At least now we have candidates who aren’t all white males. Progress!

It reminds me of a story about environmentalist Adam Werbach who after years of protesting big companies like Walmart, joined Walmart as their green advocate. He said he can be more effective from the inside than he can from the outside. He’s been called a traitor by other advocates, and maybe he went for the money.

At the end of the day I don’t think people will listen to Nader. 8 years ago we were coming off of the Clinton years - and neither candidate from the major parties excited the public; a third party candidate made sense.

This year is different.

After 8 years of George Bush - 9/11, the war in Afghanistan, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, and the current recession (due primarily to the mortgage crisis), I think voters will take more into account than what Nader has to offer. Nader’s strength is consumer protection - and as important as that is, it will be trumped by the economy and national security.

Come September, no one will be talking about Nader. This election is too important for him.

If you watch the documentary about him, An Unreasonable Man, you’ll learn a lot about Nader, American history and the current state of politics. Nader is a man of deep, honest conviction. He runs for president against his own desires, almost. That’s how he sees it. Because in the 1960s and 1970s he had access to politicians, they would actually listen to him. Then in the eighties it was a stone wall, and has only gotten worse and worse, until now, when most politicians won’t even acknowledge his existence. And it’s easy to understand why. Because big corporations hate him, and if a politician was seen listening to Nader, all their big campaign funds would dry up. (If you don’t know why corporations hate Nader, go to the library and read something–fast.)

So, he runs for president to be heard. He’s left with no other options.

I would never discourage him from fighting the fights he has fought for almost 50 years. He’s one of the only public figures who tries to make life for American citizens better. That really is his only goal. I can’t vote for him for many reasons, but I admire him and encourage third parties to wedge their way into the political arena. Anyone that begrudges him a presidential campaign doesn’t make sense to me.

That’s like a guy saying, “If your girlfriend is really in love with you, she won’t go out with me when I ask her.”

Just what is Nader trying to prove?

His presence just confuses the issue.
At his best, Nader is comic relief. And, in case no one is looking, this shit isn’t funny, anymore.