You can just hear Democrats letting out that groan. Here comes Ralph, again. He has announced that he is setting up an exploratory committee to examine the possibility of his running for the US presidency. Undoubtedly there are probably numerous Republicans thrilled about this news. For my part, I have mixed feelings about Ralph running again.
First, the positives. I believe Nader adds greater diversity to the overall discussion. I do not believe, particularly in a society that believes so much as the US does in open markets and competition, that Democratic and Republican candidates should have some de facto monopoly in running for the White House. I think he would stress a more vigourous approach to environmental issues, same-sex marriages, civil rights, and to be sure consumers' rights and health care, than what we have seen by any of the candidates so far. Certainly, in terms of tax policy, Ralph would have some relevant ideas on corporate welfare. Why shouldn't American voters get that opportunity to hear their options?
But now, I have to ask the question, who are we kidding? Most Americans are not or not likely prepared to vote for an independent third party candidate like Nader, even if they share his views in part. A couple of reasons why. First, Democratic voters don't want to risk another Republican taking the White House by supporting Ralph. Second, and this is what I will spend the rest of my time focusing on, why should we trust that Ralph would know what he's doing once he got into the White House.
As far as I can tell, Nader has been a fantastic public advocate on a variety of issues. He's far from being just a talker. Yet, has he ever run for any other office and for that matter served as either a legislator (either state or federal) or as part of the executive branch (governor or cabinet secretary)? From my review, I can't seem to find any evidence of this.
Now let me state at the outset, I don't believe that merely being elected, or having held office, means that you are automatically qualified sit in the oval office. The current resident at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. is a clear example that just living in a Governor's mansion doesn't give you the necessary insight to run the country. But those for whom the elevator does reach the top floor, such experience can provide an interesting laboratory to test their theories. If they work, this undoubtedly would bring to such a candidate a significant degree of gravitas. I think with Ralph's saaviness, he could take it far.
There are many things that vex Ralph. To name but a couple of things, corporate power and influence; the negligence of Congress for not having impeached George Bush. Why doesn't he run for the U.S. Senate or House and try to make change on these issues through campaign finance reform? Nader has recently criticized Barack Obama on CNN for not having pushed to have George Bush impeached, particularly since Obama was a constitutional scholar. I note parenthetically that Ralph doesn't apparently mind getting his message across through corporate media. But moreover if Ralph believed that George Bush should have been impeached, why didn't he run for the Senate in the past few years, and try to push the impeachment agenda. This is not to suggest that he doesn't have a point about Obama not leading the charge. Perhaps Obama and others should have led the charge impeaching Bush and Cheney. Yet, I see no reason why Ralph could not have tried to do the same thing.
Then there's running in a gubernatorial race. Many probably suspect that Nader's policies might seem too "liberal" for the majority of the US population and might not be "practical" enough to be implemented. A surefire way of proving such critics wrong would be to run a state (find even the most liberal state you can imagine) and prove that he can run it successfully. He could then enter a presidential race with a certain degree of credibility.
Ralph Nader can do a great deal for the United States. He would serve his cause well by advancing his platform at the local level or in the U.S. Congress. Perhaps it's time Ralph suited up.
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