Ralph Nader, a 2008 independent presidential candidate, said Tuesday he is focusing on the mobilization of young voters and the re-establishment of democratic principles in his third official bid for the presidency.
In a phone interview from Washington, D.C., Nader said he hopes as a third-party candidate to encourage people to demand a return of public accountability in government.
According to Nader, the two parties have turned the government in Washington, department by department, into corporate domination.""
""[Corporate domination] is a violation of democratic principles and has become of the GM, for the Exxons and by the DuPonts,"" Nader said.
Nader said he is trying to connect with the perceived concerns of young people coming out of college who are hit with huge student loan debts and interest rates.
He said students need to realize how much political significance they have because students turn out to vote less than non-students.
""We want to expand the spectrum of subject matter and issues where [students] have a definite stake and where they can do something about [the issues] by becoming more politically and civically active,"" Nader said.
According to Nader, the Nader-Gonzalez campaign has 17 issues of interest that are not part of the campaigns of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and presumptive Republican presidential candidate John McCain.
In addition to full health insurance for everyone, solar energy, electoral reforms and the globalization of trade, Nader said his campaign focuses on cracking down on consumer rip-offs for students.
Students are a prime target for credit card, auto insurance and bank penalties before they even get ""gouged"" on student loan payments, Nader said.
Another issue Nader said he concentrates on is setting up a dynamic curriculum within universities. He said the current curricula at many universities are heavily commercialized and corporatized.
Nader said one of his main issues is opening up the debates to third parties.
""They are controlled by the two parties, and the debate commission is a private company,"" Nader said.
A third party cannot reach the number of people a national debate reaches, no matter how large the campaign is, he said.
""It strips the voters of their choices. If they are just left with two because the national TV is engaged in a blackout, then [voters] figure they will have to drudge to the polls '¦ and vote for the least worst,"" Nader said.
He said his campaign is trying to provide a third force with progressive policies. As a third-party candidate, Nader said he hopes to push the Republican and Democratic candidates to take better stands for the people.
According to Nader, as the pressure builds, the changes will come, but it is up to the citizenry.
He said third parties could have a chance at the presidency with the right candidate in four, eight or 12 years.
