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

[adavis08]

As a black American that has been accused of "talking white" I think Mr. Nader is part of the disgruntled old white past, and he knows it. He gained prominence with the EPA and has failed five times to win the presidency. He is one of the pathetic whites that grew up seeing blacks portrayed as buffoons or household workers and that's what he expects of Barack Obama. His statement about Barack talking white shows his racism. He is probably against miscegenation. God I can't believe there are still people in the United States like this, let alone running for president. Anyone seen David Duke lately?

[PoliJunkie]

Ralph, Please go and talk to Donohue, maybe he still cares, no one here does. Get over yourself you won't win or have a voice in this election. We are not buying your type of politics anymore...­You know the saying fool me one shame on you....Eno­ugh said.

[Malarcus]

HuffPost's Pick

Ralph's right, dammit! Here are some other items Obama has failed to solve, or even address, in the first month of his candidacy for President- tuberculosis, chronic lateness, the dark-socks­-with-sand­als thing, people who wear sunglasses at night, that guy who cut me off the other day on the 10, rainy Saturdays, frisbees that have landed on the roof, untied shoelaces, stink-less cigarettes, farming fish stocks as cheap source of mercury, Bill O'Reilly, public nudity, private nudity, swear words, a statue of George Carlin at the top of the steps leading into Congress, finding out what Mary Kate and Ashley did with the third Olsen "twin," and how to reduce the number of licks required to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop from three to two. Without a comprehensive solution to these, and all, problems in this country, Barack Obama is nothing but a stuffed shirt.

[3in1]

Ralph is correct. That's why obama bailed out of his church. Called Clinton a racist. barack doesn't have slave blood. He's a white boy after his mom.

[mairs]

Nader is shocked that Obama is not harping on ghetto problems right now? Maybe because Obama is running for the president of all of us, and frankly there are larger issues at stake in winning the hearts of the entire country than to be exactly what Nader thinks a stereotypical black candidate should be.

[Newsmonger]

How exactly do one "Talk White"?

[blueshield]

The dictionary defines prejudice as any preconceived opinion or feeling. Racial prejudice, as illustrated here by Ralph Nader, has so infiltrated American hearts and minds that even a progressive has no embarrassment perpetuating it.

Of course the color of a man's skin determines his political priorities.

Of course the color of a man's skin creates an irresistable urge to serve his race, first.

Of course the color of a man's skin requires camouflage and subterfuge, if he is to seek acceptance in "polite" society.

Of course the color of a man's skin dooms him to be a political clone of other men of color.

Of course the color of a man's skin makes him a victim, able to exploit the emotional weakness of a "superior" race.

Prejudice, Mr. Nader, is unsafe at any speed.

[tel8034]

What does Ralph Nader mean by TALKING WHITE?

I hope he is NOT saying that the values and issues that Barack is talking about are ONLY reserved for WHITE people, and that Barack is ONLY TRYING to conform for political reasons...­..... Barack speaks of the values and issues he grew up with, are comfortable with, and are the ones he continues to live by.

I hope he was NOT referring to TALKING WHITE in a grammatical context?

I hope he was NOT saying that by using "proper" english, it means TALKING WHITE?

Perhaps Nader has not heard anyone from the "Larry The Cable Guy" demographic speak - They have an entire UNIQUE DICTIONARY to themselves.

There are millions of NON-WHITE people (including Blacks) who speak with PROPER GRAMMAR, because they know how to do so, and have ALWAYS spoken this way.

Nader needs to know that the "Huxatables" were not just a fictional TV family, but that they were a true representation of millions of families (white and non-white) in America and indeed the world.

Nader is obviously CLINGING to the negative stereotypes of NON-WHITE people which unfortunately, has been the side which the MSM and Hollywood have focused on for years.

OBAMA ISN'T TALKING WHITE ..........­....... OBAMA IS TALKING OBAMA.

[utd]

So he was not black enough. Then he was too black. Now he is too white to avoid being black at all. These people have to get over their own issues this is just getting silly.

I used to respect this guy. The second he started taking money from Republicans to run 8 years ago that was gone. If you are not smart enough to understand you are being used as a tool for your enemy and just embolden their cause, you need to leave politics. We have dealt with 8 years of GW and watched our country go in the crapper and this guy is at the heart of that. How he has the balls to even say he cares about America after doing that is beyond me, he needs to go back into a corner and hang his head in shame.

[spotchester]

Nader's trying to 'talk stupid'

Seriously, aged white men should stfu about race. Just stfu.

[jimmyjones22]

Why is it that if black people don't act like 50 cents or little kim they get accussed of acting white? Personally, I find it quite disgusting that for a black person to act educated is automatically "acting white." makes me wanna vomit, and I'm a white guy...so I could only imagine how black people feel about this kind of idiocy that occurs every say...

[PoliJunkie]

It bugs me as well, why can't we just sound American?

[diamondgirl9]

Your post is very insightful. I've have talked to white people,who look genuinely surprised that I can hold a conversation with them and can use words of more than one syllable,and can make a reasonable argument in a discussion between us. Some of them even say-you are very intelligent,as if that is a total surprise. It used to make me angry-now I just sigh and move on.

[amirct3]

I am a educated Afro Hispanic and I agree with you totally. I am constantly offened when people can't paint me with the "black brush" because I speak 3 languages, like to ski,surf, scuba dive and actually
understand political platforms and I'm not just voting because he's a " black" candidate. Oh and I was a policy debater for my college.

[NC2NJ]

THANK YOU!!!! THANK YOU!!!! You don't know how pissed I get when someone says this!! I have worked to hard to educated myself. Because I know how to conjugate a verb I am talking white? I am one of many black men in this country who care about education. The white people who do not speak the king's english are talking black? Thank you again my friend for understanding!!

[PAposter]

....it's intellectually overwhelming, jimmy, I've never understood it.

[Sabreen60]

What the hell is "talking white". That is offensive to every black person in this country. In other words blacks are not interested in the same issues that whites are interested in? Is this what this idiot is saying? White guilt? Black is beautiful. This guy has not left the 60's. He's using the same matra that we HAD to use during the civil rights era. He needs to go back wherever he was and stop the divisiveness tactics.

[ReardenMetal]

Does the phrase "Uncle Tom" ring a bell? It's a racist accusation, and Nader should be called on to publicly recant these demeaning remarks.

[amazinggrace]

WHO ? (*-*)

[luvobama]

Our future History books are going to have a field day. Can you imagine what kind of explaining us grandparents are going to have to do? Nader will be quoted making ignorant rants against another American, that have nothing to do with capability. Just race. Nicely done.

[ritz]

This is breathtaking. Honestly.

[Sabreen60]

You are of a dying breed. Thank God.