Quote from Maverick74:
Actually, here is where the game theory is. The decision is between Dean and the democrats. Dean is threatening to support Nader which would derail the democrats hopes of taking over the White House. The democrats are obviously threatening to ruin any future in politics he might have if he does that. Both sides have to be very careful how they play this. Clearly they both want the other side to choose the action which would benefit them without having to force them to do so.
For example, Dean wants either maybe a position in the new Kerry administration or at least a shot at something in 2008 if the dems lose. But to accomplish this outcome, he would prefer not to have to force their hand by actually supporting Nader.
Meanwhile the dems want to have no part of Dean but they can't be obvious about this intention or they force his hand which is to support Nader. The dems obviously want to keep Dean happy and at the same time, they don't want to help him. So both sides have to give the other side the impression that they will accommodate each others wants without actually giving it to them. What both sides don't want is for the other side to take action which would hurt both their causes. So what we have here is a classical cat and mouse game where both sides have to make decisions which will either force a favorable or unfavorable outcome. Yes, classic game theory at work.
Therefore, it would be to Dean's advantage to make a legitimate threat to the dems that he will support Nader but without actually doing so. It would make sense for the dems to lead Dean into thinking they will support him at a later date or give him a position in 2005 but of course without actually going through with it.
In this game, perception is everything. You have to actually make the other side think they are getting what they want without giving it to them and make sure your threats at the same time are credible enough to force the other side to make the decision you want. A perfect game of strategy indeed.