Democracy In Action--All New Episodes
Ralph Nader is in the race, and you can bet that the chorus will be wailing, especially Democrats. "Spoiler," everyone will be mindlessly caterwauling, still blaming Al Gore's loss to George Bush on him. Gore lost all by himself, with help from the people who stole Florida for Bush. Sometimes, in the words of a former Secretary of Defense, democracy is "messy." I for one applaud Nader's choice to run, and look forward to his keeping issues the other candidates refuse to discuss front and center in voters' minds, like the way Republicans and Democrats alike have sold out the American government to corporations while systematically undermining the voice of the people.
posted by John M Crowther @ 7:11 AM
8 Comments:
Nader’s done it again! If that incorrigible Goody-Goody-Two-Shoes and Activist really wants to do something useful for his country he should actively stay out of national politics. With a race that’s bound to be closely contested, those who feel that Barak or Hillary are not progressive enough will once again toss away their votes by voting for the unelectable. Nader may not have been totally culpable in Gore’s loss—the man himself can take most of the credit-- but what if those 463,653 votes (0.38% of the popular vote) Nader won had gone to the Democrats instead? Gore would have squeezed by; we would not have gone to war in Iraq; billions of dollars would have been saved, and thousands of people here and in the Middle East would still be alive. Nader should be ashamed of himself now and forever!
As John McLaughlin says: "Wrong!" We have an election system that's dysfunctional, in which candidates spend huge amounts of money trying to sell their image as if they're a breakfast cereal or running shoes. Meanwhile the real issues go by the wayside as the candidates are too frightened to deal with them, and the guys who make sense, like Kucinich or Paul or John Edwards, get squeezed out. Nader can hold his head high. A lot of the consumer protections he fought for are, alas, now being rolled back by the power elite who push the big lie that what is good for big business is good for the economy and therefore good for the people.
Hey, hey, hey! I’m not taking anything away from what Nader has done, past tense, for this country … on the sidelines. And that’s where he belongs, on the sidelines, in the back room along with the Carters and Fords and Kissingers and all the other éminence grises, wise man whom others consult on the phone in times of need, whom others send off on fence-mending missions, or to write policy papers. But the moment, he runs for office, which must be the ultimate vanity trip for someone so easily and repeatedly defeated, he serves no positive purpose whatsoever. He steals votes from those who need them; he takes money away from those who can use it more productively. In this 24/7 age when anyone with the modicum of intelligence can use television talk shows as their free forum Nader doesn’t need to run to office to keep the rest of aware of what he believes in, he needs to shut up and let the electables govern.
Maybe the Republicans are financing his campaign...
What everyone seems to be forgetting is that we are a democracy and if one has the money and the time, one has the right to run for president if one so chooses. I hope Nader does run, I don't think that he will make a difference one way or the other to either party but last time I looked, we were supposed to be a free nation. If you do not like him, campaign for your person actively. I do not believe Nader has to apologize for his actions nor do I believe that the Republicans are financing him. I think that he genuinely believes that he is the best candidate. So more power to him.
>>I think that he genuinely believes that he is the best candidate. So more power to him.<<
Yes, I think he genuinely believes that he is the best candidate. So god have pity on him for not understanding the past and present consequences of his act. George W. Bush believes he talks to God and God tells him to bring democracy to the Middle East. God have pity on them both. Vanity of vanities; all is vanity. [Ecclesiastes]
Anonymous, I think it's a bit disingenuous to heap scorn on Nader for participating in the political process with honesty, integrity, and couage when the mainstream candidates and the two dominant power parties engage in the kind of dirty tricks, misleading advertising, and mudslinging they do. (Swift boating? Obama dressed in a kaftan?) They're the ones, I believe, who drag the democratic process into the dirt. The reason we wind up with a Bush for eight years is because the American electorate isn't listening or thinking. Let's not blame democracy's failures on those who attempt to get the people to think.
OK. Has there ever been a time in recent memory when the American electorate has listened more? My God, we are being bombarded with heartfelt opinions 24/7. What is it please that Nader is saying that no one else is saying, and beyond that what practical solutions does he suggest in a political process where he is a total outsider? Ideas are a dime a dozen, maybe a penny a dozen now that the $$$ has so little value, but other than that what practical good can he do? No one is denying him a voice. If we have to listen to Pat Buchanan spout at least once a day, I bet Nader can also sound off on talk shows as well. But after taking 463,653 votes away from the Democrats, which is no way influenced any one in power, either left or right, what possible effect can he have other than guarantying the loss of another election?
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