Nader Announces Run for President

WASHINGTON — Ralph Nader on Sunday announced a fresh bid for the White House, criticizing the top contenders as too close to big business and dismissing the possibility that his third-party candidacy could tip the election to Republicans.

The longtime consumer advocate is still loathed by many Democrats who accuse him of costing Al Gore the 2000 election.

Nader said most people are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties due to a prolonged Iraq war and a shaky economy. He 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, disrespected," he said. "You go from Iraq, to Palestine/Israel, from Enron to Wall Street, from Katrina to the bungling of the Bush administration, to the complicity of the Democrats in not stopping him on the war, stopping him on the tax cuts."

Nader, who turns 74 later this week, announced his candidacy on NBC's "Meet the Press."

In a later interview with The Associated Press, he rejected the notion of himself as a spoiler candidate, saying the electorate will not vote for a "pro-war John McCain." He also predicted his campaign would do better than in 2004, when he won just 0.3 percent of the vote as an independent.

"This time we're ready for them," said Nader of the Democratic Party lawsuits that kept him off the ballot in some states.

Democratic candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton quickly sought to portray Nader's announcement as having little impact.

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"Obviously, it's not helpful to whomever our Democratic nominee is. But it's a free country," said Clinton, who called Nader's announcement a "passing fancy."

Obama dismissed Nader as a perennial presidential campaigner. "He thought that there was no difference between Al Gore and George Bush and eight years later I think people realize that Ralph did not know what he was talking about," Obama added.

Republican Mike Huckabee welcomed Nader into the race.

"I think it always would probably pull votes away from the Democrats, not the Republicans," the former Arkansas governor said on CNN.

Nader said Obama's and Clinton's lukewarm response was not surprising given that both political parties typically treat third-party candidates as "second-class citizens." Nader said he will decide in the coming days whether to run as an independent, Green Party candidate or in some other third party.

Pointing a finger at Republicans, he described McCain as a candidate for "perpetual war" and said he welcomed the support of Republican conservatives "who don't like the war in Iraq, who don't like taxpayer dollars wasted, and who don't like the Patriot Act and who treasure their rights of privacy."

"If the Democrats can't landslide the Republicans this year, they ought to just wrap up," Nader added.

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Associated Press writers Beth Fouhy in Providence, R.I., and David Espo in Lorain, Ohio, contributed to this report.

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On the Net:

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

Comments

[Bobby]

As I said before, I respect a lot of what Nader believes in and talks about. But Nader is ALL about Nader now. It's ALL about the ego. That ego helped give us 7+ years of Dumbya Bu$h. It wasn't the main reason, but it was one of the reasons.

[leftLibertarian]

Ralph Nader has nothing to be ashamed about.

Rather it is the Democrats who should hang their heads low for they have refused to impeach the criminals Bush and Cheney.

[shutupnub]

thank you!

Nader 08.

[lacitepq]

Touche. Nader has more integrity than almost all politicians out there. His actions as a consumer advocate have done more for the American people than most of them know. It would be nice to see Nader get more votes than the republicans this year (a pipe dream I know). it would restore my faith in my fellow voters who, as of the last 8 years, have made some pretty dumb choices that have left us hostage to one of the most inept and corrupt administrations ever to occupy the WH

[LoloZ]

Nader may be a "spoiler" but he made some good points today. Namely, where have the democrats been? Where is the leadership? Why hasn't Bush been impeached after trashing our constitution? If we can impeach Clinton for a blow job, certainly Bush is ripe for impeachment. Why haven't the democrats in congress taken control big time with a clear agenda, like Newt Gingrich did with his "contract with America." (this is what Obama was referring to when he said the repubs were the ones with the ideas). After the past seven years of Bush's nightmare, the democrats should kicking ass.

[Binckeslaw]

Nader's observations are on target. No candidate is addressing the abuses he cited. Let's hope his presence moves the candidates to the left enough so that these issues get addressed.

[Felicty]

I am willing to bet anything Nader's run is being funded by the Clintons.

[frappe]

...or by the RNC

[BluGrrl]

Hey frappe,

I wondered the same.

[flyguy14222]

I have heard it all now.

[nacilbuper]

what? are they gonna loan him $5 million dollars. clinton can barely fund her own campaign.

get real. if anything, he'll get buck from the repubs.

[morticia]

I bet your right, but it will come to bite her in
the butt.

[AnninCA]

That type of remark is one reason I'll never vote for Obama. It's so right-wing thinking. The Clinton campaign is currently in the red. She can't win because he's outspending her 4 to 1.

And you still spread this type of Republican slime?

Outrageous what's gone on this year to watch the Rovian tactics used by Obama on the Democrats.

[frappe]

After the 2000 election in which Nader helped Bush steal the presidency from Al Gore, I vowed never to send the Green party a dime. Nader, knowing how close that race was in Florida could have at least implored his voters to cast their ballots for Gore. Instead his silence was deadly. The country as a result has had to endure 8 torturous years of a Bush regime that feels more like a plague than a presidency. Thanks for a big, fat ZERO, Nader.

If you are serious about change, you should stay out of presidential politics and work on building your party from the bottom up. By injecting yourself in presidential politics you only serve to give hope to the Republican neanderthals who hope to retain a stranglehold on the country, at least at the executive level.

Judging by the past, I fully expect the mainstream media to make hay out of this ridiculous effort on the part of Nader. That's the sad, tragic part of this unfolding story. If it wasn't for the national media continuously highlighting Nader's farcical run for the presidency, Nader would completely go unnoticed, with no sign whatsoever of him on any political radar.

He relies on people like Russert and his ilk to give his campaign oxygen, and frankly they do the country a great disservice by doing so.

[FearlessFreep]

Heaven forbid that the American voters get offered one option too many!

[frappe]

You know and I know that Ralph Nader will be using his presidential run purely for PR purposes for h is Green party...or whatever party he is now affiliated with. He has a snowball's chance in hell of winning this election. The only result from his imposition in the presidential campaign will be to siphon off votes that would otherwise go to the Democrats who, with a Democratic president in the White House, and what is looking like will be considerable majorities in the House and Senate, would be able to pass some significant legislation that would benefit the very same people that Nader is appealing to.

The fact is that he should concentrate his efforts at building up his party at the ground, grassroots level. After all, you have to win over the locals by winning local elections before you can build a base of support. Start there instead of screwing around in presidential politics. That's all that I am saying.

[BluGrrl]

Heaven forbid Nader and his followers get it threw their big heads that Nader can never win. Heaven forbid Nader grow the f*ck up and quit stroking his ego. Heaven forbid, indeed.

[rwe2late]

Sounds like you are blaming Nader for the millions of Americans who twice VOTED for Bush.
I guess you are sorry LIEBERMAN DID NOT BECOME VICE-PRESIDENT!
If anyone is to blame for the 8 years of Bush Fascism, it is the Bush supporters AND THEIR DEMOCRATIC PARTY ENABLERS.

[AnninCA]

That's nuts. First I hear that partisanship is dead. Now I'm hearing from Obama supporter that everyone else shouldn't run because the Democrats will be hurt?

Which is it?

I sure wanted to cast my vote, and I never thought of myself as progressive, necessarily, but I know McCain won't do. Join the Obama cult? Never. They are too religious-­right-like for me.

So Nader is ideal. He espouses a great many things I believe in.

[joja]

Is there a contest for biggest asshole in an election?

Looks like the Clintons have some competition!!

[Froggerorangebeast]

What an egotistical ass wipe.

[Merin]

Ralph Nader is right about the two political parties, he really is.

But he had his best shot in 2000. One of the bigger "third parties" backed him, he had enormous rallies, and you could really feel that the difference between GWB and Al Gore was "tweedle-dum and tweedle-dee."
7 years later, I'd happily have had tweedle-dee.

In 2004 he made himself almost irrelevant, which is horribly sad. Ralph Nader is a great consumer advocate and his ideas are sound. He simply doesn't have the support or the platform this time to win. If "anti-corporate" didn't win for John Edwards, it isn't going to work for Ralph Nader.

This is a blip. It really won't affect anything.

[pollster08]

Ralph Nader will have '0' effect on this race. This is an entirely different time and too much is on the line to take this man seriously or waste a vote on him. There are going to be some who will waste their vote on him but the vast majority will not this time around.
Ralph Nader will not take any votes away from Barack Obama. He may take votes away from Hillary but not Barack Obama. In fact, Obama will probably gain more votes because Nader has entered the race.

[FearlessFreep]

And a vote for Kerry wasn't wasted?

[brwnizofmine]

He duped Democrats in 2000, I don't think we'll be that stupid again! If we are, then whatever we get, that's what we deserve. That's certainly how we got GWB.

[deb123]

Oh, Ralph ... when most everyone agrees that we at last have capable candidates running for office, you have to jump in. It's your right and I defend it, but it's also your choice and I can't defend that. If this move is not about you, then why don't you run for Congress or the Senate where you could be heard, possibly win and do some good? Are you afraid you just might win a seat at the table?

[frappe]

Exactly!

[LittleBrother]

And HEEERE COME THE PRETZELS!

[jojojo]

I used to admire Nader, when he truly stood up for the average American.

Now he's only out for his own ego, I guess, or for the Republican Party.

He, as much as anyone like Rove or the other Bushies, is the reason we've had Bush for 7 years.

He's a joke worthy only of derision. He'd be funny if he wasn't so monstrous.

[kcal2000]

This is not 2000. Nader will not be a spoiler this time.

[AtticusinPa]

Be very careful. He will not be a spoiler only if we deny him access to the ballot, as we did in Pennsylvania four years ago. Each state democratic committee must take steps to deny him that access or he could well be a spoiler. It pains me to say this about someone who inspired me to a career in the law, but his time has passed and the last 8 years demonstrate graphically the effect of such a campaign.

[Democrab]

No question Gore would have won Florida in 2000 without the presence of Ralph N on the ballot.

But Bush won in 2004. Go figure.

There is no accounting for the American voter, and I stopped trying to make sense of any election since "Shakespeare in Love" beat "Saving Private Ryan" for movie of the year at the academy awards. How stupid was that?

He's got a right to run, it's a free country. He has the right to aid the republicans because he knows mostly dem voters will migrate to his causes; which, by the way usually cost American workers their jobs.

He has the right to help elect idiots that propose the opposite of his theories about big business and environment.

He has the right to be a true hypocrite and ruin millions of TVs from the spittle of dems when they see his disgusting face on the tube announcing his egoistic candidacies.

Sorry Ralphie boy, but your little joke about how the major candidates are spoiling your chances is tired and old, just like you.