Nader announces new run for president

[peejay 327]

Nader announces new run for president

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer

32 minutes ago

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.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080224/ap_on_el_pr/nader

___

On the Net:

Ralph Nader presidential campaign: http://www.votenader.org

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Three posts down You must have Obama blindness

Edited February 24, 2008 by CarolsMarc

[peejay 327]

Three posts down You must have Obama blindness

No...I saw it, but posted the story with the link to his website.

I seriously doubt he will be elected, but the guy says things that need to be said in the national public forum.

Not to mention that it gives the people that don't buy into the ####### the Republicans and Democrats shove out a place to cast their vote. Voting Mickey Mouse, Pat Paulson, Alfred E. Newman, and Willey Nelson just doesn't quite serve as a viable alternative to the Brand X and Y political system of the USA.

I did come close to voting for Ross Perot in '92 before he wigged out on us.

Edited February 24, 2008 by peejay

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

Three posts down You must have Obama blindness

No...I saw it, but posted the story with the link to his website.

I seriously doubt he will be elected, but the guy says things that need to be said in the national public forum.

Not to mention that it gives the people that don't buy into the ####### the Republicans and Democrats shove out a place to cast their vote. Voting Mickey Mouse, Pat Paulson, Alfred E. Newman, and Willey Nelson just doesn't quite serve as a viable alternative to the Brand X and Y political system of the USA.

I did come close to voting for Ross Perot in '92 before he wigged out on us.

[Charuhans 0]

I think it will be a long and hard battle for Nader even to get his name on the ballot in November. The Obama camp will try every trick in the book to stop him from running. And given the money and posse of advisors in its coffers, they might just succeed. The con game is running so well now they won't let anything/anyone spoil it.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Ralph is stroking his ego one last time. So be it.

[pedroh 21]

so the reps need some help from nader to divert some votes for the dems? like with gore? so desperate they are?

[Sofargone 2]

Pedroh I hope your seriously not blaming Nader for that stiff Al Gore losing in 2000. If you are serious then since when is anybody's votes guaranteed ? If they dont beat McStain then they just might as well disband. or will you be crying uncle saying Nader stole votes again ??

Sofargone

[Alex+R 0]

Nobody will vote for him. Even if they do, I'm not sure it will be easy to say he took votes from anyone. Last night I had dinner with a friend who said if Hillary didn't get the nomination, he'd vote McCain. Then my cab driver said if Obama didn't get the nomination, he'd either stay home or vote McCain.

Maybe either of them would vote Nader.

[Sofargone 2]

Well Alex until we all stop supporting this two party system and exposing it for what it really is the Republicrats will always be in office. Almost anyone I have talked to is either slamming the Dems or slamming the Reps but when its time to vote they vote Dem or REP because they wanna say they voted for the winner and/or just to scared to try and make a change. Then after the elections they cry and ###### about the way things are but yet again vote for whoever is popular NOT who is the best candidate for them.

Sofargone

[one...two...tree 2,762]

Good for Nader. He won't have any relevant effect on the outcome of the election...he never has.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

woot!! vote Nader!!

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

woot!! vote Nader!!

No need to. He's doing pretty well stroking his own ego himself.

Edited February 25, 2008 by Mr. Big Dog

[cmartyn 0]

I can't vote for Nader, isnt he that hump who made us all wear seatbelts? Screw that dude. I hate seatbelts.

[♥Sora_9_Dam3a♥ 0]

I can't vote for Nader, isnt he that hump who made us all wear seatbelts? Screw that dude. I hate seatbelts.