Nader announces presidential bid

[Dreamer128]

US consumer champion Ralph Nader has announced he will run for president in the November 2004 election.

"I've decided to run as an independent candidate," Mr Nader told NBC television's Meet the Press programme.

He stood as a Green Party candidate in the 2000 election and many Democrats blame him for handing the election to George W Bush.

An anti-establishment figure, Mr Nader won less than 3% of the vote in the last US presidential election.

But many Democrats believe that he took just enough support from Al Gore to hand the contest to Mr Bush, especially in the crucial state of Florida, where Mr Nader won 97,488 votes.

Mr Bush beat Al Gore by just 537 votes in Florida.

'Careful thought'

Announcing his decision, Mr Nader said: "This country has a lot of problems and injustices which it doesn't deserve.

"There is too much power and wealth in too little hands."

Mr Nader said he made his decision "after careful thought".

"Both parties are flunking, Republicans with a D minus and Democrats with a D plus," he said.

"It's time to change the equation."

Lost support

There has been an angry backlash against Mr Nader since the controversial results in the 2000 election.

Thousands of people have cancelled donations to consumer groups 69-year-old Mr Nader founded or supported.

A website has been set up called Ralph Don't Run.

And with this election forecast to be every bit as close as the last, friends and leading Democrats pleaded with him to stay out of the race, says the BBC's Jon Leyne in Washington.

But Mr Nader said those arguing against him running were contemptuous about democracy.

Our correspondent says with so much antagonism, even among his own former supporters, Ralph Nader's first problem will be getting enough signatures even to get himself onto the ballot in many states.

[Source: BBC]

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

I *believe* in Ralph Nader. I believe he should not run this year, though. Supportive of his vision I am, but foolish I am not. This can only be bad for his image.
::sighs::

[Timber Loftis]

As SNL said Saturday night, Nader has announced his bid for presidency, which should result in Bush winning again by 3 votes. Nader, you nerd, take a hint and drop out! [img]graemlins/whackya.gif[/img]

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

I'm so sick of defending Nader, and realized this morning that if he doesn't have the foresight that I have, then hell, I'd make a better president than he would. We have similar ideas, but if he doesn't have the wisdom that a (however enlightened) college student has, then he might not be the man for the job.

[Cerek the Barbaric]

A r/l friend of mine saw an interview with Nader on TV. Even his friends have tried to keep him from running and they said the ONLY reason he is running is to serve his ego.

As Timber pointed out, he will not take any votes away from George Bush. Any votes he recieves can automatically be counted as votes the Democratic Candidate lost.

There are many conservative Independents that are losing faith in Bush and considering voting him out of office. I am one and there is a second one just in my own small group of college buddies. Despite our small size, we have a wide range of values representing the entire spectrum of ideologies, theologies, and political views. The fact that two strong Bush supporters are already willing to listen to the Demo side is fairly representative of a national attitude of dissatisfaction and growing suspicion towards President Bush.

At the beginning of the year, I almost made an prediction in Ziroc's thread that President Bush would win a second term and would win the electoral AND popular vote this time, so there could be no more "whining" that he "stole" the election. Now, I'm not even sure I will vote for him myself.

All Ralph Nader will accomplish is stealing some votes away from the Democratic candidate and he will also send some conservatives that may have considered voting Democratic running back to President Bush.

He claims to want to help vote out our "supremely elected President", but all he will do is give President Bush an added level of comfort he didn't have before.

[Grojlach]

Awg, I reckon most "left" voters rather wish to kick Bush out of the White House than vote for someone who appeals more to them content-wise... And perhaps it'll help to force the Democratic candidate to become slightly more left, so they won't lose too many votes to Nader. But I'm not too worried myself, personally.

[ryaldin]

I for one have no problem with ralph nader running for president. In fact, it's absolutely imperative that he be allowed to do so, because it's an exercise in democracy. If the man feels that he would make a sufficient leader, and if he has enough support to get on the ballot, then bygod let him do so. It's un-democratic to try to encourage him not to run.

I am however a realist, and acknowledge that his running is definitely not going to help depose G.Bush, whom I desperately wish to see anywhere other than the white house.

[Timber Loftis]

The 3% he took last election would have made Al Gore president. It's that simple. Yes, it's his democratic right to run for president. I'm not saying he doesn't have the right. I'm just saying he's an asshole for exercising it.

If I was the Democratic party, I'd turn a few teamsters and other unions loose on his ass. Do him up Chicago style. Add him to the long list of people who live in the bottom of the Chicago River. I wouldn't let some 70 yr. old journalist-turned-megalomanic grass roots freak ruin another election. Of course, this is why it's probably a good thing I don't run the Democratic party.

[ 02-24-2004, 09:30 AM: Message edited by: Timber Loftis ]

[Illumina Drathiran'ar]

You know what I'd like to see, though? I'd like to know what percentage of Nader voters would have voted for Gore had Nader not been in the picture, and how many would have not voted at all. Voter apathy is a huge thing, and I'm just wondering what ratio of Nader voters were apaths or Democrats.

[Timber Loftis]

What we can say for sure, Illumina, is that virtually NONE of the Nader votes would have gone (or will go) to Bush.