Ralph Nader to run for president
WASHINGTON
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.
"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.