Nader Needs Attention

Please cue collective sigh of the Democratic party. Ralph Nader has entered the Presidential race. Again. Nader officially announced his candidacy on Meet the Press on Sunday, saying the current Presidential options weren't talking about the important issues, mainly the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, single-payer heath insurance, and impeaching Bush and Cheney. This is the same man who in 2000, said there were no meaningful differences between Bush and Gore. This is also the same man who got 2.7% of the vote in Florida in 2000. If his votes had gone to Gore, as many suggest they would have, Al Gore would have carried Florida and won the national election. However, rather than looking back at the mistakes of the past, we'll look instead at Nader's rhetoric of today.



During the interview, Nader sounded less concerned about consumer interests (his trademark issue) and more concerned about getting himself in the spotlight and having some extra media attention. His repeated plugs of his website throughout the interview and his own admittance that the Democrats should have no problem winning the election suggested that Nader's appearance on the scene is more about putting himself in the limelight yet again.

Nader even says that "I would prefer that the American people organize and whoever is President is President. And they give that President backbone." This is an interesting statement from one of Bush's harshest critics. The Bush Administration has used this argument repeatedly--insisting that patriotic Americans support their President no matter what. I think the American people are too smart to be fooled by this rhetoric again. Our nation is founded on the concept of questioning our leaders. The United States itself would not exist if citizens hadn't decided to question the rule of England and demand a better system of governance.

With so much at stake and with good alternatives available, even former supporters are asking, "Why now, Nader?"