Ralph Nader’s February 24 announcement that he will run for president as an independent in 2008 has received extensive coverage, but that coverage is of poor quality. See this article as an example. To see the appearance itself, see here. To read the transcript, see here.

The real news is that Nader is not seeking the Green Party nomination. That decision will delay his ability to qualify for primary season matching funds. One cannot apply for primary season matching funds unless one says he or she is seeking the nomination of some party that is on the ballot in at least two states. In 2004, Nader said he was seeking the nomination of the Reform Party, and on that basis did receive matching funds. This year, at this point, Nader cannot say he is seeking the nomination of any political party (unless he again says he is seeking the Reform Party nomination, which is most unlikely, given its disarray).

The other problem with media coverage of Nader’s announcement, is that none of it mentions the evidence that his 2004 run did not injure John Kerry. See this. For a more detailed analysis, see here. Yet we have the same old assumptions that Nader will injure the Democrats in 2008, with no look at what actually happened in 2004.

The Arizona petition for a new, or previously unqualified political party, is so difficult, it has not been used since 2000. The law requires 20,449 signatures, due March 6, 2008.

The Green Party of Arizona is making every effort to meet this requirement. Greens from around the U.S. have contributed $8,000, so that the Arizona Greens have been able to hire paid circulators. To increase interest, several of the Green Party presidential candidates are in Arizona on the weekend of February 23-24. On Saturday, February 23, some will be at the famous Scottsdale Parada del Sol, the world’s largest horsedrawn parade, which culminates in a mass outdoor party called “Trail’s End.” On Sunday, February 24, at 1 pm, all of the declared Green presidential candidates will also attend a party meeting at the Mesa Public Library, Saguaro Room. Ironically, these presidential candidates cannot themselves help circulate the petition, since Arizona doesn’t permit out-of-state residents to do that.

The Green Party’s party petition must succeed, if the party’s presidential candidate is to appear on the November ballot. The party cannot use the independent candidate petition procedure because the deadline for that is June 4, and the party won’t have chosen its presidential candidate until July 13. Arizona does not permit stand-in presidential candidates on the independent petition. Vice-presidential substitution is a moot point, since Arizona does not print the names of vice-presidential candidates on its November ballot. Arizona has the nation’s 2nd earliest independent presidential petition; a Nader lawsuit (filed in 2004) against that independent deadline is pending in the 9th circuit.

The Libertarian Party is the only ballot-qualified party in Arizona currently, other than the two major parties. The Constitution Party has never been on the Arizona ballot as a party, and is not attempting to get on as a party this year.

The lawsuit filed in January by the Tennessee Constitution, Green and Libertarian Parties has a procedural hearing in federal court on March 17. The case, called Libertarian Party of Tennessee v Thompson, challenges the procedures for new and previously unqualified parties to get on the ballot. No one has used those procedures since 1968. The hearing won’t get to the merits of the case, but will establish the ground rules to proceed.