By Ralph Nader
November 15, 2004

Dear Mr. McAuliffe:

I am writing to request your immediate resignation as Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Under your leadership the Democratic Party has lost its direction, no longer knows what it stands for and as a result is losing to many of the most extreme Republican candidates in history. You have taken the Democratic base for granted and as a result are losing support among Americans who should be supporting an alternative to the Republican Party, e.g., according to CNN exit polls 38% of union members voted for Bush as did 40% of those with union members in their households, 42% of those earning $15,000-$30,000, 44% of those who earn under $50,000 and 44% of Latinos, 45% of youth (aged 18-29), 13% of liberals—even 11% of Democrats voted for Bush! Even significantly lower percentages would still have been an astonishing abandonment.

The anti-democratic activities you condoned, funded and participated in against the Nader/Camejo independent campaign were constitutional crimes that make you unworthy of serving in any capacity in US politics. Harassment and intimidation of people who circulated and signed our petitions, dirty tricks at ballot access conventions and phony lawsuits in order to prevent voters from being allowed to vote for the candidates of their choice needs to be rejected by the political parties. As Democratic operatives told The Washington Post on August 24, one of the goals of this litigation was “to neutralize his campaign by forcing him to spend money and resources defending these things.” You and many members of your party showed a political bigotry that sees the United States as a two-party dictatorship rather than a robust democracy with diverse voices.

The Democratic Party needs to examine its failures honestly. Over the last two decades there has been a steady decline in electoral success at the local, state and national level. Your immediate resignation would be a first step toward a reappraisal of the direction of the Democratic Party so that it stops evading and scapegoating but instead looks at itself directly in the mirror.

Sincerely,

-- Ralph Nader
November 15, 2004

Ralph Nader ran for President of the US as an Independent in 2004. He is America’s leading consumer advocate and founder of numerous public interest groups including Public Citizen. His latest book is The Good Fight : Declare Your Independence and Close the Democracy Gap (Regan Books, 2004). He can be reached through www.votenader.org.