Despite Criticism, Nader Not Wavering
Oct. 29 -- Green Party candidate Ralph Nader is refusing to back down in the final days of the presidential campaign as Democrats increasingly press him to avoid spoiling Al Gore’s shot at winning the White House.
The famed consumer advocate, whose insurgent third-party bid has unsettled Democratic leaders, is maintaining his harsh criticism of both Gore and Republican candidate George W. Bush, and continues to insist he is more concerned with building his party than the outcome of the race.
“We’re trying to turn this country into an deliberative democracy run by informed citizens,” Nader said this morning, explaining the aim of his candidacy in an exclusive interview on ABCNEWS’ This Week. “It’s a movement to put people back in charge.”
Democrats are concerned that Nader’s unapologetically liberal platform will draw voters away from Gore, who is locked in a tight race with Bush, and tip the scales toward the GOP nominee in a few key states.
But Nader rejects blame for Gore’s predicament.
“Do you think Gore is entitled to votes? Is Bush entitled to votes?” Nader asked. “We all have to earn our votes. If Gore cannot beat the bumbling governor from Texas with that horrific record, what good is he? Good heavens. This should be a slam dunk.”
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Nader reiterated the heart of his message, that the two major political parties are too beholden to corporate interests and fail to offer voters distinct choices in this election.
“It’s a permanent corporate government that’s running the show here,” Nader said. “They’re morphing more and more into one corporate party.”
In the last week, Gore and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, have directly addressed the threat posed by Nader. Lieberman, also appearing on This Week today, repeated his concern that a vote for Nader is equivalent to a vote for Bush.
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