Last night I had the pleasure of listening to Ralph Nader deliver a speech to Union College students. Prior to the speech I always thought of Ralph Nader as “that crazy guy who runs for president every four years, with no shot of winning”. I figured he was some whack job, who just liked to screw with elections. I thought any real politician had to be a Republican or Democrat, since Independent’s never won. Instead of reinforcing these ideas, Ralph Nader made me seriously reconsider everything I knew about politics.

Ralph Nader is best known for attempts at the Presidency, running as a member of the Green Party in 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008. Nader is an advocate for the environment, consumer protection, and a noted humanitarianism. Nader is willing to take on any person, agency, or program that he finds fault with. His most famous work came during the 1960′s when he took on the automobile industry, and forever changed the way cars would be made.

Throughout his speech Nader stressed the fact that America is dominated by the two party system. He believes that Democrats and Republicans preach their reform ideals on the campaign trail, but when they actually obtain office, reform often goes out the window, and we are stuck in the same dreary situation we were in prior to their election. Nader believes that if America was open to independent parties such as the Green party, true reform could take place. Decisions would be made on a basis of what is best for the country, not what would benefit major cooperations. And with many candidates to choose from, Americans could select a candidate that they truly believed in. Not just the candidate that they hate less.

Ralph Nader is a brilliant man. He embodies the true independent. A man completely unchained from party obligations. After listening to his speech I am surely not ready to declare myself a Green Party member. But his words  made me think about belonging to a political party and the strings attached to such a commitment. Do I really want to be associated with everything that a party embodies? Ralph Nader certainly doesn’t.

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