Nader first addressed last night's presidential debates, held at UMass-Boston, an event in which Nader was not allowed to participate.
"You know, no students got tickets," said Nader. "All the tickets were preassigned by the two-party duopoly."
Nader focused much of his speech on the similarities between the Republican and Democratic parties and their candidates for president.
"The only difference between the Republican and Democratic parties is the velocities with which their knees hit the floor when corporations knock on their door. That's the only difference," he said. "The two parties ... are becoming one corporate party, with two heads wearing different makeup, and that is not a good enough choice for the American people."
Nader said that he was running for president based on two assumptions. "The first assumption is that the function of political leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers," he said.
"You're here representing the next generation," Nader cited as his second assumption.
Nader went on to discuss free trade, an issue which has picked up a lot of steam among leftist protesters in recent years. Nader said that past generations had "pushed the thresholds of justice that you are benefiting from right now."
But things are getting worse again, he said, making specific note of the World Trade Organization and the North American Free Trade Agreement.
"We subordinated profit and commerce to the need to advance worker rights, environmental, consumer rights and now it's just reversed," Nader said. "It's consumer, environmental, worker rights that have to get on their knees in Geneva, Switzerland and prove that trade is restrictive."
Nader then went on to address his specific audience. "Most universities are turning into corporate trade schools," he said.
"A university has got to give you opportunities to develop critical minds, to understand what happens when the concentration of power and wealth is too deep in a society," Nader added.
Nader also criticized the large party candidates for president. "Never in American history has there been a sustained period in economic history so disconnected from the majority of workers who make this economy possible, so disconnected from economic progress and justice," he said.
"One out of every three American workers works 40 hours a week and doesn't earn a living wage," added Nader.
"Take the criminal injustice system; Al Gore and George W. Bush aren't discussing that," he said. "Politicians in this country have been accustomed to dodging tough issues as long as the other competitor dodges the tough issues."
Nader also criticized the level of national spending on the war against drugs.
"If we spent more money on rehabilitation and prevention and less money on the militirization and criminalization of this problem, the streets would be safer, everything would be better all around," he said. "We don't send alcoholics to jail and we don't send nicotine addicts to jail and we shouldn't send drug addicts to jail, we should rehabilitate them."
Nader also criticized the recent consolidation of the media. "About seven, eight giant media conglomerates control most of the circulation and radio and TV audience," he said.
"We do own the public airways," he said. "They're the tenants and they pay us no rent. We're not allowed on the TV."
"Nader seems especially appealing to college students. His speech seemed to cater to young voters," said Molly O'Connor '03, who attended the speech.