Consumer advocate and perennial presidential hopeful Ralph Nader has again decided to launch a presidential campaign. Apparently the phrase "snowball's chance" is not in his lexicon.
From the WaPo:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Consumer advocate Ralph Nader, blamed by many Democrats for their loss of the White House in the 2000 election, said on Sunday he is launching another independent campaign for the White House.
Nader, who will turn 74 this week, announced his longshot presidential bid on NBC's "Meet the Press" saying that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans were addressing problems facing Americans.
Nader called Washington "corporate occupied territory" that turns the government against the interests of the people. "In that context, I have decided to run for president," he said.
Democrats said they do not expect Nader, who also ran as an independent in 2004, to have much of an impact.
Given the fact that Nader is considered a spoiler by many, has used money from GOP supporters to fund his campaign, and has run repeatedly without any measurable success his impact may indeed be minimal this time around. Further hindering Mr Nader is the fact that Obama has already heavily tapped college campuses for those supporters which in the past have accounted for much of Nader's support. Of course if Ron Paul launches a third party bid as well he would effectively offset Mr. Nader's perceived "spoiler effect". Not that I think that's going to happen given the fact that Paul is currently concentrating on keeping his congressional seat.
For Nader hater's though their is one bright spot and that's that this should be his last run. By the next presidential election he'll be seventy eight years old. If he's still around then and tries to run again it'll be just pathetic to watch. Its time to hand the reins over to someone else Ralph before you become "the has been that never was".
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