Ralph has spoken and frankly I don't think it is the big deal the Democrats are making of it. This is not 2000, everyone one knows that Bush is not a compassionate conservative. He is rather a lying corporate shill with a Napolean complex who needs to be impeached. I think Ralph running for president is at worst neutral and may even help. Another voice bashing Bush pointing out what a disaster he has been for the country is a good thing. When November 2nd arrives everyone knows the stakes. If you believe that as Ralph says the Republicans are a D- and the Democracts a D+ or like I you would flunk the Republicans and give the Democrats a C- if you live in a state where your vote is one that would benefit Bush you can make a choice. A choice I think that most would make correctly, that is in their self-interest. If someone decides that voting on principle even though the short term results are bad is in their interests, well hell that's democracy isn't it. I did enjoy Ralph's passion and thought he accorded himself well. Most of what he said resonated with me particularly the following:

this country has more problems and injustices than it deserves, and needs more solutions and goodwilled people applying those solutions.  That's because there's a democracy gap.  There's just too much power and wealth in too few hands, increasingly giant corporation, hands that have no allegiance to our country or our communities other than to control them or to abandon them.  They have taken over Washington.  There's massive media exposes documenting that in all the mainstream media.

Washington is now a corporate-occupied territory.  There's a "For Sale" sign on almost every door of agencies and departments where these corporations dominate and they put their appointments in high office.  The Congress is what Will Rogers once called "the best money can buy."  Money is flowing in like never before that sells our elections.  What does that mean to the American people?  It means that corporations are saying no to the necessities of the American people.  They're saying no to health insurance for everyone, no to tax reform, no to health and safety standards, no to stopping corporate welfare into hundreds of billions, no to straightening out the defense budget, which is bloated and redundant, as many retired generals and admirals said, no to access to our courts.

So I say go Ralph, and more power to you. Give em hell!