Thompson: What Ralph Nader should be working on

I would have liked to see nader focusing more on consumer advocacy- like he did in the past. I think he would have been a better speaker if he came to the university and spoke about political reform and consumer advocacy, instead of going to a bar to campaign for disenchanted democrats, independents and republicans. Mr. Nader is a smart man, with many years of activism under his belt. Maybe he should focus on teaching people how to do that...

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• Posted by sjschlag on October 20, 2008 at 9:04 a.m.
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Thompson: What Ralph Nader should be working on

I think Nader made a good point at his rally, and I have to disagree with Dan. The Democrats and Republicans alike have decided to do nothing about the issues that matter in this country.

Both candidates voted for the $700,000,000,000 bailout, when government regulation was the problem in the first place.

Both candidates are ignoring civil liberties issues and neither candidate has pledged to repeal the USA PATRIOT act, Military Commissions act, or anything of the sort.

Both candidates want perpetual warfare, and even Obama wants to keep military spending at the same level, if not raise it. We have bases in 130 foreign countries, none of which either candidate wants to shut down.

Neither candidate wants to end the war on drugs, which is unconstitutional, a tremendous waste of federal funds, and a waste of jail space.

To quote Biden, "that's not change, that's more of the same."

The two main candidates are only superficially different, plus we have four good third party candidates. In Kansas, where the electoral votes will surely go to McCain and neither candidate will campaign here, voting for McCain or Obama would be more of a wasted vote than one for a third party.

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• Posted by awood on October 20, 2008 at 9:51 a.m.
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Thompson: What Ralph Nader should be working on

The debates between McPalin and O'Biden are sterile platitudes that are scripted by the spin doctors who direct the subject matter to the most popular concern of the day. The debate commission is charged with keeping our two party system just that. The two party system. Thus silencing voices of dissent. We need to think outside the box, or become the drones they want. Both candidates vote for the bailout, excuse me, "Rescue Package", did not object to granting, "Prince Henry", extensive powers over the economy, both plan to keep a military presence in the middle east, to direct the distribution of the resource produced in that part of the world, (oil), they both represent corporate interests, (Men behind the curtain), the whole issue is "Business as usual". I just don't see an appreciable difference. Vote Sanity, Vote Nader

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• Posted by wormfarmer on October 20, 2008 at 4:55 p.m.
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Thompson: What Ralph Nader should be working on

When one candidate is substantially more likely to draft me into Iran, I think that my choice is clear, and it's going to be a pragmatic one, too. That would be an even greater civil liberties violation than those that have been racked up by both parties so far.

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• Posted by Hendrix321 on October 20, 2008 at 5:13 p.m.
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Thompson: What Ralph Nader should be working on

Nader has no reason to be president. He was, at one point in his life, a great advocate for consumer rights, but those days are long gone. I don't buy into the flawed logic of "Well, here's why these other two more established candidates are bad" argument, as it still does not present to me WHY RALPH NADER WOULD MAKE A GOOD LEADER OF THE MOST POWERFUL COUNTRY ON THE PLANET.

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• Posted by thatonedude on October 20, 2008 at 8:40 p.m.
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Thompson: What Ralph Nader should be working on

Ralph Nader wants single payer health care to help middle class Americans and our coporations to compete with foreign corporations whose governments provide it.Obama doesn't.McCain doesn't. I'll stick with Nader.

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• Posted by steveconn on October 25, 2008 at 5:31 p.m.
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