[Iowa-dx] FW: Ralph Nader: It's not always about winning (Baltimore Sun)

[Hart, Holly J]

"Nader, who ran as the Green Party candidate in 2000 and an independent in =
2004, said he probably will align with no party, but run as an independent.=
"

http://weblogs.baltimoresun.com/news/politics/blog/2008/02/ralph_nader_its_=
not_always_abo.html
Ralph Nader: It's not always about winning
by Mark Silva

For Ralph Nader, who won some crusades against corporate America as a consu=
mer advocate, the political campaign is not always about winning.

He says he is running against "the real political bigotry'' of the two majo=
r parties that have "locked up the system.'' He says he is saying things th=
at no one else is. And his campaign opens that door to the media that enabl=
es his words to walk through.

Nader - who collected 2.7 percent of the vote when he ran for president in =
2000 and 0.3 percent when he ran in 2004 - says he will run again this year=
 as an independent candidate.

But it's clear, from interviews with Nader since his announcement on NBC's =
Meet the Press on Sunday, that it's the candidacy that counts for him - and=
 the ideas he espouses in his pursuit of a fractional share of the vote. Ca=
ndidacies like that of Norman Thomas, the Socialist.

It is "important.to remember our history,'' Nader said in an interview aire=
d by Sirius Radio on Monday. "Almost everything we like in politics started=
 with a small party. Norman Thomas, the Socialist Party - he ran for presid=
ent five times, he put forth social security, unemployment compensation, th=
e progressive income tax, labor standards.''

Nader appeared on Ron Silver's daily call-in talk show on Indie Talk Channe=
l 110, which bills itself as "an uncensored forum for independent thought a=
nd opinion.''

Nader's contention is that too much of his own thoughts are missing from th=
e political campaign underway - and we've heard from no shortage of voters =
this week who agree with that, and support his notion that the two major pa=
rties leave something unanswered in American politics. So Nader runs again =
- not to win, but to voice.


The leading candidates are "not talking about the bloated wasteful military=
 budget.which takes money away from repairing the public services in the co=
untry - the schools, the clinics, the highways, bridges, drinking water sys=
tems, sewage treatment systems that would create a lot of good jobs that co=
uld not be exported to places like China,'' Nader said Monday on Silver's s=
how on Sirius.

"Obama, Hillary Clinton and McCain have not come out against nuclear power,=
'' Nader said. "Congress just recently put in $19 billion of loan guarantee=
s for nuclear power plants. This is an industry that can not finance its nu=
clear power plants privately without having a guarantee from Uncle Sam, whi=
ch indicates its lack of economic viability.''

Silver, saying he for one is "not afraid of more ideas,'' said "it's very c=
urious that this country, which likes to pat itself on the back for being s=
uch a free marketplace of ideas, is trying to shut people down like Ralph N=
ader and other people making ballot access very difficult etc.''

"I couldn't have put it better,'' Nader said. "It's real political bigotry =
by the two major parties who have locked up the system with these ballot ac=
cess obstructions against more voices and choices and giving voters a chanc=
e to have their free choice of candidates.

"The best ideas in American history have come from small parties: anti-slav=
ery parties, women's right to vote, the labor farmer progressive parties in=
 the 19th Century,'' he said. "They never won a national election, but aren=
't we glad they were there? And aren't we glad that some voters didn't go f=
or the least worst between the Whigs and the Democrats?''

His vision of the challenge ahead: "It's basically to free the free market =
from the corporate destruction of capitalism. These giant corporations viol=
ate the rules of capitalism, which is: if you own it, you should control it=
. And millions of investors own these corporations, they're shut out, they =
can't do anything about management no matter how crooked or incompetent or =
bungling they are.

"The second rule of capitalism is: If you're about to fail, you have the fr=
eedom to fail. That's what small businesses do. go bankrupt, but big busine=
ss goes to Washington, like Citibank and all these other companies that go =
in a variety of ways to be bailed out by the U.S. tax payer via Uncle Sam. =
So, that's why I think we have to make a distinction between giant corporat=
ions and small business..giant corporations use political power to disadvan=
tage smaller competitors.''

Nader, who ran as the Green Party candidate in 2000 and an independent in 2=
004, said he probably will align with no party, but run as an independent.

He was asked his stance on foreign policy.

"Well obviously when we're attacked.and when there's an imminent attack.say=
 like a missile or something, we have to defend ourselves,'' he said. "But =
militarizing foreign policy from the get go, brute force diplomacy. which i=
s a contradiction in terms that Bush has engaged in, just creates more enem=
ies, more people intent on sabotage...it's endangering our national securit=
y.

"I really agreed with Bill Richardson on the need for muscular diplomacy, t=
he need to foresee and forestall, the need to become a humanitarian superpo=
wer which we can be so good at.dealing with infectious diseases and environ=
mental clean-up.''


Posted by Mark Silva on February 26, 2008 7:33 AM