Ralph Nader - a summary of the night

Before the speeches started, I texted a few friends, asking if they had ridiculous questions for me to ask Nader if the chance presented itself. They barely took questions, so there was not a chance to ask them, but here are the questions, reprinted for your pondering pleasure:

• What does he think about Ron Paul?
  
• What does he think of black-and-gold striped ties?
  
• What are his thoughts on Eugenics?
  
• What is his favorite smell?
  
• Why? Just why!?
  

Seeing Nader speak was inspiring. It's important for me to make that clear because the start of my notes, as evident of my opinion at the time, was quite cynical.

His running-mate, Gonzalez, struck me as a principled fellow. In fact, I think my greatest complaint about the pair of them is they both adhere more strictly than anyone should to the underdog indentity.
But, if it spins, if it works, I suppose they'll run with it.

Nader was quite a good speaker, and made his points clearly and strongly:

• Big corporations have a scary degree of control over government and the democratic process
  
• Voters, as well as the political parties, shoud accept a 3rd party because it offers more choices, and may have options that the other two do not.
  
• Candidates' rights are important, and secure the democratic process. Without them, voters' rights suffer.
  
• Similar to the 2nd point, his independent stance allows him to bring things to the table that Democrats and Republicans have ruled off.
  

My personal theory, and I have no evidence to support it but for my perception of what they said, and how they said it, tonight- let's call it the gestalt of Nader and Gonzalez's speeches, is that neither of them expect to win.
They're not doing this to win.
They're doing it to push for an accepted 3rd party. They're doing this to keep people thinking and questioning and remaining aware that there are other options out there, and that the point of a democracy is that people should be electing, should be voting for, the people they really want to see in power.

He left the audience with a message for their voting, and two quotes, all of which I've pasted directly from my notes, below:

Voters, according to Nader, should:

• expect a high degree of voter power
  
• be an informed voter
  
• don't be flattered or flummoxed into inaction.
  
• you can't stay home anymore. It "creates a vacuum that is filled by antithetical power"
  
• organize in major cities in which candidates are to campaign.
  

and, he quoted Marcus Cicero: "Freedom is participation in power."

and a delightfully terse Chinese proverb: "To know and not to do is not to know."

And with that he closed the night, took about 3 questions, and then signed books.

It was a good time.