Nader’s in the race/Huckabee on SNL

Ralph Nader Just announced he’ll run for president this year. The Nation called it.

Ralph Nader will appear on NBC’s “Meet the Press” Sunday, and you can bet that the consumer activist and frequent presidential candidate is not appearing for sport.

Nader, whose appropriate antipathy toward many of those involved with the Clinton administration in general and whose somewhat less appropriate antipathy toward Hillary Clinton in particular is well known, is being given a forum on the nation’s premier Sunday morning public affairs program to do one of two things: endorse Barack Obama or announce an independent or third-party run for the presidency.

Indications from Nader and his supporters point to another bid for the White House.

That ought to push Obama even further Left despite what Obama told the Washington Times yesterday;

“Anybody has the right to run for president if they file sufficient papers,” Mr. Obama responded. “The job of the Democratic Party is to be so compelling that a few percentage of the vote going to another candidate is not going to make any difference.”

Mr. Nader won 2.7 percent of the national vote as the Green Party candidate in 2000, and is widely blamed in Democratic circles for costing Al Gore a victory in Florida’s razor-close race and thus the presidency. But he won just 0.3 percent as an independent in 2004 when he appeared on the ballot in only 34 states.

Reuters doesn’t like Nader, I’m guessing;

Nader, who will turn 74 this week, announced his presidential bid on NBC’s “Today Show” saying that neither the Democrats nor the Republicans are addressing the problems facing Americans.

Nader also ran for president in 2000 2000 when he got about 2.7 percent of the national vote as the Green Party candidate and played a role in deciding the final presidential outcome. He also ran as an independent in 2004 and got only a tiny fraction of the vote.

Many Democrats blame Nader’s participation in the close race between Democrat Al Gore and Republican George Bush in 2000 for tipping the election in favor of Bush. They believe that but for Nader’s name on the ballot in Florida, Gore would have been the clear winner and president today instead of Bush.

For even more laughs, I’ll include Mike Huckabee on Saturday Night Live last night. Enjoy.

Category: Politics