Nader's political nadir

Here's what I was able to gauge about Ralph Nader during his weekend presidential pit-stop on campus: There's a fiery honesty in his beliefs, and he's willing to do absolutely anything to keep that flame burning for one more election cycle.\nNader is always looking for a way to spread word about himself. And he's always looking for a way to pass it down the line. But it seems like he's genuinely concerned that if for some reason he leaves the public stage, all of his causes will also evaporate.\nIt's almost enough to make you feel bad for him. There aren't many people currently living we can honestly say have changed the way the world works, and Nader is one of those few. As a die-hard consumer advocate, he has been a driving force behind many safety standards and environmental programs from the government. His citizen accomplishments are undeniable.\nSo why does he keep running for president? As far as I can tell, Nader's presidential runs don't enhance his image. If anything, they tend to play down his past accomplishments in exchange for promoting him as a decent third party alternative (read "decent" in whatever way you want).\nIt's tough to keep your cause blowing in the wind. Nader keeps his alive by running for president. And whoever he punishes is the process -- from one politician to the entire country -- is beside the point.\nChagrined Democrats are up-in-arms about Nader's independent bid for the presidency this year. They blame him solely for Al Gore's loss in 2000. (Gore failed for many reasons that year; of all the hurdles he failed to clear, Nader was only one of them.)\nRepublicans, on the other hand, are elated. The Dallas Morning News reported nearly 10 percent of Nader contributors who gave at least $250 have a history of supporting President Bush. They cheer that a vote for Nader is a vote for Bush.\nBut this time, it won't matter. This time isn't last time, and partisan allegiances, those who want Bush out at any cost versus those who want Bush to stay, are just too polarized. There will always be the protest-vote option, but in the end, Nader is in no way so alluring that the populace won't be able to pass him up.\nHis campaign is essentially a one-note song. Americans, he says, should not have to vote for the lesser of two evils because, in the end, you still get evil. It's a nice politician catchphrase because it twists and distorts and doesn't add up.\nHis image has been built on the idea that he is above the rest of Washington (where he's been for the majority of his career), and that he's pure, clean and unsoiled by money, power or fame.\nWhatever -- he still frowns at any implication he's a politician when, by literal definition, he is. He's become guilty of the same charges he throws at others. His best role in his service was as public defender; his worst role is his incessant desire to join what he thinks is the problem. To be sure, it's funny that "Saint Ralph" would never admit that, if we saw politics the way he wants us to see them, he'd be the "least of three evils."\nNader's trip to Bloomington was part of his ongoing grassroots attempt to collect enough signatures (29,552 are needed in Indiana alone) to get him onto the ballot for the general election. I don't question whether he deserves a place on the ballot; for a healthy democracy, he most certainly does. But I won't be voting for him.