Centerfield

Cranky Go Home

If a vanity candidacy leaves the station without a cheering crowd to send it off, will it make a sound?

Anti-corporate crank and gadfly Ralph Nader today announces he's going for an oh-fer-five:

Ralph Nader is entering the presidential race as an independent, he announced Sunday, saying it is time for a "Jeffersonian revolution."

...

Nader's decision, which did not come as a surprise to political watchers, marks his fourth straight White House bid -- fifth if his 1992 write-in campaign is included.

...

Name expunged also criticized Nader earlier this weekend. "My sense is that Mr. Nader is somebody who, if you don't listen and adopt all of his policies, thinks you're not substantive," expunged told reporters when asked about Nader's possible candidacy. He seems to have a pretty high opinion of his own work."

Little test there. See if you agree with the sentiment before you review who said it. I know I agree.

Nader's become an impotent scold. Even Huckabee forthrightly acknowledged his entry helps the GOP. And here's the thing...

...I'm always going to support the 1st amendment right of folks to speak their mind and support their pet issues. Nader makes a good case at least some of the time. But it takes an egomaniac to put his pet cause above the importance of selecting our next leader. Anyone who wants to mount an independent or 3rd party challenge ought to have enough respect for our nation's presidential choosing process to either show some serious viability (like what, at least 15% to 20% by springtime, right?) or get the frak out of the way. If your idiosyncratic take on what's most important for the nation doesn't get you any real traction, but you insist on hanging around anyway, you're just a petulant crank. A sideshow troll.

And hey, I'm a cranky critter, but I'm not running, am I?