Ralph Nader Announces Independent Candidacy for President
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader on Sunday announced on NBC's "Meet the Press" that he is entering the 2004 presidential race and will run as an independent, highlighting issues such as universal health care that he said Republicans and Democrats are "ignoring," the AP/Arizona Daily Star reports. Nader said he is running because both parties are "flunking," adding that "it's time to change the equation and bring millions of American people into the political arena." The announcement was "greeted with a chorus of condemnation from Democrats, longtime friends and former supporters" who said that his "long-shot" candidacy would take away votes from the Democratic candidate and ensure Bush's re-election, the AP/Daily Star reports (Hananel, AP/Arizona Daily Star, 2/23).
The following broadcast programs recently reported on election issues.
- ABC's "This Week": Host George Stephanopoulos discusses health care, one of the "key issues of 2004," with presidential candidates Sens. John Edwards (D-N.C.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) (Stephanopoulos, "This Week," ABC News, 2/22). A transcript of the health care discussion is available online.
- NBC's "Meet the Press": Nader announces his independent candidacy for president in an interview with host Tim Russert (Russert, "Meet the Press," NBC News, 2/22). The complete segment is available online in MediaPlayer.