State representative accuses Republican Party leaders of gathering signatures for independent Ralph Nader

State representative Ed Fallon, a democrat from Des Moines, today challenged Republican Party leaders for gathering signatures to get independent Ralph Nader on the November ballot. Fallon says the signatures were gathered at President Bush’s campaign stop in Cedar Rapids, and clearly he says that targets Republicans and the message was it would help President Busy. Fallon says it clearly is not an effort to get at Nader’s true supporters and says this is an “effort by Republicans who want to engage in every sneaky trick possible to win the election.” Fallon says he’s worried Nader would take votes away from Democrat John Kerry. Fallon was asked why it matters if Nader is on the ballot if democrats are truly behind John Kerry — won’t they vote for him?He says one of his concerns is that he has a lot of respect for Ralph Nader and says he hates to see Nader hurt himself with a third presidential bid when he has no hope of winning. Fallon says this run could irreparably damage Nader’s integrity and his legacy. He says that would be a real shame. Fallon drew heat from his democrat counterparts when he supported Nader early on in the election process.