Political Cortex: Ralph McNader: Nader and McCain, Kissing in a Tree

Ralph McNader: Nader and McCain, Kissing in a Tree

By mole333
03/10/2008 08:46:06 PM EST

In 2000 Nader made a collossal mistake that cost Gore the election. Part of that mistake was what seemed an inexplicable statement that Gore and Bush were equivalent. I knew this was bullshit just like I knew it was bullshit when Gore, Cheney and Powell claimed Hussein was tied with al-Qaeda. And events since then have proven Nader was as "mistaken" as Bush, Cheney and Powell. The question always was: was Nader mistaken or lying? Either way, Nader only won 3% of the vote in 2000, not enough to do him any good, but enough, in key swing states, to help deliver the election to Bush.

I don't know about 2000, but by 2004 Nader was abandoning all pretense of values. Nader abandoned the Green Party, yet expected them to follow him blindly. They chose not to. In 2004 a large chunk of Nader's money and support came from Republicans. Among those Republican who went out on a limb for the self proclaimed messiah of the left was none other than John McCain, whose legal team did their best to get Nader on the ballot in Florida. As the Greens went their own way, Nader turned to Republicans, John McCain in particular, to save his campaign. The result? Nader got .3% of the vote...one tenth of what he got in 2000.

Now in 2008 Nader is running yet again. And John McCain seems to be behind his run, quite literally. Nader's website attacks Barack Obama. His website attacks Hillary Clinton. His website DOES NOT talk about John McCain, his former (and current?) patron.

Joe Conasom at Salon.com exposes the McCain/Nader connection. Disgusting. That's all I can say. I grew up with Nader one of my heros. I was disgusted by his behavior in 2000. I was disgusted in his behavior in 2004. This article makes it all clear. Nader has become a genuine Republican stooge. Does he even realize this? Has he abandoned all his morals or has he lost his common sense? I don't know. But to me he is nothing.

Here are a few quotes from the article:

But the evidence suggests another possible motive for Nader to run this year -- namely, that he hopes to help his longtime ally John McCain, to whom he owes at least one big favor. Nader is already focusing his fire on the Democrats, with his Web site featuring dozens of press releases attacking Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, while none voice the slightest criticism of McCain. In his latest round of television appearances, Nader trained his fire directly on Obama...
Actually, Republicans have learned to do more than merely "welcome" Nader. Four years ago, Republican officials and activists in certain swing states helped gather signatures to gain ballot access for Nader, while several major Republican donors sent generous checks to his campaign. And no Republican spoke out more forthrightly on his behalf than McCain, who in 2004 urged the authorities in Florida to put Nader on the ballot there despite his failure to qualify -- and who sent his own lawyer down to the Sunshine State to fight for Nader in court.
McCain launched that intervention from his perch as chairman of the Reform Institute, a Washington think tank funded by corporate soft money and liberal foundations and staffed by McCain staffers and partisans. On the surface, at least, the Arizona senator was pursuing a principled defense of open ballot access, and he recalled how establishment Republicans had used legal technicalities to block him from the New York primary ballot in 2000. He sent Trevor Potter, a prominent attorney and former Federal Election Commission member who has long represented him, to assist the Nader forces in Tallahassee. It was an inspiring story of shared democratic values that crossed the ideological spectrum.
But as the New York Times reported on Sept. 17, 2004, there was a political back story behind McCain's assistance to Nader. According to the Times, "Mr. Potter said that the Nader campaign first sought Mr. McCain's backing in the case last week and that subsequently the Bush campaign also asked him to get involved." (Candidate Nader and his running mate, Peter Camejo, issued a statement thanking McCain and the Reform Institute that is for some reason no longer available on the Nader campaign Web site.)

Nader gave up the mantle of Progressive years ago. And if the Greens follow him they will become reviled for their collaboration with the Bush/McCain axis of corruption. But if the Greens reject Nader, as they did in 2004, they once again affirm their genuine commitment to progressive politics.

: Ralph Nader, Green Party, John McCain

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Ralph McNader: Nader and McCain, Kissing in a Tree | 6 comments (6 topical, editorial, 0 hidden)

Ralph Nader as Spoiler (none / 0)

I am well and truly sick of hearing people bashing Nader as a spoiler. George Bush would have "won" the election if god had been his opponent. The fix was in and that’s that! Since there are no reliable numbers from a rigged election it’s ludicrous to point the finger at one of the few people who might have been a president of, by and for the people had he not been marginalized by the corporate machine which ultimately decides who “wins” anyway.
There hasn’t been a “clean” voting system in this country for a long time but, since 2000 and into the foreseeable future, there won’t be anything that could seriously even be called an election.

by RW Posner on 03/22/2008 12:16:14 AM EST

You may be sick... (none / 0)

But he DID enable a Bush win. Your denial of that just makes you look like a crank.

And there is the fact that Nader LIED, equating Gore and Bush and he has even expressed more respect for Republicans. And he is at it again. Repeatedly lying to get his way is NOT a progressive characteristic.

Nader ruined his career (as the numbers show) by doing what he did. And the Greens continue to feel the animosity that millions of progressive Democrats still feel against them. The only survival strategy the Greens have is to reject Nader.

And now you ignore the entire point of the diary. Nader IS allied with the Republicans. It isn't about the environment anymore. It is all about his ego. You are allying yourself to someone who will sell you out, even to the Republicans, if it further inflates his ego.

Read the Progressive Democrat

by mole333 on 04/01/2008 07:09:52 AM EST

[ Parent ]

no alliance (none / 0)

First of all I am allying myself to no one. There is no candidate, at least none that will be allowed by the corpratocracy, which is worth wasting the time to vote for. America is over. It was a pretty good idea but it has failed miserably. In any case, once the permafrost in the Arctic Circle melts a little more and releases gigatons of methane into our atmosphere it won't really matter who happens to be the current dictatorial ruler of the American Empire. When it happens, and it will, people will be dropping dead by the millions within moments. So rant all you like and write in whoever you think will be your savior.
By the way, you completely missed the point of my post. Both elections were completely predetermined. They were rigged from the start. Like I said, it wouldn't have mattered if god itself had been running against Bush.

Respectfully,
R.W. Posner

by RW Posner on 04/01/2008 07:28:02 PM EST

[ Parent ]

: Well... (none / 0)

Just because you say it doesn't mean it's true.
Surrender is easy. It's really, really easy to throw your hands up and say you are powerless. Personally, I am stubborn and prefer fighting. You can wallow in ineffectuality. I choose not to. We probably mostly agree on core issues and values. But we choose radically different approaches to those issues and values.
As to the permafrost, first off the permafrost South of the Arctic Circle is already melting...I call it tempafrost now. And I agree it is possibly the only real tipping point that we can be pretty certain will be truely awful. Once again, giving up and letting disaster hit isn't my style. And scientists don't agree yet as to whether we have passed any tipping point (I know...my wife is one of those climate scientists). And even most of those who do think it may be too late to prevent serious problems still think we should be trying our hardest to mitigate the problem. Personally I think it is about time we listen to those scientists because they have been warning us for decades and ignoring them is what got us into this.
As to an election being fixed, it is clear that the Republicans want it that way. But the truth is they hadn't yet taken full control in 2000. We let them take control. Nader was a part of that. So were too many Dems. And so were you and me and most Americans. Yet again, surrendering is not my style. So I advocate fighting back.
And, of course, none of this has ANYTHING to do with the diary which criticized Nader for surrendering his values and core beliefs to help out John McCain because McCain helped him out before. Nader is no savior. He is the epitome of what is wrong with the system.
Read the Progressive Democrat
by mole333 on 04/12/2008 11:20:52 AM EST

[ Parent ]