Written by BRYNN MANDEL REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN
Amid a flurry of recalls for everything from hazardous cribs to Thomas the Tank Engine toys, and weeks before major political parties’ presidential front runners emerge, consumer advocate and former commander-in-chief candidate Ralph Nader makes a visit to Waterbury.
Nader, 73, will appear at the Silas Bronson Library on Grand Street Saturday at 2 p.m. He will swing into town to talk about his most recent book, "The Seventeen Traditions" (HarperCollins, $19.95). The book is an ode to his upbringing in the northwest Connecticut town of Winsted, and a love letter of sorts to his Lebanese immigrant parents.
But a bigger question lingers in politicos’ and some voters’ minds: Will the man dubbed "The Spoiler" by opponents run again in 2008?
In June, Nader told The New York Times he would decide this fall whether to enter the presidential fray. The decision rested on whether he could muster enough volunteers and lawyers to secure spots on the ballot in all 50 states, he had said.
Some quick reading on Nader:
Ralph Nader for... selectman? In August, the Independent Party in Nader’s hometown of Winsted nominated him for office after the local party fell short of compiling a full slate of candidates. In early September the Independents pressed onward — without Nader. Despite trying to notify him of his selected status, local party officials never heard back from their nominee.
Nader rose to national prominence following the 1965 book "Unsafe at Any Speed," which highlighted safety concerns with GM’s Corvair. He won a $475,000 settlement after GM admitted to having hired private investigators to try to discredit Nader.
Time magazine named Nader to its list of 100 Most Influential Americans of the Twentieth Century.
Growing up in Winsted, Nader was classmates with David Halberstam, a former New York Times writer who won the Pulitzer Prize for his reporting from Vietnam during the early- to-mid-1960s.
As a boy, Nader never daydreamed about being president. Rather, his "when I grow up" fantasy revolved around becoming a lawyer, which he did. He earned his law degree from Harvard University.
Both of Nader’s parents, whom he credits for instilling in him the values that shaped who he is today, lived to be nearly 100 years old. The Nader family ran a well-known local restaurant, the Highland Arms, on Winsted’s Main Street for many years.
Nader peripherally involved himself in presidential politics as early as 1992, when he emerged as a write-in candidate in New Hampshire’s Democratic primary election. His first full-fledged foray into presidential campaigning came in 1996.
In 1996, Nader spent about $5,000 on his campaign and received 700,000 votes. Four years later, he spent considerably more — about $7.7 million — and won 2.8 million votes.
Sources : Republican-American archive, nader.org, Open Secrets Associated Press and other published reports.
