[Marxism] 4,000 reported at meeting to hear Nader in Denver

[Fred Feldman]

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 CQ TODAY ONLINE NEWS - POLITICS 
Aug. 28, 2008 - 12:48 a.m. 
Nader Stops By To Call Democrats Corrupt
By Shawn Zeller, CQ Staff 
Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader delivered an indictment of
the Democratic Party Wednesday night and assailed the press for ignoring
third-party candidates.

Speaking to reporters before a Denver rally of supporters and onlookers,
Nader said the Democratic Party has abandoned "working people" and become
"an indentured servant" of corporations.

He went on to blast the party for accepting contributions from business
interests to fund this week's Democratic convention. "The corporate
merry-go-round has hitched its wagon to the Democratic Party and the
rhetoric of the Democratic Party has responded accordingly," Nader declared.

Nader's supporters staged Wednesday's rally to back his position that he and
other third-party candidates should be included in this fall's debates. But
Nader launched into a broader attack on the two-party system, corporate
influence on government and a press corps Nader accused of acquiescing in a
duopoly.

"If we were in the debates, we would have a three-way race," Nader said.
"But tens of millions of Americans have never been told we are even in the
race."

Six percent of respondents to a July CNN poll said they want Nader to be
president. A Wall Street Journal poll around the same time had Nader at 5
percent.

A number of minor and major celebrities and musical acts took the stage
before Nader, including antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan, who said she first
blamed President Bush for her son's death in Iraq but now believes both
parties are captive of a "military industrial complex."

Actor Sean Penn said he came as a supporter of no candidate, but praised
Nader and joined him in attacking the media as "servants of a corporate
agenda" and accusing Obama and McCain of "diminishing our Constitution" in
their support for Bush administration anti-terror policies at home.

Rally organizers said 4,000 people paid $10 in advance or $12 at the door to
attend. They listened patiently and occasionally cheered wildly while Nader
delivered his views about corporate influence on the two major parties.

Most of the attendees interviewed at the rally said they were not certain to
vote for Nader in November but wanted to hear the consumer advocate make his
case. "I think Nader has less appeal [than he did in 2000 or 2004 ], but he
deserves to be heard," said undecided voter Ali Cochran. The Democrats and
Republicans "play to win, not to do what's right," said Cindy Bulinski of
Bennett, Colo. 

Nader won 2.7 percent of the popular vote for president in 2000, when
President Bush narrowly defeated Democrat Al Gore.


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