As I was doing research for and representing Ralph Nader, I kept on asking myself one question: “WHY IS HE RUNNING?”
Ralph Nader was born in 1934, which makes him 74 this year. If one of people’s isssues about McCain has to do with his age (72), Nader definitely is disadvantaged–he is two years older than McCain. Not only is his age disadvantageous, there are other factors that are against him. He is an independent candidate this year, without any support from a party. He also has been very vague and ambiguous about a lot of his proposals, which left people wondering and even doubting the feasibility of many of his claims. Also, it is clear that the public interest is no way near Nader. Most people do not even know he is running for president; he does not appear in any newspaper articles, magazines, tv programs, etc.
Then why is he running? People say that he is running to “make a statement.” Well, after his controversial role in presidential election eight years ago, I felt as if he made the biggest statement a third party candidate can ever make in history; I see it as one of the golden moments of Nader’s political life. But… why this come back that people know will not compare to his impact eight years ago?
Personally, I learned to appreciate Nader in a different light through this mock-press conference. I do see that he has no burning personal ambition or prize he wants to gain through the election. However, in this intricate web of politics, what is he after? What does he want to see?
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