Let the debates begin. No, not the rehearsed, televised ones that so many of us didn’t bother to watch and that are finally over. We mean the kitchen-table talk that we engage in at our homes. The serious discussions about serious issues–education, health care, campaign-finance reform and citizenship.
It’s time to review the proposals of presidential frontrunners Al Gore and George W. Bush.
But it’s also time to consider Ralph Nader’s candidacy.
There is no question Nader has the courage and integrity to lead our country.
For 40 years, Nader has fought to protect ordinary Americans from powerful corporations and to make government responsive. Year after year, he fought for us by confronting political and corporate bosses. He has fought against insurance companies, anti-democratic global trade arrangements and corporate lobbyists who would block safety standards and deny injured parties fair access to the courts.
Unlike Gore and Bush, Nader doesn’t see himself as a solution to our country’s problems.
You may want to vote for a “winner.” But a vote for Nader is a vote for the future. It’s a vote for integrity and the common good.
Don’t write off Nader as a spoiler or a meddler. This is a familiar argument for those who support the status quo. Examine Nader’s ideas and goals. Vote your hopes and dreams, not your fears.
Nader was not invited to join Gore and Bush in the televised debates. Don’t exclude his ideas from your debates at your kitchen table.
