By Erica Driskell/The Daily Iowan

Ralph Nader supporters rallied on the Pentacrest Tuesday afternoon in order to raise issues they said would not be addressed in Tuesday's debate between Vice President Al Gore and Texas Gov. George W. Bush.

They also wanted to vent their frustration that Nader was not allowed to debate with the two "mainstream" candidates, said UI graduate student Jeff Carlson, a member of UI Students for Nader.

Nader, who is attracting between 3 to 10 percent of the vote in various national and state polls, offers stances on issues that differ from the center-of-the-line Republican and Democratic candidates, he said.

"We aren't arguing for a third-party alternative," Carlson said. "We are arguing for a second party."

Nader was not allowed to participate in the debate because both the Republican and Democratic parties fear losing power and votes, said UI sophomore Alex Pickett, a UI Students Against Sweatshops member and Nader supporter.

"We're being silenced and controlled by what's in your wallet, the dollar," he said about corporations sponsoring the presidential debate.

Because corporations are sponsoring the presidential debates, any party should be allowed to participate if the candidate proves there is adequate public support, said Christy Ann Welty, the Johnson County chairwoman for the Libertarian Party. Libertarian Party presidential candidate Harry Browne has proven that, she said.

"I think what's at the root of this is that they are afraid to have Harry Browne enter the debates because people would realize how close Gore and Bush are on the issues," Welty said.

The debates allow the media, scholars and public to analyze which candidate looks better, not address what issues are at stake, said UI graduate student Mark Dowdy, a member of Students for Nader.

"They won't be talking about the issues. They will be asking, 'Did Bush mush up the words and enunciate, or did Gore look wooden,' " he said.

Although speakers made good arguments for Nader at the rally, UI senior Ben Greenbowe said, he will vote for one of the two major political party candidates because it is a close election.

"I am a registered Republican, but will probably vote for Gore to protect the Supreme Court rights," he said.