Welcome to the Race, Ralph

He probably won't get my vote, but throwing in a new name to what's already become a tiring Obama/Clinton/McCain lineup really does liven things up.

I cast my vote for Hillary Clinton on Super Tuesday, and I don't doubt she has her heart in the right place and is more concerned with the good of the public than the wishes of special interests. But when it comes down to it, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John McCain, no matter how much we want to believe it, do have ties to big business, lobbyists, and special interests. The main difference between them is that some of them don't take money from lobbyists or meet with special interest groups...trivial stuff.

Ralph Nader isn't perfect, but when you see the kind of corporate powers he pledges to oppose, it's hard not to believe him. In his long career Nader has fought against polluters, the nuclear energy industry, the powers of the Detroit automotive industry, and dozens of other big business interests. Nader is daring and sincere enough to draw punches wherever he sees wrongdoing, not just where public opinion dictates.

I remember watching Real Time with Bill Maher a few years ago when Nader made a guest appearance. When Nader came on the air I had to hold back my anger; in my eyes Nader had directly contributed to Al Gore's defeat in 2000, and I was upset that he never apologized for helping put Bush in office. As he talked about running for president again in the future I immediately wrote him off as a long-shot that nobody should even bother listening to. When Nader starts talking and describing his political philosophy, however, it's hard to turn away. I found myself agreeing with almost everything he was saying.

It's to the election lineup of Obama/Clinton and McCain that Nader will enter. He won't give a speech like the rest of them or gather a crowd as big as even Mike Huckabee can, but he'll be a hell of a lot of fun to write about and compare to the other candidates.

Politics vs. Politicians: Nader vs. Obama/Clinton/McCain.

Welcome to the race, Ralph.