Run, Ralph, Run!
Why does he do it? Ralph Nader, that is. Why is he running for President of the United States for the fourth time? Surely he knows he can’t win, that he won’t even come close. And, his supporters must know it, as well. Yet they persist.
It’s interesting to note that, at 73, Ralph Nader is older than John McCain who, if elected, will be the oldest man in history to become President.
So, if you can’t win and you know it, why do it? Is it just about ego?
Andy Borowitz recently observed, “Mr. Nader had been huddling with prominent crackpots over the weekend to determine whether he had enough support among his natural constituency, self-absorbed whack-jobs, to mount an entirely meaningless campaign…” (Nader Announces Plan to Wreck Election, by Andy Borowitz, Jewish World Review, Feb 25, 2008).
“If I wreck the 2008 election, I intend to wreck it in all fifty states…I have no intention of being merely a regional spoiler,” Nader said in an interview with Tim Russert on NBC’s Meet The Press.
Third party candidates are not without precedent. They run in every election, representing various limited constituencies. This year, in addition to Ralph Nader, there will undoubtedly be candidates representing the following parties, among others, on the ballot: Independents, Socialist Party, Libertarian Party, Green Party, the Constitution Party, even the Prohibition Party.
Harry Browne ran as the Libertarian candidate in 1996 and 2000, Ross Perot ran on behalf of the Reform Party in 1992, and Ralph Nader has mounted four previous campaigns for the U.S. Presidency: in 1992, as a write-in for both the Democrat and Republican primaries; in 1996 and 2000 as the Green Party candidate; and in 2004 as an Independent who was endorsed by the Reform Party.
Although “third parties” are not likely to win national elections, they may influence them by highlighting certain issues that are ignored by the majority parties. If such an issue resonates with enough voters, it may be included in the platform for one or both of the major parties. A “third party” may also be used by voters to cast a protest vote as a form of referendum on an important issue.
So, anyone who can raise the money to mount a campaign can enter the Presidential sweepstakes. After all, it’s a free country, right?
However, given the amount of money that it now takes to organize and conduct a major campaign, the likelihood of a serious effort being made by anyone but a very strong and/or rich candidate is just about nil. In 1992, as the Reform Party candidate, Ross Perot’s personal wealth was reported to be about one billion dollars. This year, one name that has been floated as a possible “third party” candidate is Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City, whose net worth is estimated by Forbes Magazine at around $5.5 billion, which would make it possible for him to fund a campaign without any outside financing, if he so desired.
It now requires so much money to mount an effective run for the office of President of the United States that the potential of anyone outside the major parties reaching the “promised land” is very slim indeed. Ralph Nader and the other minor players like him are not likely to be much more than an amusing, perhaps irritating diversion.
© 2008 Harris R. Sherline, All Rights Reserved
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