Wind, Sun Power Nader Selling Points

By Bailey Davis

The Presidential candidate spoke in the capitol rotunda of his struggle to be included in the presidential debates.

By Baylie Davis

bdavis@wyomingnews.com

CHEYENNE – In one step on his quest to campaign in all 50 states, Ralph Nader made an appearance in Cheyenne Thursday.

Nader, who is running for president as an Independent this year, spoke to the media and several residents in the Capitol Rotunda.

In his speech, he said the government has been “hijacked” by corporations, which are controlling the debates and not allowing third-party candidates to participate.

This means they can “control the gateway to tens of millions of viewers,” he said “There’s no other western democracy in the world that would tolerate something like that.”

One goal of his campaign is to be allowed to participate in the presidential debates, his regional campaign coordinator Benjamin Drendel said.

As for whether he is a “spoiler” in the election – meaning he might steal votes from other candidates – Nader said he felt the two major parties are the real spoilers of government.

“The very word spoiler, when it’s only applied to third party and Independent candidates, is a politically contemptuous word,” Nader said. “It’s a word of political bigotry. It’s as if we’re second- class citizens.”

He added that every candidate should campaign for votes and be given equal opportunity to do so. After all, they’re all ultimately out to “spoil” the other.

“Nobody (who’s a Democrat) would say, for example… that Bush was a spoiler.”

He said he wants a level playing field for all parties to campaign, giving more options to voters and empowering them.

He also spoke about the coal industry in Wyoming.

“I think someday burning coal for electrical power will be considered a crime against humanity,” he said.

In addition to the hazards to coal miners, he feels the hazards to the environment are unacceptable.

“When it comes to John McCain and Barack Obama, they can be charitably described as coal senators,” he said. “They’ve taken very substantial contributions from the coal industry.”

He added that in Wyoming, alternate energy sources like wind and solar energy could replace coal.

“Wind power is not going to allow our descendants to curse us the way coal mining… will do.”

To improve the economy, Nader said he would put money into repairing schools, clinics, bridges, etc., which would create jobs that cannot be sent overseas.

To pay for the repairs, he would cut the “bloated and wasteful” military budget that is “so full of fraud, waste, corruption, redundancy.”

He proposed a negotiated withdrawal from Iraq over a six-month period, adding that humanitarian efforts should continue because “we owe it to the Iraqis: blowing their country apart, and they never threatened us.”

He criticized President Bush for getting us into a “criminal war of aggression,” and then cutting taxes, leaving the price tag to future generations.

As for illegal immigrants, Nader said they should be given equal rights because if they’re paid less it drives down the wages for everyone.

If everyone were paid a minimum wage of $10 per hour, more people would be willing to do the jobs that are now left to immigrants, he said.

Nader will appear on the November ballot in Wyoming, pending authorization of the more than 8,000 signatures gathered in the state.

That’s double the minimum number needed to get on the ballot, Drendel said.

“We feel confident that we’ll be safe,” he said.

Several residents watched Nader’s speech and asked questions. Later, he said it was unusual to have the public there.

One Cheyenne resident, Barbara Guilford, said Nader was a hero of hers.

“He single-handedly took on the American automobile industry and worked until they developed safety standards,” she said. “I will vote for Obama this year, but that does not mean that (Nader) is not an important voice.”

(c) 2008 Wyoming Tribune-Eagle. Provided by ProQuest LLC. All rights Reserved.