Ralph Nader is angry with Democrats who he says are holding a grudge against him for George W. Bush's election in 2000.

In an interview with The Washington Times Tuesday, the independent presidential candidate expressed frustration over his failed efforts to be invited to testify on Capitol Hill on consumer issues. He also lamented the current political system, which he says is slanted away from allowing third party candidates to have a reasonable run at winning the White House.

Nader said he finds congressional Republicans more approachable than their Democratic counterparts due to the lingering grudge over the 2000 election, when George W. Bush defeated Al Gore by 537 votes in Florida. Nader won about 96,000 votes in the state, many of which were siphoned from would-be Gore voters.

Nader said Republicans are better at developing relationships and legislation on issues of accord. He accuses Democrats of selling out to corporate interests and noted that Democrats need to realize they lost the past two elections themselves in a thousand different ways.

Nader claimed the grudge extends past the election, and even today he is excluded from testifying in areas of his expertise. A spokesperson for Arkansas Sen. Mark Pryor, whom Nader used to exemplify his point, denied Nader was being blackballed.

Addressing media coverage, Nader said he is not given a fair chance like the presumptive Democratic and Republican nominees to gain recognition or promote his objectives.

Click here to read The Washington Times article on Nader.