Nader Makes It Official!
Sunday February 24, 2008
As if the Democrats needed more conflict, consumer advocate Ralph Nader announced Sunday he was running for president as an indpendent.
Just as he did in 2004, Nader made his announcement five minutes into a 20-minute interview with Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press.
"Dissent is the mother of assent," Nader said as he threw his hat into the ring.
The moment he said those magic words, a great cry of grief rose from the Democratic ranks and wafted through the air like a cloud of gas. Meanwhile, the faint sounds of tap dancing could be heard outside the campaign headquarters of John McCain.
Here are some gems from Nader's appearance on Meet The Press:
On being called a spoiler by Democrats:
"Republicans and Democrats, these are the two parties that have spoiled our electoral system..."On Democratic front-runner, Barack Obama:
"If the Democrats can't landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up, close down [and] emerge in a different form."
"He is the first liberal Evangelist..."On Republican front-runner John McCain:
"He was pro-Palestinian when he was in Illinois before he ran for the state Senate and during his run for the state Senate. Now he's supporting the Israeli destruction of the tiny section called Gaza [and its] million and a half people..."
"David letterman is very unfair when making fun of John McCain's age..."But perhaps the best comment of the day came from Barack Obama, when Tim Russert showed a brief clip of the Illinois Senator discussing a Ralph Nader candidacy:
"In many ways he is a heroic figure. And I don't mean to diminish him, but I do think there's a sense now that if somebody's not heeling to the Ralph Nader agenda, then you must be lacking in some way."
I won't draw this blog out any further today, other than to say, "Welcome to the race, Mr. Nader!"
You can read my opinon about Nader's candidacy here or below.
Comments
I would definitely like to see another candidate for President besides the poor choices we have now, but I’m not sure Mr. Nader is the one. I just checked his website votenader.org and found that the biggest issue hurting Americans at home, ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION, is not even on his 12 Issues That Matter Most in 2008 list. Illegal imigration should be a number one Priority, right up there with the Iraq war. I am looking for an anti-amnesty Presidential candidate, he’d get my vote!
Nader is a pathetic egomaniac that has caused more harm to progressive movements in this country than any other single individual. He has discredited the Green Party already, and now is trying to prevent Obama from forming a working bipartisan movement in Washington. Ralph, please stop this nonsense and let this country heal from the damage you have already caused. Go use your millions to retire and let us start making real progress.
Ralph Nader cracks me up. Does he actually think he has a chance at winning? Or maybe he’s just a closet Republican who secretly wants McCain to win?
Justin,
Your blog is a welcome addition to the About.com site. Great job. We need more conservative voices.
Bob
Thanks, Bob.
I’m happy to be here!
JQ
In the United States, voter registration has never been higher (70 % of the eligible voters ) and yet there has been a steady DECLINE in voter turnout. We had a more than 10 % spike last election after Bin Laden released his video 2 days before the election, and I’m sure there will be another spike this year when Obama becomes the next President. This may placate the masses for a while, but nothing has actually changed. In this day and age of modern technology, a NATIONAL POLL - instituted so the masses can be actively involved in their REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY on a weekly basis, adding in their 2 cents on all the major issues of the week - is the best remedy for ailing voter discontentment. Of course there is probably not one elected official who would ever WANT such a thing, and that has more to do with the FACT that we are a FEDERAL CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC ( google United States, Wikipedia, first sentence ) and NOT a representative democracy. The PEOPLE want to be heard, my most distinguished and learned gentlemen and ladies, or so many of them would not be registering. If you truly want the people to feel positive about politics in general, why not give them an opportunity to become actively involved, say once a week, allowing them to voice their opinions on the major issues. When that day comes to pass, you will have solved voter discontentment in the United States.
You make some very interesting points, and they are eloquently made. Just to clarify one thing, however — the primary reason voter registration in the US has skyrocketed in the last 10 years is the adoption by many states of the “National Motor Voter Act of 1993.” The NMVA allows people to register to vote when they recieve their drivers’ licenses. While many people are willing to register as they’re getting their license, most of them aren’t willing to actually interrupt their day to cast a vote. Thus the NMVA has created a corresponding drop in voter turnout, which has made statistical analysis of voter turnout a futile and highly useless endeavor. The maddening repercussions of the NMVA program have caused some states (Pennsylvania among them) to consider drafting legislation that would drop the program once and for all.
Also — I disagree about the Obama becoming our next president, but that is just IMHO.
JQ