In a new op-ed, former independent and Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader weighed in on why candidates who almost certainly will never be president still throw their hat in the ring:
You can fatten your mailing list and your Rolodex for future opportunities. These can include lucrative jobs, retainers, paid speeches or book advances. After 2008, former Gov. Mike Huckabee made it to Fox News and, by staying in the limelight, set himself up for a second run.Of course, these candidates will claim, some truthfully, that what they really want is for daily audiences to absorb their strongly held convictions and policy ideas. What better way to make yourself heard than a presidential candidacy? All you have to do is show up and talk every day. The media will listen — at least if you have the money and belong to one of the major parties. [Los Angeles Times]
Nader's cynical approach extends to most of the current candidates — especially Hillary Clinton, whom he describes as a corporatist, militarist wolf hiding in a progressive sheep's clothing — though he takes a friendlier view of Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.).
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Continue reading for free
We hope you're enjoying The Week's refreshingly open-minded journalism.
Subscribed to The Week? Register your account with the same email as your subscription.
-
China: a superpower’s slumpThe Explainer After 40 years of explosive growth, China’s economy is now in deep distress — with no turnaround in sight
-
Retirees’ biggest surprise expense
Feature And more of the week's best financial insight
-
The United Auto Workers’ strike has put Democrats in a bind
Feature President Biden will have to pick a side in the dispute
-
Rishi Sunak lambasts China after allegations of spy in UK Parliament
Speed Read
-
Judge denies Mark Meadows' request to move Georgia case to federal court
Speed Read
-
Former New Mexico governor Bill Richardson dies at 75
Speed Read
-
Clarence Thomas officially discloses trips from billionaire GOP donor
Speed Read
-
Judge schedules Trump federal election plot trial for crowded March 2024
Speed Read
-
Trump surrenders in Georgia election subversion case
Speed Read
-
Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin ally-turned-rival, presumed dead in plane crash
Speed Read
-
Mar-a-Lago IT director flipped on Trump after dropping Trump-linked lawyer, special counsel says
Speed Read
