Spring Break
Nader campaigns at E.O. Smith HS
Christopher Duray
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: News
Independent presidential candidate and Connecticut native Ralph Nader held a rally at E.O. Smith High School Saturday night, where he spoke for two and a half hours, heavily criticizing the Democrats and Republicans for their corporate ties and encouraging students to become more active in politics.
Nader, a lawyer and consumer activist originally from Winsted, is best known for his successful efforts in the 1960s to push for increased safety regulation in the automobile industry, most notably by requiring seatbelts to be installed in all cars.
This is Nader's third consecutive presidential bid following a rocky campaign history. Many believe that, had Nader not run in 2000, the 2.7 percent of the popular vote he received would have gone to Democratic candidate Al Gore instead, giving him enough leverage to have defeated current president George W. Bush. It was perhaps because of this belief that, in 2004, Nader did not even gain one half of one percent of the popular vote, and according to an Oct. 5 Gallup poll, isn't likely to do much better in the November election. Nader is currently trailing 50 percentage points behind current leader, Democratic candidate Barack Obama and 43 points behind Republican candidate John McCain.
Green Party Candidate for Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District G. Scott Deshefy opened the rally, giving a speech where he criticized a deregulated Wall Street and discussed his belief in reducing the military budget to finance single-payer health care and alternative energies.
"Surely we, at a time when liberty has been compromised, can find the courage to vote for progressive change in this election," Deshefy said.
Following Deshefy, Nader took the stage, receiving a standing ovation from the many people in attendence.
He started his speech by accusing college students of being more interested in corporate America than in political America. He encouraged people to go to city council meetings, watch a court proceeding, or read books rather than go to the mall or listen to music, a point he seemed particularly insistent on, claiming that modern teenagers listen to six times more music than his generation did.
Nader, a lawyer and consumer activist originally from Winsted, is best known for his successful efforts in the 1960s to push for increased safety regulation in the automobile industry, most notably by requiring seatbelts to be installed in all cars.
This is Nader's third consecutive presidential bid following a rocky campaign history. Many believe that, had Nader not run in 2000, the 2.7 percent of the popular vote he received would have gone to Democratic candidate Al Gore instead, giving him enough leverage to have defeated current president George W. Bush. It was perhaps because of this belief that, in 2004, Nader did not even gain one half of one percent of the popular vote, and according to an Oct. 5 Gallup poll, isn't likely to do much better in the November election. Nader is currently trailing 50 percentage points behind current leader, Democratic candidate Barack Obama and 43 points behind Republican candidate John McCain.
Green Party Candidate for Connecticut's 2nd Congressional District G. Scott Deshefy opened the rally, giving a speech where he criticized a deregulated Wall Street and discussed his belief in reducing the military budget to finance single-payer health care and alternative energies.
"Surely we, at a time when liberty has been compromised, can find the courage to vote for progressive change in this election," Deshefy said.
Following Deshefy, Nader took the stage, receiving a standing ovation from the many people in attendence.
He started his speech by accusing college students of being more interested in corporate America than in political America. He encouraged people to go to city council meetings, watch a court proceeding, or read books rather than go to the mall or listen to music, a point he seemed particularly insistent on, claiming that modern teenagers listen to six times more music than his generation did.
Viewing Comments 1 - 3 of 3
vardisvs
vardisvs
posted 10/06/08 @ 1:08 PM EST
I am a registered Democrat and will be voting for Ralph Nader once again. When the question comes up as to why Nader is running, and/or the "spoiler" questions comes up I become very upset. (Continued…)
steve conn
posted 10/06/08 @ 3:30 PM EST
After Obama and McCain sold us out with the $800 billion dollar gift to
corporate America for their bad debts, I'm ready to vote for the one man in the race who has consistently told the truth- Ralph Nader/. (Continued…)
Conservative
posted 10/07/08 @ 11:19 AM EST
trimming government spending, ending the wasteful war in iraq, curbing overseas military spending, and stopping bailouts of greedy corporations and homeowners. (Continued…)
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