Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader spoke at the campus center on Saturday as part of his "Massachusetts Marathon," in which the activist aimed to set a new international record for the most campaign stops in one day.
During his 12-minute speech here, Nader touched on a wide range of issues, including corruption in Washington, student loans, unaffordable health care, and nutrition and diet.
Nader gave speeches at 21 locations throughout Massachusetts, breaking the previous world record of 15 stops in one day, according to the Associated Press.
At Tufts, he characterized this whirlwind tour as an effort to demonstrate the power of local-community campaigning.
"One of the reasons that we're trying to break this campaign-stop record is to demonstrate that an electronic campaign does not get to the community level and does not interface with people enough," Nader said. "We are on a campaign that takes a stand on local issues, and we have chosen to talk about them directly to local communities."
Nader cited a few statewide issues that are on the Massachusetts ballot, including his support for Question 2, which would decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana if passed. He criticized Question 1, the State Income Tax Repeal, which aims to abolish Massachusetts' 5.3-percent income tax.
Moving to national issues, Nader talked about issues specific to college students and identified three problems that many will have to face after graduating.
"People in their 20s are going to have a hard time fulfilling their dreams because of three main issues, the first being student loans," Nader said. "The number-two reason is that this is the first generation in American history where skilled jobs are being outsourced all over the world. The third thing that college graduates are facing is unaffordable health insurance."
Nader blamed federal corruption and corporate lobbying for creating these problems.
"Washington is corporate-occupied territory that has shut [out] wonderful civic groups, and as we can see from the $700 billion bailout, its leaders have become our global masters," Nader said. "This corruption is responsible for this two-party duopoly and is the reason why you young voters have been shut out of the democratic process."
Elaborating on the subject, Nader described his desire for a day when the American people take a stand against lobbyists, interest groups and this "duopoly."
"I'm working here as a hammer, a conscience, a watchdog," Nader said. "I'm working until the American people say, ‘If the two parties don't shape up, they're going to be shipped out.'"
As a final point, Nader discussed Tufts' history as a leading center for nutritional study, and he called on other institutions to follow the university's example.
"I think we should all know the history of what your university has contributed as a center for nutritional development in trying to stop this national nutritional crisis," Nader said, referring to the Friedman School of Nutrition. "We have an obesity epidemic that has never been seen in world history. We have all witnessed the devastating devolution of diet in this country."
Sophomore Tyler Cooper enjoyed listening to Nader's brief presentation.
"I thought it was pretty good that he talked about issues that the two main parties usually avoid," he said. "He definitely represents an important third-party voice in national politics."
