Nader Denounces Big Oil and Corporate Greed

As part of his ongoing "whistle stop tour" for the 2008 presidential campaign, Ralph Nader stopped in Glens Falls, New York at a local cafe to speak with supporters and host a fundraiser. Despite a recent Zogby poll which left Nader with 1% of the vote should Obama be the nominee and 3% if Clinton wins the nomination, over 200 enthusiastic supporters greeted the former consumer advocate with a standing ovation. During the fundraiser, Nader took serious issue with gas prices, protesting the government's refusal to regulate the industry or investigate major oil corporations. He denounced the current system, claiming that "the price is made by the New York Mercantile Exchange which is a bunch of speculators and if they hear a rumor about Nigeria, they'll drive it up again and you pay through the nose at the gas pump." Nader further denounced "corporate greed," chastising the Republican and Democratic candidates silence on the issue and citing it as the cause of the nation's current economic woes. Nader hopes to "rouse the people" in his race for the president, and upstate New York seemed to welcome his message.