: Redistributionist economic policies, economic protectionism

Comments: Very similar to European social democratic parties.

Green

Archetypical member: Ralph Nader.

Base of support: Affluent suburban voters.

Policies: Environmental, dovish.

Comments: The Green Party could draw a surprisingly large percentage of votes. The current Green Party manages to win 4-5% of the votes even in the current system, which makes voting Green counterproductive. It is not hard to imagine the Greens gaining 10-15% of the votes in a proportional system. Its appeal might weaken as other parties adopt environmentalist positions in the face of global warming.

Congressional Black Caucus

Archetypical members: Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson.

Base of support: African-American voters. Strongest support in inner cities.

Policies: Redistributionist economic policies, economic protectionism, support for affirmative action and education reform. Moderate/conservative on social issues like gay marriage.

Comments: The Congressional Black Caucus would probably focus on a few key issues and enter into coalitions with the Social Democrats. It would struggle to take middle-class African-Americans away from New Democrats and Social Democrats.