ralph nader (born february 27, 1934) is an american attorney, politician and political activist. he is best known for working for the rights of consumers, for his third party runs for president of the united states, and for helping george bush get elected in the 2000 presidential election. he ran for president in 1996, 2000 and 2004, but failed to win. in the 2008 election, nader placed third overall, with 660,094 votes, or about .38%. nader was born in winsted, connecticut. his parents, nathra and rose nader, were lebanese immigrants. he is a fluent and native speaker of the arabic language.