Ralph -a- Nader

if you have your head above the sand, youve heard by now that Ralph Nader has thrown his name into the race. while he, and most reasonable people, realize that he will not be president, he is sure to bring attention to some issues that the other candidates would not address. and this why he is important. hes the guy you can count on to say what he thinks, not what is politically popular, and in most cases, look out for the every day american. and whether his proposed policies would in fact help us is debatable, he will force the other candidates to address issues that they havent to this point.

i think that a candidate like him is essential in that he doesnt pander to anyone. he addresses the issues that he sees relevant and necessary. and he comes up with a solution that he thinks will work, not one that sounds good in sound bites. and by doing this he brings up the point that the answer in life is rarely a choice between a or b, but is a spectrum of choices and paths. it becomes a choice between 2 courses because of our political system that favors two parties over a number of them. as a result we receive only two possible spins on the situation. during election years sometimes, as this one, a party has two nearly even front runners who have differing plans, but frequently theres one from the GOP and one from the democrats, and only third parties bring attention to other possibilities and issues.

the down side, at least in the case the democrats say, is that he will be 'taking' votes from their candidate. they go as far as to say that in 2000 it was Nader's fault that Gore didnt win the presidency. i think its pretty much common knowledge that there were other forces at play in that election. and the fact that 4% of the popular vote went to Nader that year shows that a large number of people rallied behind what he said. perhaps if Gore had addressed these issues he would have taken some or all of those votes. i think it is silly to blame a candidate for 'taking' votes. you have to earn them. no one can take them.

Nader probably wouldnt run if he thought another major party candidate covered the issues. but he does run. he provokes thought in americans which is something we desperately need in large part. i hope he keeps running and long as he feels like he needs to. i dont know how much longer he will go on with it, but hopefully he or someone else will continue to raise awareness, provoke thought, and challenge the established parties.