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Ralph Nader said Sunday he will run for president as a third-party candidate, criticizing the top White House contenders as too close to big business and pledging to repeat a bid that will "shift the power from the few to the many."

Nader, 73, said most people are disenchanted with the Democratic and Republican parties due to a prolonged Iraq war and a shaky economy. The consumer advocate 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.

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Originally posted by Riverlove:
Why would Nader decide to run? I mean really, he's just another Paul/Kucinich 4% fringe-vote getter, and his running will just hurt the Democrat nominee.

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Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
To be honest I think both the Dem and Rep parties and their whole organisations should be subjected to prosecution under the RICO acts.

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Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
To be honest I think both the Dem and Rep parties and their whole organisations should be subjected to prosecution under the RICO acts.

Just sayin that will prolly sent Hero into a tack spitting frenzy, but they do in fact meet the criteria for a RICO case, let him try to deny that, heh.

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Riverlove- Why would Nader decide to run? I mean really, he's just another Paul/Kucinich 4% fringe-vote getter, and his running will just hurt the Democrat nominee. I guess his over-inflated ego, and desperation to be a newsmaking semi-celebrity cloud any rational judgement to do the right thing and stay out.

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Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
Let's see...

Fraud.
Bribery.
Embezzlement.
Money Laundering.
Securities Fraud.
Bankruptcy Fraud.
Blackmail.
Extortion.
Extortion under Color of official right - 1962(c)III
(Swiping property under Eminent Domain for the financial gain of contributors/participants)
Drug Trafficking.
Actions Detrimental to Interstate Commerce.
Bringing, or aiding and abetting the entry of illegal immigrants for profit of self and/or contributors/participants.

Golly gee, you think I can find the TWO of those needful to prosecute, hmm, lemme think here...

Hell, you could nail most police depts - didn't they bust like, the whole Key West PD under it back in the mid-80s ?

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Originally posted by Hero:

As a life long Republican and someone very concerned about the enviroment]

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Hero- On the subject of Nader, I for one am glad he's running. As a life long Republican and someone very concerned about the enviroment I can't help but be overjoyed that once more Mr. Nader will help sweep my party into power thus delaying the greatest threat to this country's business enviroment and economic climate...the Democratic Party.

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Originally posted by piratenews:
Is Nader's job to steal votes from Billary and Obama, or steal votes from Ron Paul?

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Originally posted by SergeantX:


The thing is, both parties have given up their 'sweet spots'. In my opinion, it's a lot better, maybe even crucial, for liberals to be good liberals and conservatives to be good conservatives. Both parties have been so enthusiastic about moving to the middle, that they've forgotten about the good things they once stood for. Liberals should be fighting for fairness and defending our civil liberties. Conservatives should keep the budget restrained and keep the government out of intrusive social engineering projects.

But over the last twenty years, the two parties have each veered toward the middle. They've reached the point where they differ very little on the fundamental concerns. They both believe that big powerful government is a good thing, as long as they're in charge.

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Originally posted by Fletch2:
Well, there's a reason for that and it's that the middle is where the votes are. How many people do you know who would like a conservative economic policy without the government being in their bedrooms or preaching in their schools? How many folks would want some level of safety net for the truly unfortunate but don't want a socialist superstate? Real America lives in the space between the activist wings of the two main parties.

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Originally posted by SergeantX:


This is the line they sell us. And it's exactly what I'm calling bullshit on. The middle, the one that both parties have moved to, is exactly the opposite of "economically conservative and socially liberal".



SergeantX

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Originally posted by Fletch2:
For example there are liberal gun owners that want to uphold gun rights, there are people on the left that are prolife. There are folks on the right who favor some types of social safety net and who want to keep religion out of schools. Real people sit in the middle and are presented with two imperfect choices that they have to decide between.

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One thing that folks in the big/small/no government debate often ignore is that most voters don't care.

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