Sorry, Ralph.

I admit, I did at least look at Ralph Nader's spot on the ballot. He was pretty far down from the top (the top two of course being the two most powerful political parties in the nation: Reps and Dems). Then, once I'd made my peace with not voting for the best candidate, I filled in the bubble for Obama Biden.

Sorry, Ralph. I respect you.

I can understand why most people get all worked up when I say I'm a Nader supporter. After all, he stole the 200 election from Gore. (Or was it W. that did that?) I also understand that voting for Nader just because he's not a Rep or a Dem is equally shallow. It's as shallow as voting for any one candidate based on one issue (Ralph's issue being the sad state of election affairs in this nation, where one must become an entirely different person so as to puppet for one of the big two and their corporate supporters).

But what if I wanted Ralph Nader to be President because he'd focus on issues like everyday life? What pisses me off most about the anti-Nader (or anti-Nader-voting) conglomerate is their often ignorant attitude toward a man who has devoted his life to confronting corporate greed and laziness. The effect has been a long career of making every American's life safer and more respected. Because of Nader, seat belts are standard in your automobile. Because of the non-profit organizations inspired by his work, you now know what's in the food you eat. You know that nuclear energy has some drawbacks. You know that water and air should stay clean, and that forests may be important to us. Granted, the respect corporations have for us and our ecosystem are by no means genuine, but thanks to Ralph Nader, at least this respect is required on some levels.

Once more, sorry, Ralph. I know it's been said before, but this country truly does not deserve you.

And I've come to decide that Obama may not be a terrible substitute. His victory speech brought some moisture to these eyes. And who knows? Maybe Obama will be wise enough to throw Nader a cabinet position. The only thing to know about Nader is that he only does things his way, meaning that Obama will have to approach him with all his morals in check. If Nader smells even one hint of corporate money, he's gone.

Sounds like the kind of guy I'd like running my country.