Ralph Nader Starts Independent Presidential Bid … So Much for that Slam Dunk Democratic Presidential Victory in 2008

The Democrats are not happy campers after hearing this news …

Look out Democrats, your presumed cake walk to the office of the Presidency of the United States just had a monkey wrench thrown into the works.  Its official, Ralph Nader is launching a 3rd party independent campaign for the 2008 presidential election. 

Nader’s run may just pull away enough of the liberal, democratic vote to cost the Democratic nominee the election as he has done in the past. Especially, if Hillary Clinton is the nominee. Blue Crab Boulevard calls it “Deja Vu All Over Again” as Nader will syphon off the liberal vote. It would appear as Red State noticed as well that those in the liberal media are miffed at Nader that he may swing the election to McCain.

The consumer advocate made the announcement Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” He says most Americans are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties, and that none of the presidential contenders are addressing ways to stem corporate crime and Pentagon waste and promote labor rights.

Last month, Nader began an exploratory presidential campaign and launched a Web site that promises to fight “corporate greed, corporate power, corporate control.” (MSNBC)

Ralph Nader starts presidential bid

Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Criticize and Down Play Nader’s run.

Maybe Hillary Clinton needs a refresher course in political history as to why her husband Bill Clinton defeated Bush 41. I am sure it had nothing to do with the 3rd party candidacy of Ross Perot. Turn about is fair play. This is still the United States and anyone should have the opportunity to run as a 3rd party candidate. Maybe if it occurred more often, the two political parties would be more concerned about their constituents.

Asked about the possible impact, Obama and Clinton both downplayed it while also criticizing Nader.

“Mr. Nader is somebody who if [you] don’t listen and adopt all of his policies, [he] thinks you’re not substantive. He seems to have a pretty high opinion of his own work,” Obama said. “Historically, he is a singular figure in American politics and has done as much as just about anybody on behalf of consumers, so in many ways, he is a heroic figure and I don’t mean to diminish him, but I do think there’s a sense now that, you know, if somebody’s not hewing to the Ralph Nader agenda then you must be lacking in some way.”

Clinton was also less than enthusiastic.

Ralph Nader’s comments from “Meet the Press” can be read HERE.

MR. NADER:  Let me put it in context, to make it a little more palatable to people who have closed minds.  Twenty-four percent of the American people are satisfied with the state of the country, according to Gallup.  That’s about the lowest ranking ever.  Sixty-one percent think both major parties are failing.  And, according to Frank Luntz’s poll, a Republican, 80 percent would consider voting for a independent this year. 

Now, you take that framework of people feeling locked out, shut, shut out, marginalized, disrespected and 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, getting a decent energy bill through, and you have to ask yourself, as a citizen, should we elaborate the issues that the two are not talking about?  And the–all, all the candidates–McCain, Obama and Clinton–are against single payer health insurance, full Medicare for all. I’m for it, as well as millions of Americans and 59 percent of physicians in a forthcoming poll this April.  People don’t like Pentagon waste, a bloated military budget, all the reports in the press and in the GAO reports.  A wasteful defense is a weak defense.  It takes away taxpayer money that can go to the necessities of the American people.  That’s off the table to Obama and Clinton and McCain.

The issue of labor law reform, repealing the notorious Taft-Hartley Act that keeps workers who are now more defenseless than ever against corporate globalization from organizing to defend their interests.  Cracking down on corporate crime.  The media–the mainstream media repeatedly indicating how trillions of dollars have been drained and fleeced and looted from millions of workers and investors who don’t have many rights these days, and pensioners. You know, when you see the paralysis of the government, when you see Washington, D.C., be corporate-occupied territory, every department agency controlled by overwhelming presence of corporate lobbyists, corporate executives in high government positions, turning the government against its own people, you–one feels an obligation, Tim, to try to open the doorways, to try to get better ballot access, to respect dissent in America in the terms of third parties and, and independent candidates; to recognize historically that great issues have come in our history against slavery and women rights to vote and worker and farmer progressives, through little parties that never ran–won any national election.  Dissent is the mother of ascent.  And in that context, I have decided to run for president.