Nader is Running

As I pointed out 3 weeks ago, the signs were very strong that Ralph Nader would again run for President as a 3rd party candidate. Today he announced that indeed he is running.

Ralph Nader has criticized 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, 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 President George W. Bush administration that he said have left many lower- and middle-class people in debt.

Nader also criticized Republican candidate John McCain and Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton for failing to support full Medicare for all or cracking down on Pentagon waste and a "bloated military budget. He blamed that on corporate lobbyists and special interests, which he said dominate Washington, D.C., and pledged in his third-party campaign to accept donations only from individuals.

Nader will definitely change the Presidential race. But then all 3rd party candidates have that impact. Would Bill Clinton ever have become president in 1992 for example if Ross Perot had not run and taken around 19% of the popular vote? And considering how close the 2000 election was, Bush could not have won had it not been for Nader's run. I suspect the Democrats are more than just a little concerned.