Thank you, Ralph

Thank you for speaking truth to power. Thank you for standing up to the smear tactics of the mainstream media. I am so glad you didn't back down from Sheperd Smith's phony righteousness.

Hopefully, this will receive enough media attention to wake people up to the fact that Obama has been, since he became a Senator, and up to this point, nothing but a corporate shill and a servant to the elite. (One need look no further than his voting record: expanding the military budget, approved the Wall Street bailout, opposes single-payer/not for profit healthcare, no interest in a 'living wage,' no tax reform plan for the average Americans, etc...).

Let them try all they want to rephrase your question into some sort of racist remark, in hopes of putting the brakes on our Good Fight. Fortunately, there are millions of us who know better. And, in the end, you are still one of America's foremost advocates for minorities.

You've always had my support, and always will.



My favorite moment? Right around 3:15, when Ralph says "Not at all," with the raise of an eyebrow!

The real VP debate

Add The Real Vice Presidential Debate to your page

Get your popcorn ready!

Ralph Nader (Independent), Bob Barr (Libertarian Party), and Chuck Baldwin (Constitution Party) will face off in a presidential debate today in Cleveland, Ohio. Barack Obama, John McCain, and Cynthia McKinney will not be in attendance; however, they were all invited to participate. The topic of the debate is: "The Economy: Where do we go from here?"

And, to think, the mainstream media had us convinced that the presidential debates were over, and that there were only three of them!

Actually, today's debate will be the fifth presidential debate so far. As you probably already know, there were three "debates" between the Demican (Obama) and the Republocrat (McCain). What you may not know is there was a fourth presidential debate last week between Ralph Nader and Chuck Baldwin, which can be viewed HERE. Today's debate, which begins at 4:30 PM Eastern, can be viewed on the votenader.org site, or on CSPAN.

Also, there is a vice presidential debate scheduled for Sunday, November 2nd, at 9:00 PM Eastern (see the banner up above this story). Viewing options / details can be found at FreeAndEqual.org. The debate will feature Matt Gonzalez (Independent), Darrell Castle (Constitution Party), and Wayne Allyn Root (Libertarian Party).

The Four Year Merry-Go-Round

Allison Kilkenny has a great article, "The Least Worst Trap," on HuffingtonPost.com. Oh, and if you're wondering, the answer is "No." That is, no, she doesn't care if you're offended by anything she has written or said. (I just figured I'd throw that in, in case some fingers-crossed Obama supporter stumbled upon my site).

Here's an excerpt from her "hit the nail on the head" article:

The Progressives have pinned their hopes and dreams to a man they have asked nothing of, and they're going to be sorely disappointed when he, in turn, does nothing for them.

When I interviewed Ralph Nader, he explained what will happen if Barack Obama is elected president:

You take the 20 leading groups supporting him in the liberal-progressive pantheon: labor, anti-poverty, civil rights, women's rights, gay-lesbian rights, environment, consumer - you name it - not one of them is putting any demands on him. Unconditional voting for the least worst of the two parties means that your vote has no political leverage whatsoever. It allows Obama to take it for granted, and not give the anti-war people anything because he knows he has the anti-war vote. Then they go to the right wing and slice off a few votes there by going more corporate and flip-flopping on offshore drilling. This is the same merry-go-round every four years. The liberal intelligentsia is doomed unless they solve this problem of unconditional voting for the least worst candidate.

Closed debates and apathetic, naïve voters will result in a continuation of Bush's policies, and Americans will be told to wait another four years for single payer health care, a living wage, the end of the Iraq war, cutting the bloated military budget, ending the death penalty, ending the wasteful War on Drugs, investing in solar power, and the end of nuclear power.

When neither party is talking about any of the above issues, the American people are screwed because they're at the mercy of a winner-take-all system.

Real Solutions

I just came across this article on DailyRecord.com, and just had to share it with you all. Thanks to Mike Spector for writing this great piece.

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October 28, 2008
Ralph Nader focuses on real solutions
By Mike Spector

This is not the most important election of our lifetime simply because the major tickets consist of a smooth young black man whose foreign policy is to kill less in Iraq and more in Afghanistan, vying against a shell-shocked former prisoner from a previous American war with a Betty Boop of the tundra running mate.

If voters are seriously interested in solutions, and if the corporations who control the media would provide a civic platform for all presidential candidates, it becomes apparent that the only candidate who provides meaningful solutions to our national despondency is Ralph Nader.

True, he's 74, and has run several times before, most successfully on the Green Party line in 2000 garnering 2.8 million votes.

But please don't put him in that pine box quite yet. If one could manage to listen to him, or just visit his web site: votenader.com, the ideas still resonate with a brilliance that puts the other pretenders to shame.

As current as he is insightful, Nader travels the 45 states with his name and that of Matt Gonzalez on the ballot, labeling the recent Wall Street bailout, a "gross misplacement of priorities by the federal government," favoring instead a national public works program to "renovate, repair, and upgrade" our infrastructure including schools, health clinics, bridges, public transportation, libraries, and preserving our drinking water.

Such programs he believes would put average people back to work while attacking the nation's fiscal crisis from the ground up, rather than the top down approach of aiding the nations' private financial network.

Mainstream candidates have not had to answer tough questions because the media and the parties do not want them addressed. What's lost in the process are peace advocacy, consumer protection, workers and taxpayers' rights, and a single-payer universal healthcare system.

At this late date it is unlikely that John McCain and Barack Obama will start addressing specific issues the American people really care about.

Nader on the other hand is all issues, a man who cares deeply enough about our future to continue running for the nation's highest office.

Spoiler? Who's a spoiler? It's a term mistakenly assigned to him in 2000, but every person who casts a vote is essentially spoiling it for someone else. Progressives who view Obama as the new kid on the block offering "change" should really be asking themselves if this is an illusion born out of despair.

A Nader vote, however, is an affirmation of the nation's founding constitutional principles at a time when our political and economic system borders on insolvency.

House Party for Ralph Nader - October 25, 2008

Dear Friends,

I'm pleased to announce that on Saturday, October 25, 2008 (at 6:00 PM), I will be hosting an event to raise money for the Nader for President 2008 campaign.

As you know, I feel very strongly about the Nader/Gonzalez campaign and what it represents. It is essential that we raise as much money as possible in order to ensure that the Nader/Gonzalez positions are given the national attention they deserve.

Nader/Gonzalez are on the opposite side of the political fence from Obama/McCain. Nader/Gonzalez favor a single payer health care system; cutting the bloated, wasteful military budget; taking nuclear power off the table; and reversing U.S. policy in the Middle East. Not so for Obama/McCain. Check out www.votenader.org/issues

My fundraising house party is an opportunity for everyone to engage in lively discussion about independent candidacy, positive political change, and uncompromised stands on the principles of peace, justice, and equality.

Please let me know if you can attend, and if you can commit to contributing. I'd love to have you be my guest.

Very truly yours,
Joe Pezzillo

joemosquito@gmail.com

Hey, Beavis, pull my lever...

If you're still not certain on which presidential candidate should receive your vote on November 4th, then maybe you'd be interested in taking this quick poll at Glassbooth.org. Click here: LINK. (It's really quite quick and painless).

Interestingly enough, I had a 99% similarity to Cynthia McKinney (Green Party) and a 97% similarity to Ralph Nader (Independent). Aha! I knew there was a reason I am registered Green!

Barack Obama and I were 73% similar. Sadly, I was only 36% similar to the maverick. (Note: as far as I can tell, the site does not include presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin in their similarities results).

I'd love to hear some of your results; so please post them as a reply to this post!