Nader Campaigning

Though his name won't be on the ballot in North Carolina in November, U.S. presidential candidate Ralph Nader was in Raleigh Saturday seeking to win the support of voters. "I was raised by my parents to believe in ... the Pledge of Allegiance, 'liberty and justice for all' -- not for a few," he told about 125 people who gathered to see him speak at St. Mary's School. Nader didn't have enough signatures in time to get his name on the North Carolina ballot. But under state law, he can qualify as a write-in candidate for president by turning in a petition with 500 signatures by noon Aug. 6.
While slamming the presumptive Republican and Democratic candidates, U.S. Sens. John McCain and Barack Obama, Nader vowed to be a better champion of workers' rights and a more accessible health insurance system. He said that, if elected, he would rapidly withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq, slash the military budget and redirect the money to public infrastructure. And he promised to crack down on corporate crime. (Jack Hagel, THE NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/13/08).