Nader: Obama Trying To "Talk White" And "Appeal To White Guilt"

In an interview with the Rocky Mountain News, independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader says he's disappointed with Barack Obama:

"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American. Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards.

Nader says he's on to Obama strategy:

"He wants to show that he is not a threatening . . . another politically threatening African-American politician. He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up."

Nader plans to go to Denver during the Democratic National Convention to highlight his own agenda.

Comments

[IndieFire]

ralphie is another reverend wright...the sad sad product of america's uglier past. They both love their names in lights and have both outlived their usefulness. The rest of us will get on with life in the 21st century.

[Constantone]

I think white and others love someone who says we are in this together, and that our differences are real but not the last word. Obama is focussing on the broad middle and working class, which includes all races. I think Nader's ear is just as tinny now as when he said there was no difference tween Gore and Bush. How come he doesn't push that line anymore?

[OrganizersWin]

Contrary Opinion alert!

Sen. Obama totally turned his back on a friend and a church, because he had to coddle to the "white" media, and has to avoid looking Muslim at all costs. Sen. Obama did the smart thing politically, but so what? Rev. Wright should be snubbed and looked down on, because of politics? I thought Obama was about embracing different perspectives in order to grow?

Following how so many black leaders, members of the black caucus, etc. have constantly acted with disregard for issues they claim to value... I would agree that using the term "Uncle Tom" haphazardly is indeed wrong. However, Sen. Obama has done almost nothing to promote black issues, for obvious reasons- it is implied by his skin color. He doesn't have to show he "isn't insensitive" to certain issues- while he ignores most of them. Racism in the justice system, in election fraud, etc.... ???? Obama had to be coaxed into using the word "Katrina" before he felt comfortable. A woman told me she would never vote for Hillary because "women are emotionally incapable"... I am a man, and felt no problem finding her comments to hurt the idea of gender equality. Nader didn't attack Obama's race, he attacked his coddling the 'white' media... if you don't see the 'white media' (and I am white), then it is hard to understand the context.

[Constantone]

One of my best friends went through this same thing when I was growing up. He spoke well and clearly, and so was accussed of talking white. By his black friends (none of my friends were ignoriant enough to try that one me. We weren't trying to 'keep it real'). But see, they were black and ignorant. What's Nader's excuse? Senility?

[kinnycut]

Nothing but an election spoiler.

[ohiodem250]

Why is Ralph spoiling it? Obama's going to enslave all white people, make Rev. Wright the Secretary of Labor, and abolish the separation of church and state instituting Trinity United Church of Christ as the national church. And after that he's going to solve the energy crisis by investing in flying pigs.

[TheJibreelaMonsters]

OMG a real Progressive calls out the false Messiah in Sen Obama

[conservativesoncrack]

Ralph Nader is a self absorbed right wing freak. He has single handedly done more to destroy his professed "causes" by not working within the political realities of our day than even George Bush. In fact, if Nader had used his influence to leverage positions within the Democratic establishment instead of oppose them we would not be in Iraq, we would still be a part of Kyoto, and most of all, we would have never had a President George W. Bush. Instead, it would have been Al Gore concluding his eight years now.

Imagine, no war in Iraq, joined participation on the word stage by the US in all sorts of maters (economic to peace). Gas might not be at $4+ and we might not be facing a serious recescion caused by uncontroled Regpugnican crap.

Nader needs to go home now!

[PublicAdvocate]

If Nader is a "right wing freak" in your words, Obama must be a ultra right winger since he is more conservative than Ralph and went along with the right wing think tank in appeasing Likud and AIPAC which only represents 27% of Israeli opinion. 64% of Israeli's oppose pro-violence AIPAC/Likud party politics.

The subelementary argument that Nader caused the election of George Bush neglects the fact that about 250,000 loyalist registered Democratic voters in Florida didn't care enough for Gore enough so they actually voted for Bush. Additionally, (Al Gore did win the total popular vote although he lost in his home state of Tennessee) the Supreme Court intervened on the election process and NOMIMATED Bush even though he had lost the popular vote.
Blaming Nader is sheer political bigotry.

Instead of playing this blame game, why not compare issue to issue how Obama compares to Nader and then decide foryourself? That's what freedom of choice is all about.
http://VoteNader.org/issues

[thebirdstheword]

real progressive? what has nader ever actually done, except screw-up elections? honestly, i don't ever hear about anything that nader does, other than run for president.

[fnygy]

another old man seeing things in a context that no longer exists. It happens to most people - why not Nader?

[BryantG]

You hit the nail on the head...nothing more need be said.

[farmall]

...and poor Ralph, who is too old and passe to get away with it, is trying to paint himself as a radical appealing to liberal guilt.

[Cynde]

OMG Will someone get these fools off the world stage. When I see McCain do a whammy and now Nadar do one, I am so glad there is at least an intelligent candidate, Obama, running for office.

[gonavy]

Don't you just love an old man who says it like it is and doesn't care who gets bent out of shape. The truth is the truth. Many of us recognized that Obama was playing the "white guilt" card a long time ago. This seems to be a tactic Obama thinks he can win with.

Nader speaks the truth, he is bought by no one.

[conservativesoncrack]

Nonsense! Nader is not a truth speaker. He destroys what he professes to support. The evidence is clear.

[BryantG]

So let me get this straight. A guy who is 50% white and who was raised by his white family should be should be huddled in protest while singing spirituals with his downtrodden black bretheren. Is that the point? The fact that Obama got the lion's share of the black vote during the primaries would suggest that he is speaking to thier issues. So now the "white guilt" card has been played.

[JR49]

NADER says and does whatever GOP tell him to do....poor man.

[janvoght]

so sad, ralph, that the consumer hero you once were is no more. the man you have become will not fool anyone. you are hungry for the attention, the spotlight, the applause that you once received from those that recognized that we needed someone that was will to try and keep" them " honest. you are not a politician tho ralph, keep you pathology to yourself and go home, before we all forget that you used to HELP america...because what you are trying to do now is not helping america!
obama '08 & 2012

[politricking]

I'm a strong obama supporter (look at my profile to see my past posts).

You can call Nader names, you can call him irrelevant, but one thing you can never call him is
a sellout.

Obama's stance on FISA is a huge disappointment and in the end, Ralph may be right, he's just another Democrat. Like those Democrats who voted for the FISA compromise, especially the ones who had received contributions from TelCo's.

Anyone who can support FISA or excuse Obama's stance on it seems to have forgotten the last eight years.

Obama too does not want to rock the boat so Nader has a point here. I still support Obama, but now it's become anyone but McCain.

[indeevoter]

Poor Ralph...he's caught in a time warp somewhere between the 1960's and 1970's, still railing about the oligarchy. He's become a narcissistic nerd who resurfaces every 4 years to run for president. It's sad...you want to look away, avoid making eye contact, and try to remember him for the good he did so many years ago...

[SethBLiNK]

Obama is trying to win, and that sometimes means focusing your priorities to what the electorate wants to hear. So far, I think he's managed to do it without compromising his true beliefs as well as anybody.

Of course trying to win is a foreign concept to Nader who only thinks an campaign is legitimate if you not only have no chance of winning yourself but also help to hurt the chances of the candidate whose beliefs are closest to your own.