One of my favorite bloggers, Enriched Geranium, has written an excellent and thoughtful post about Ralph Nader, and I urge you to get off the beaten track and go read it. And while you're there, listen to the song Impeach the Moron, on the sidebar.
(In the interest of full disclosure, OK, I admit that Enriched Geranium is my husband, and I'm doing some shameless promotion here. So humor me.)
I'll tell you, I am not particularly inspired by this election. I don't feel optimistic that it will bring about much significant change in terms of the war, for example. The entire system is so deeply flawed. I support Obama more than I do Clinton, and will in all likelihood vote democrat, unless it is clear that the democratic party candidate will win my state with or without me. But it is difficult to place a lot of faith in the very same people who have either not had the guts or the will to stand up to the Worst. President. Ever, Inc.
Back in 2004, against my better judgment (and maybe because he brought Bruce Springsteen to town -- how cool was that? Pretty dang cool!) I voted for Kerry. That ill feeling that so many of us had on the morning of Nov. 3 will stay with me for a long, long time. Not for the first time, we were betrayed by a politician. In 2006, we turned out in droves to vote and gave the democrats a decisive victory. We liberals are a little like Lucy, Charlie Brown, and the football, aren't we?
In short, I'm pig-bitin' mad at the democrats. And until we have viable parties beyond the dems and the rethugs, we're going to be trying to kick that damned football until the end of time (which may come sooner than we think.)
Where does Nader come in? Well, he is an excellent writer and a tireless advocate for the downtrodden (and more and more we're all in that category). Should he enter the political arena again? As far as I'm concerned, that's his choice, under the law of our land. And we all get to choose who we vote for. (Sort of. Of course, if you live in a state that has a later primary, you don't have much of a choice at all. And the populist message that was carried by Kucinich, Richardson, and Edwards has largely been sidelined.)
I don't care if you support Nader, or not. But if you're somebody who has held deep anger toward him since 2000, please read what Enriched Geranium has to say, maybe even go to Nader's website and read some of the thousands of essays he has posted. (I tell you, the man works all the time.) And if you are tempted to repeat the popular memes about him, ask yourself, "How do I know this? Is it really true?"
This election is showing us, if we didn't know it before, that the democrats are just as capable of Rovian tactics as the rethuglicans. We do not need to help the smear campaigns.
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12 comments:
Thanks for the plug! There's really nothing quite like pouring your heart and soul into a piece that no one is going to read. Or listen to. (Impeach The Moron reference alert! I sent the song to a bunch of progressive types around the country and one local organization found it worth using. Sigh.)
Yeah, I voted for Kerry, too, in 2004. Out of fear. I gave him my vote and he threw it away. Talk about a wasted vote! The guy won the election and it only took him, what, a couple of days before he rolled over and widdled himself.
In closing, I have to say that there is nothing quite as fetching as a woman who uses the phrase "pig-bitin' mad."
R-r-r-uff!
I PROMISED not to say anything negative about Mr Nader. However, as a veterinarian I have to take issue with the term "pig-bitin mad". Now, I understand your anger and all, but why pigs? If you were really, really made you'd be using phrases like "porcupine-bitin mad" or maybe "stingin' jellyfish bitin' mad".
This election is dry. I have to say all I have seen on the tv is just Hillary and Obama.I havent seen the other two candidates hash it out like Hillary and Obama have. Its nuts really.
I'm one of those who is still very angry at Nader. The last 8 years have been disgraceful and have put us so far back that we may never recover fully. I blame the general public for this but Nader knew he didn't have a chance and he could have contributed in a much more positive way, in my humble opinion.
Well said, Ginnie. I'd just like to add that I'm not walking "on the beaten path", but what's wrong about inspiring large numbers of people to name their hopes and dreams and get MOVING!??? Sure, Obama's a "politician" which has become a dirty word, but......I believe hope, as Obama is using it, is more than "an empty promise" because he is reaching in to people and touching on their hopes. Energizing. Not everyone, of course, but I see people, folks I would never expect, feeling much more hopeful about his candidacy while realizing that, yes, he is a politician. Much more hopeful than the last couple decades. Empty hope? Maybe. But I'm willing to feel my hope more than my cynical self and at least consider the possibilities. There, I didn't say anything nasty about Mr Nader. Again. LOL So the choice is to be cynical or be hopeful. Or is it?
So ... Obama is allowed to inspire people to get moving, but Nader isn't? What he did in 2000 was very much what is happening with Obama now -- people were excited and inspired. Did Nader have a crystal ball to know what the outcome would be? Honestly, HOW did Nader spoil the 2000 election? He ran as a 3rd party candidate, and we NEED that. We need 3rd, 4th, and 5th parties too. Wasn't it Gore's fault for not contesting the election? What about the spineless Congress that certified the "election" of Bush?
I'm not impressed with the candidates. They are all corporate shills, as far as I'm concerned.
If you are holding onto anger at Nader, what do you really know about him? Really.
BTW, I don't think I'm cynical at all. I'm just focusing my hopes on things closer to home.
A clarification: By "beaten path" I didn't mean democrat vs. independent, I meant maybe going to a blog you don't usually visit. Forgive me for saying this, people who are still angry at Nader, don't you think it's a lot to assume that all of those votes that he got would have been Gore's? Gore ran a lousy campaign. Kerry ran a lousy campaign. I am impressed that Obama is so far energizing people; he's running a decent campaign. Maybe I'll get drawn in ... but it's going to take more than Bruce Springsteen!
Why do we all have to march to the same drummer?
Mrs Ether: Nader inspired a few people, it is true. I like what he has to say. He's a bright guy. But in 2000, for example, he didn't have a prayer of winning. the difference is that Obama is likely to win. So he is inspiring many more people. We're talking a movement here. We're talking about a new president who can make a positive difference. Start digging us out of the mess the Bush crooks(with Nader's help in 2000) got us into.
We don't need a Nader cult at this point in time.
We need hope. A movement of hope. When I stopped to get some gas the other day, the folks working there were all excited about Obama. They feel he can make some positive changes. maybe he can, maybe he can't. No one was talking about Ralph. Not now. Not in 2000. Just the choir talks about Ralph. He has the charisma of day old pasta, and I don't care how smart he might be.
Paid for by Obama for President (I approve of this audacious message)LOL
What a great post and thank you for pointing me over to Enriched Geranium's excellent piece.
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