2008 Woodie Awards
Candidate speaks at UMass
S.P. Sullivan, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: News
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Although around 250-300 people came to see Nader speak at 11 a.m. in Stockbridge Hall, Bowker auditorium accommodates 700, Nader noticed.
"I guess UMass students like to sleep in on Sunday," he said.
Nader advocated increased political involvement from college students, particularly at the University of Massachusetts.
"This used to be a hotbed of student activism in the 1960's," he said. "That day could come again - should come again. You have the most at stake."
The Nader campaign attributed the lack of turnout to the "media blackout" that has left many voters unaware of Nader's candidacy.
"I didn't even know he was running until I got involved in the campaign," said Oliver Renau from the western Massachusetts Get Out the Vote campaign, who spoke briefly after Nader.
But Nader said that despite being ignored by mainstream media, his campaign has done far better than last election season. He is on the ballot in Washington, D.C. and every state except Texas, North Carolina, Georgia, Oklahoma and Indiana.
Michael Richardson, Nader's national ballot access coordinator, attributed this to the states' complex processes for getting third party candidates on the ballot, calling it "a logistical nightmare."
Richardson said Oklahoma doesn't allow any third candidates on its presidential election ballots.
Nader's speech addressed a broad range of topics including the recent Wall Street bailout, minimum wage, health care reform and the war in Iraq.
"Washington had Wall Street over the barrel and could've made them do anything," he said. "Instead, they stuffed Washington in the barrel and rolled it."
He was critical of Congress for passing the bailout legislation without holding public hearings.
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Ralph Ron Vets United
posted 10/06/08 @ 1:53 AM EST
Obama McCain
Left and rights of passage
Black and whites of youth
Who can face the knowledge
that the truth is not the truth?
Obsolete Absolute
Nader Paul
Cruising under your radar
Watching from the satellites
Take a page from the red book
and keep them in your sights
Red alert Red alert
USN
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