Feb 25, Feature - For the third time, Ralph
Nader has entered the Presidential fray. He has
launched his platform based on 12 issues, they include: single payer health
care, the repeal of anti-union laws, opposition to nuclear power, support for
a carbon pollution tax, impeachment of Bush and Cheney, and the crackdown on
corporate crime.
Nader announcing his candidacy on NBC's "Meet the Press":
"Now you take that framework of people feeling locked out, shut out, marginalized,
disrespected, and you go from Iraq, to Palestine, Israel, from Enron to Wall
Street, to Katrina, to the bungling of the Bush Administration, to the complicity
of the Democrats not stopping him on the war, not stopping him on tax cuts,
getting a decent energy bill through, and you have to ask yourself, as a
citizen, should we elaborate on the issues the two are not talking about."
Some Democrats might call Nader a spoiler, blaming him for President Bush's
narrow victories in 2000 and 2004. To that criticism, Nader says the decision
by then Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris intervened and the Supreme
Court's decision to name Bush the victor.
Nader also said if the Democrats can't beat the Republicans in 2008, the Democrats
ought to "Wrap up and close down and re-emerge in a different form."
The Nation Magazine Journalist, Jon
Nichols decries the two party system and
disputes the term 'spoiler'. But he said Nader might could find it difficult
to gain much support this year and likely candidate Barack
Obama is addressing
some of Nader's causes, including NAFTA. But Nichols says Nader can influence
the debate.
"If [Nader's] purpose is educational, if the purpose is to go out there
an say there are fundamental issues that need to be addressed by the two
parties that are not being addressed, then I think it could be a very useful
candidacy and the right time to run."
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