I don’t know about you, but I don’t hear much about or from Ralph Nader except for every four years when he goes on his egomanaical, masturbatory quest for air time.
No matter how much he protests, Nader is the reason for the George Bush season.
Since politics is about consequences, not intentions, somebody tell me the fucking difference between a Nader campaign and a Forbes campaign. I’ll tell you, one of them got George Bush elected (well, with a lot of help from the Supreme Court).
I just can’t get past that shaky foundation upon which it was all built, the questionable work that is Unsafe At Any Speed. (I’m being charitable with the word questionable.
I believe Nader was really driven previously by personal ambition to enter the general election for President. However, this time around it smells a lot like he got a brown envelope from the Republicans. One would have to be blind or stupid not to figure this out. Nader’s candidacy NEVER pulls votes away from the Republican presidential candidate. The (estimated) 2.7% Nader popular vote in the last election came out out of Gore’s column.
The Republicans are hoping for a Democratic split which by itself would make for a squeaky tight race against the Republican ticket, so they are buying a little low risk backup insurance to see if ol’ Ralphie can eat into the Dems youth and environmentalist vote.
Their hope is that the old Nader magic might be able to pull a possible 3.2% popular vote out of the Democratic candidate’s column. The Bush administration has been able to BUY another 6 months of Shiite pacification, causing Iraq to further fade from the forefront of voter concerns, leaving the Dems with only the environment (global warming) and a plethora of complex economic issues.
And that’s just the way it is…..
I guess “self masturbatory” is redundant, just like another Nader ego trip. Jesus H. Christ Ralph, be like the Republicans you seem so intent on bailing out every four years, just get a trophy wife like McCain and Thompson.
obama’s response was pretty good:
well done, acknowledges, but diminishes the importance of nader. hrc hasn’t commented to my knowledge.
This is good. I saw an Obama clip that Russert played when Nader announced his latest “trophy wife” run for the Presidency. I though Obama was right on in his response there as well. He basically said that Nader felt that if a candidate didn’t swallow the Nader line “hook, line and sinker” then to Nader that candidate wasn’t substantive. The tone was let Ralph be Ralph. He’s not a factor.
It’s good that Obama is forward looking.
As far as I’m concerned Nader is responsible for the opportunity the fascist wing of the Republican Party got to run the country into the ground and for the fascists Roberts and Alito joining fellow fascists Thomas and Scalia on the Court.