Hagrid is in the House!

Well well well... Look who has just decided to throw his hat into the ring:

Ralph Nader Declares as Independent Presidential Candidate

I was wondering if he was going to try again this year. It appears he's forgoing the Green Party this time (which is fine, because I like Cynthia McKinney as the Green nominee).

Expect the Democrats to start screaming "spoiler" now, accusing Nader of being an "egomaniac" who only really cares about his own personal aggrandizement, and not the good of the progressive movement, or the country. It's the same old tired arguments they trotted out in 2000 an 2004.

Nader's joining the race is a good thing, IMNSHO, for two main reasons: His political stance always forces the Democrats to work for the progressive left votes, which the Democrats tend to take for granted. This can pull the Democrats leftward, and away from the centrist "Republican Light" position they tend to want to hold.

And, an independent bid for the presidency widens the field, and forces the U.S. elections out of the Democrat/Republican duopoly. (The same holds true for the Greens).

This means we'll likely have THREE socially progressive candidates running: Obama (if he wins the nomination, and assuming he truly is a progressive), Nader, and McKinney. And two of those are African-American!

Which tells me the country WANTS to move in a more progressive direction, even though the power structure is built against it.

I love having a choice, though I doubt Nader can win against the Obama juggernaut. The mythic quality of the Obama bid is resonating strongly with the common people.

And I'm going to have to do some serious thinking about who to support. I'm still leaning Obama -- unless Clinton gets the nomination, in which case it's between Nader and McKinney.

This is looking to be one hell of an interesting year!