With Ralph Nader announcing his presidential candidacy , the embarrassment of holding him partially responsible for Al Gore's loss in 2000 crept up like a forgotten nightmare. I don't like admitting this & mdash; although many in my party don't mind & mdash; because I believe what Mr. Nader has said about bipartisanship is true.
The two-party system is choking civic involvement. Labeling oneself as either a Democrat or a Republican feels stifling now as more and more voters claim their independence. &
I don't think Ralph Nader's run for office this time will siphon votes the way I begrudgingly believe it did in 2000. That's because Dems have heard his message earlier this year, and mostly rejected it.
When John Edwards' campaign message featured big corporations versus the little people, it was a prelude to Mr. Nader's meat-and-potato policy initiatives. Edwards's message was mostly rejected by early primary voters. So unless former Edwards' supporters jump ship from backing Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton to go third-party for a day, Mr. Nader is competing for undecided Democratic and Independent voters.
Personally, I think Mr. Nader's work has made a huge impact on America's view on the important role of independent voters, the environment, and big business' relationship with regular consumers. However, his days of running for office are irrelevant and will likely be ignored by most voters this time around. Then again, maybe Ralph Nader is as much a "miracles guy" like Mike Huckabee when it comes to victoriously ending this election.
-Citizen Voices blogger Alma Sove has spent most of her life in San Diego and is currently attending law school. &
