Nader noted that fewer than 10 of the approximately 40 audience members appeared to be Dartmouth students. He criticized the "sterile political debate at Dartmouth," adding that the College is known as the most conservative school in the Ivy League.
Nader commented on the government's role in the current financial crisis. He repeatedly criticized "corporations" for having an overwhelming influence over the economy and the upcoming election, and described Obama and McCain as "two puppy dogs subservient to the corporations."
"Wall Street is an orgy of excess and speculative behavior," he said at the rally.
Nader told The Dartmouth that the financial bailout plan, passed Oct. 3, was poorly executed and unfair to taxpayers, in an interview Friday.
Nader added that, had he been involved, the plan would have included more comprehensive regulation, given more authority to shareholders and taxpayers and assisted prudent institutions without bailing out speculators. He also suggested that the government find and prosecute corporate executives responsible for out-of-control speculating.
Nader said that, as a third-party candidate, his political involvement is often not taken seriously. His 2008 campaign has received no national coverage, he said, and he has battled with closed presidential debates that prevent him from joining Obama and McCain on stage. He added that he has had difficulty getting his name on to the November ballots -- he will appear on forty-five state ballots, including New Hampshire's.
When asked if he would regret his candidacy if Obama were to lose the election and Nader were to receive more votes than Obama lost by, Nader said he does not like to ask himself such questions.
"It's always the right time to do the right thing," he said. If Obama loses, Nader added, he will not ask himself if his own campaign had a negative effect, but will instead ask why the Democratic candidate did not focus on what Nader deems "winning issues."
According to Nader, Obama has compromised his position on issues such as single-payer health care and the war in Iraq, which has hurt his campaign.
Nader told The Dartmouth he did not think either candidate won last week's presidential debate, adding "militarism won, nuclear power won, aggression in the Middle East won, more war in Afganistan won; consumers lost, taxpayers lost, solar energy lost."
"I don't like tuberculosis or cancer," Nader said when asked whether he would prefer Obama or McCain as president.
Nader criticized Obama's energy proposals, saying that the Democratic candidate fails to properly prioritize energy issues. Under a Nader administration, he told The Dartmouth, energy conservation would be the top priority, followed by a transition to renewable energy, such as solar, wind and geothermal power.
Nader also noted the importance of the youth involvement in the upcoming election, and in politics in general.
"The whole concept of a liberal arts education is to transform the mind to foresee and forestall bad things and to detect and build good things," Nader said. "Campuses should come alive and spend as much time on this election as football and frats."
This is Nader's fourth presidential bid, though it is his first time running as an independent candidate, according to CNN.
