The Green Party held a presidential debate on Sunday before 800 people in San Francisco, featuring former Democratic Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney and four other candidates. Ralph Nader, who ran on the Green ticket in 2000, spoke at the event but did not take part in the debate. Nader has not yet announced whether he will run for president again.
Ralph Nader: You want healthcare for all? Who says no? It’s the health insurance industry, the drug companies and the HMOs. You want living wage? Who says no and makes it stick? It’s McDonald’s. It’s Burger King. It’s Wal-Mart. You want peace in the world, and you want a country to wage peace and become a humanitarian superpower? Who’s opposed to that? The Lockheed Martins. What Eisenhower condemned is a military-industrial complex. Just ask: Who keeps saying no? And you know what the focus of a Green Party and an alternative party political movement has to be.
Cynthia McKinney cited Ralph Nader as part of why she was running on the Green ticket.
Cynthia McKinney: Mr. Nader, in a recent piece, asked us to take the next step if we don’t like what’s happening in our country. I’ve heeded his advice: I’ve joined your party. I’m helping Green candidates, and I’m here with you today. I ask you to take the next step with me.
Also participating in the Green Party debate were Jared Ball, Jesse Johnson, Kent Mesplay and Kat Swift.