World News
Ralph Nader Announces White House Bid
Ralph Nader is once more running for president. He denies running as a spoiler candidate, but the American electoral system is calibrated for a two-party vote, so it's difficult to see a Nader candidacy in any other way. Ideally he'd set a platform and subsequently endorse whomever closest matches it, as often happens in multiparty states such as Italy and Israel, but Nader has not taken this route in the past.
On the other hand, as stated in earlier coverage, Democrats (his true potential electorate) seem happier with their choices this year than in recent elections, so Nader's voice may well just get lost in all the noise.
"I'm running for president," Mr Nader said as he announced the move on NBC's Meet the Press.
He said most Americans were disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties - who were not discussing the urgent issues facing American voters
Democrats, he said, were "complicit" and if they did not win by a "landslide" this year, "they should just close down".
He called Washington "corporate occupied territory" that turns the government against the interest of its own people.
Mr Nader denied he was seeking to be a spoiler candidate - and accused the main parties of shying away from fair competition.
Source: news.bbc.co.uk via jordan
Nader, who will turn 74 this week, announced his presidential bid o NBC's "Meet the Press" saying that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are addressing the problems facing Americans.Previous coverage here.Source: washingtonpost.com via jordan
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Comments (2)
jordan, I like this story. It's good stuff. My comments now.
MSNBC broadcasted in its breaking news segment that Raplh Nader was running for President of the United States as an Independent Candidate in the year 2008. Ralph Nader was and is a force in the political arena in the United States of America from the 1960's. Ralph Nader was a rare child of the 1960's with his suit and tie in the middle of those who were wearing long hair and bell bottoms. Ralph Nader was later to serve as some form of Comic Relief for television shows of the 1960's and 1970's called "Rowan and Martin's Laugh In" and the various incarnations of "The Sonny and Cher Show".
Ralph Nader's attempts at political office were noticeable failures yet the Democrats have blamed him for the Republican Victories of the 2000 and 2004 Elections. The Republicans did not win the White House because of Ralph Nader taking away votes from the Democrats. The Republicans and Democrats could have won the Presidential Elections since the votes of Ralph Nader [according to the United States Elite and the United States Mainstream Media] did not affect the balance nor the statistics.
I ask this of the United States Mainstream Press and the United States Elite, why the publicity for Ralph Nader when there are serious candidates such as George Phillies? I have another question, if the vote for a Third Party is a wasted vote, why did the Republicans and Democrats nullify 57,000 signatures from the Libertarian Party Petition to place Michael Badnarik on the ballot? If the vote of a third party or an independent is a wasted vote, why so much publicity for Ralph Nader who is just simply running for President to keep his name on the front page of a newspaper or a Television Station?
Ralph Nader does not have the electric charge of the messages of the Libertarian Party and George Phillies. Ralph Nader is a person who had his time in the decade of the 1960's and should bow out and let others take the mantle of the Independent Candidacy for President. In other words, Ralph Nader should retire.
Just to let you all in on a little secret - whispering now - Ralph Nader is actually a conservative operative - stop whispering. I think that this is healthy for our Republic. We need people - who have no chance - joining the fray and ruining the good chances another candidate has. But I'm not convinced Nader is going to take votes away from the democrats.
He's going to take votes from the unwashed middle - those flimsy souls who cannot take a stand on anything and wear their indecision as a badge of honor. And guess who's target market (I'm a biz student, not a poli sci major) is the moderate? McCain.
I think there is a significant chance that a Nader candidacy would take away more votes for McCain than it would for Clinton or Obama.
Reader says: "But you just said that Nader was a - whispers - conservative operative - end whispers."
That's my point; we, um, he wants McCain to lose.
[Sorry for the previous comment, I'm a little giddy this Sunday morning.]