By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Sunday, February 24, 2008
WASHINGTON -- Ralph Nader said Sunday he will run for president as a third-party candidate, criticizing the top White House contenders as too close to big business and pledging to repeat a bid that will "shift the power from the few to the many."
Nader, 73, said most people are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties due to a prolonged Iraq war and a shaky economy. The consumer advocate also blamed tax and other corporate-friendly policies under the Bush administration that he said have left many lower- and middle-class people in debt. "You take that framework of people feeling locked out, shut out, marginalized and disrespected," he said. "You go from Iraq, to Palestine to Israel, from Enron to Wall Street, from Katrina to the bumbling of the Bush administration, to the complicity of the Democrats in not stopping him on the war, stopping him on the tax cuts." "In that context, I have decided to run for president," Nader told NBC's "Meet the Press." Nader also criticized Republican candidate John McCain and Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton for failing to support full Medicare for all or cracking down on Pentagon waste and a "bloated military budget. He blamed that on corporate lobbyists and special interests, which he said dominate Washington, D.C., and pledged in his third-party campaign to accept donations only from individuals. "The issue is do they have the moral courage, do they have the fortitude to stand up to corporate powers and get things done for the American people," Nader said. "We have to shift the power from the few to the many." Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, speaking shortly before Nader's announcement, said Nader's past runs have shown that he usually pulls votes from the Democratic nominee. "So naturally, Republicans would welcome his entry into the race," the former Arkansas governor said on CNN. Nader also ran as a third-party candidate in the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections. He is still loathed by many Democrats who call him a spoiler and claim his candidacy in 2000 cost the party the election by siphoning votes away from Al Gore in a razor-thin contest in Florida. Nader vociferously disputes the spoiler claim, saying only Democrats are to blame for losing the race to George W. Bush. Though he won 2.7 percent of the national vote as the Green Party candidate in 2000, his percentage dropped to just 0.3 percent as an independent in 2004, when he appeared on the ballot in only 34 states.
This is the best thing that has happened to the Republicans in a while. As long as Nader stays in all the way through, he'll be taking votes from the Democrats. For the Republicans, the only other thing that would help now is if Ron Paulk would step down.
Hmmmm...at this late date in the presidential election, one would have to wonder if the reps are back dooring Nader in?
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
The next time you get into a car or truck and fasten your seatbelt, please do me a favor and remember that you have [author, lecturer, political activist] Ralph Nader to thank for that device that may save your life or the life of someone you love. Indeed, had Princess Diana been wearing hers, she might well be alive today. My point is this: Regardless of what the corporate-owned “news media” will tell you, Ralph Nader is not a crackpot. Ralph Nader isn’t a circus clown for the American people to laugh at. For nearly five decades, Nader has been a champion of consumer protection and the rights of those left behind in our society. As this presidential campaign progresses, we can expect a major effort to try to shut Ralph Nader out of the process by either keeping him out of any debates or simply not giving him as much press coverage as the other candidates. It’s up to us, the American people, to dig deeper and find out what Ralph Nader is all about and where he stands. I encourage everyone to do so and keep an open mind. In the meantime, don’t forget to fasten your seatbelt and remember who made such a simple and important act possible. MICHAEL HOOK Schenectady
I think that Nader is a nice enough guy and has passed some legislation through for consumer safety. And maybe it is true that the main stream media won't give him a voice. Because honestly it appears that the only two people running for pres is Obama and Clinton. They got more press than JFK's assassination got.
We need to dig deeper for each presidential candidate. We can no longer rely on the media. They are a circus act within themselves!
When the INSANE are running the ASYLUM In individuals, insanity is rare; but in groups, parties, nations and epochs, it is the rule. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
“How fortunate for those in power that people never think.” Adolph Hitler
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