Nader, Unsafe at Any Speed, Says Obama Wants to "Talk White"

There's room for a progressive critique of the Democratic Party, but Ralph Nader isn't the one to fill it. Here are some Nader gems from an interview with the Rocky Mountain News:

"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?"

Let's deconstruct Nader's words here:

Obama's only "different" because he's black. His effect on young people and his stance on lobbyists don't matter. (Could there be a little jealousy here?) Geraldine Ferraro, we've found your soul mate.

If you have a darker skin tone, you're obligated to base your campaign on "race" issues. In Nader's world, payday loans and the health effects of inner city construction are the only issues an African American is allowed to emphasize. Downplay them and you're trying to act all toney or something.

If you don't emphasize these issues, you're trying to "talk white." Which, after all, is a white person's job.

That isn't to say there aren't legitimate progressive criticisms that could be levelled at any mainstream party candidate, Obama included. A progressive movement that applies constant pressure on the Democrats makes some sense. But Nader's presidential runs, especially the 2004 one, were never designed to build that movement. They were ego trips for Nader and little more.

What a sad career arc: From Lone Ranger to Lyndon LaRouche.

We should honor Nader's many career achievements -- some of which might not have been possible had he been a more "reasonable" person. But we need to thank him for his service, then stop paying any attention to him.

That's a shame, because he can still make some astute observations. Here's his overall take the Obama campaign:

"He knows exactly who has power, who has too much, who has too little, what needs to be done right down to the community level. But he has bought the advice that if you want to win the election, you better take it easy on the corporate abuses and do X, Y, Z. When I hear that I say, 'Oh, I see. So he's doing all this to win the election, and then he'll be different.'"

Not a bad summary, if you ask me. He and I draw different conclusions about whether that's a candidate we can support, which is fine. But Nader has a reckless tendency to inflict needless damage, in the mistake belief that what's good for Nader is good for the country. That was evident in 2004, and even more so now.

This is the perfect example: Nader's promoting the idea that any black candidate who doesn't sound like a 60's-era preacher must be trying to "talk white." That's damaging in a number of ways -- from reinforcing racial stereotypes to "ghettoizing" minority candidates around a limited set of issues.

More in sorrow than in anger, it's time to draw a discreet curtain around Ralph Nader's final act.

A Night Light
The Sentinel Effect: Healthcare Blog
RJ Eskow at the Huffington Post

Comments

[PublicAdvocate]

Ralph Nader appeared on George Stephanopolous show this morning and criticized John McCain for flip flopping on the issues. Ralph's poll numbers are climbing (now 10% in Michigan) so we can expect the Fall election to be a competitive 3 way (or perhaps 4 way with Bob Barr) race.

Given the odds, and Nader's integrity on the issues of fair taxes, protecting our Constitution, cancelling NAFTA and the WTO, no immunity for telecoms, public financing with no PAC money, $10 minimum wage, and completely pulling out of Iraq (Barack wants to leave 50-80,000 troops in) I think Nader will actually eclipe both McCain and Obama by Fall and has a very fair shot at winning. To view the clip go to: http://ABCNews.com

We should'nt forget that Bill Clinton won the presidency in 1992 with about 42% of the vote competing against Bush I and Perot. This might just be Nader's year. If so, our nation will be saved from endless war, repeated Constitutional violations, selling out jobs and workers to China and India, and fiscal mismanagement creating bankruptcy for our nation.

[terraprieto]

Ralph's FIFTH time is the charm, you think? You are quite a dreamer.

Obama is the most charismatic politician we've seen in years, and he has 1.5 million donors and several million volunteers. Obama is the grassroots candidate, not Ralph. I'll be surprised if Ralph tops 1% of the vote.

[PaxMundis]

First of all, the issues Nader mentions *are* important. I think it's unfortunate that he uses the phrase "acting white," but the point is that these issues (especially the exploitative nature of payday loans) are important to all Americans, as the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

Second of all, I want all the "Nader Helped Steal The Election" people to ask themselves one thing, and be honest: if things had gone differently, Joe Lieberman would be in the best position to run for the Dems right now. Would you really want that?

[Selbourne]

Since Ralph Nader has absolutely no chance of winning a presidential race or of getting more than 5% of the vote in any state, what is the point of voting for him. Even if you consider him the ideal candidate your vote achieves absolutely nothing positive. You might as well stay home and not vote. You would be just as effective, a zero.
There is a huge difference between an agitator or activist and a politician. To achieve anything, a politician must get elected. If therefore you want to achieve anything with your vote, you need to vote for a candidate with a chance of winnng. There are only two candidates with a chance of becoming the next president of the United States. A wise man would consider which of them comes closest to his ideal and vote for that candidate.

[mari2JJ]

Only thing, we know he is totally irrational and maybe even totally self absorbed. He and Bob Barr will siphon off approximately the same nmber of votes in their respective parties. In face, Bob Barr may even beat the Third time Around, Nader. But this time nader is totally delusional and he is running to agrandize himself. Poor thing used to be a great centered person. Wonder what ahppened to him, now?

[PigLipstick]

You"re a typical attack dog that has read a few opinion pieces given by people you agree with and joined the mob to burn the witch. Maybe if you would read some of Nader's speeches in full and stop listening to his detractors that take segments out of context, you could come to an informed opinion. Nader admits that he can't win but he makes the point that previous third party campaigns have raised issues (such as racial equality and women's voting rights) that changed the dynamic of those elections and thus forced the majority candidates to address those issues.

Nader is absolutely right about the Democrats, the current DNC Leadership and the Current congressional leadership is still fixated on the 2000 loss and they can't let it go. Their own incompetence lost Gore the election by trying to counter Republican attack issues rather than showcasing the party's platform for the next 8 years. They were so pleased with their performance in 2000 that they repeated it in 2002 and 2004. Obama is a smart guy but he is listening to the same incompetent so-called political advisors who seem to be motivated more by retaliation than intelligent campaign strategies.

If you think that what we have now for leadership is the best we can do, you better get ready for the next 8 years of Republican Authoritarian rule !

[ajgregoire]

"In the CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted June 4-5, Democrat Barack Obama had 47 percent, Republican John McCain had 43 percent, and Nader had 6 percent" - Boston.com

"Although third parties rarely win national elections, they can have an effect on them. Third parties can draw attention to issues that may be ignored by the majority parties. If the issue finds resonance with the voters, one or more of the major parties may adopt the issue into its own party platform. Also, a third party may be used by the voter to cast a protest vote as a form of referendum on an important issue. Third parties may also help voter turnout bringing more people to the polls. Third party candidates at the top of the ticket can help to draw attention to other party candidates down the ballot, helping them to win local or state office." - Wikipedia.org

[CokeOrPepsi2008]

"Obama's only "different" because he's black. "

Nader is saying Obama's exactly the same DLC package but with different marketing assets as Gore, Lieberman, Kerry and Clinton (both). Will this work this year - who knows?

"In Nader's world, payday loans and the health effects of inner city construction are the only issues an African American is allowed to emphasize."

Well, since Clinton (both), the DNC and DLC, Kerry, Gore and Lieberman never did, and Obama was a community organizer in Chicago, it's worth a mention, no?

"you're trying to "talk white."

Obama's gotten scads of money from white corporate lobbyists, CEOs and other interested parties - he is absolutely NO THREAT to insurance companies, nuclear operators, the Pentagon, defense contractors, agribusiness, banks, investment houses or hedge funds.

[staticnoise]

Predictable isn't? Every time Ralf Nader becomes the subject someone, claims Nader killed the doomed Corvair. In my experience few of the lemmings that say that never read the damn book. Ford had a better idea with the, Model T like like in simplicity with good looks, and that's what "killed" the Corvair.

Just as predictable is the cries that Nader lost the Democrats the election. Given the timidity of the Decratic candidates is what lost them the elections. Both Gore an Kerry caved, I like many other Democrats found that disappointing.

May be that Nader was speaking of how the voting public may see Obama, himself. Democrats have a vested interest in maintaining the one party system, of course they are going to attack any third party or independant candidates

[Alessan]

Nader is right, afterall why did Obama need John Edwards to ask him to carry on the cause of
Poverty in his administration. Obama played the race card and so did his campaign, the only
way he could win the nomination as a black man.

[terraprieto]

Ralph Nader: Another old white man trying to tell African Americans how they must think and behave.

Wow. I am appalled. I truly never thought Ralph would stoop this low.

I wonder if these comments will rebound to Obama"s benefit, if people who were on the fence react in disgust and become Obama supporters. Though that wouldn"t make me any less mad at Ralph.

Nader"s productive contributions were all long ago. I wish the press would cease covering this pathetic old has-been.

[emncaity]

Oh, yeah. Let's jump on him, and hop on that media bandwagon that does everything it can to marginalize him and anybody else who's not in one of the main parties.

Yeah, I'm just sure Nader is a racist. Just another "old white man." How disrepectful. What have _you_ ever done for the country, bub? Do you have any freaking clue what a difference Nader has made in the lives of the average citizen in this country, and how brilliant a guy he is? More than Obama's done. More than any of the candidates. More than all of them put together. You could make a case that no living American has positively affected the average citizen's daily life as much as this guy.

Dems just need to get over their little titty-baby fit about Nader. They lost the last two elections because they have no clue how to campaign; they've let themselves get pictured as the party of national non-security and financial irresponsibility, when it's simply not true; they've developed a reactionary contempt when it comes to much of blue-collar and rural America, where they used to be strongest. They've let Republicans run all over them, sell their "family values" snake oil to the masses, and been asleep at the wheel.

I mean, if you can't win the '04 election...come ON. Yes, it's partly the fault of an ignorant and lazy electorate. But you have to win elections anyway.

[terraprieto]

I strongly disagree -- Nader's accomplishments are nil.

Any good he did in the 60s and 70s has been completely overturned by the negative effects of his egotistical presidential runs (5 and counting). Eight years of Dubya has set back environmental and consumer protections so much that it's as if Nader never did anything productive.

[emncaity]

Dems can keep pursuing this myth of how Nader cost them elections. He certainly did not. And he's the only candidate other than Kucinich who's telling the unvarnished truth about the corporate stranglehold on the country. He also was mostly on-target with these comments about Obama, a candidate I personally like a lot and will vote for, but who really is a too overinvolved in the status quo. I realize he's negotiating a mine field trying to get elected, but that means we're going to end up with one of two possibilities: He's going to be one of those half-change, half-status-quo, quasi-Republican Dems like Clinton (yes, much better than we have now...but wouldn't anybody be?), or he's going to have to make a near-180-degree turn and actually do some things that make sense but that will make him seem as if he misled fence-sitting voters.

Either way, Nader's going to be right. Now isn't he?

[terraprieto]

The question is not if Ralph is right or wrong, it is whether he is acting in a productive or destructive manner.

For Ralph to pretend to run for president, over and over again, is pathetic and couter-productive.

He won't even be on the ballot in most states. Where he is on the ballot, he will split votes with Cynthia McKinney, the Green candidate, likely leading to loss of ballot status for the Greens in some states. How exactly is that progress for the Left? And why is Ralph now setting out to ruin the Green Party, when he was formerly their standard-bearer?

First Ralph builds institutions, then he destroys them. THAT is Ralph's legacy.

[kurd]

I kinna feel sorry for the old fella. He doesn't seem very coherent.

[wrabbitt]

The funny thing about this is i had a 1964 White Corvair. thanks Ralph, you killed a great car.

[LookingGlass]

Wow, I can see by these blogs that a lot of you have bought into "The New World Order" and just want to SHUT NADER UP!

Since when did Democrats want to shut down debate, especially when it concerned questioning our country's leadership. That is a far more common Republican trait. Of course the Washington establishment would like YOU ALL to JUST SHUT UP, not just Ralph, and do what they say.

Looks like more than half of you are already there.

[thevoicereason]

HuffPost's Pick

When you start to actually threaten the status quo, and your words actually speak truth to power, many forces will align against you to undermine your message. They marginalize the messenger's speech by marginalizing the messenger.

Misconceptions:

He is arrogant. We are talking about a man who has spent his entire life fighting corporate interests on behalf of the people, for little or no pay. Every citizen oriented political action group that is trying to keep your electric bills low, stop pollution, slow runaway development, etc... was founded by this man. He is not humble. He is a fighter. Humble meek people are trampled in Washington.

He cost the "progressives" an election. We supposedly have a democracy where people are permitted to run for office. It isn't a democracy when people are expected to capitulate to the opposing parties, for the so-called good of the nation. Those voices, if you are assuming they would have voted Dem, have still not been heard or addressed.

He runs for president because he wants to be a spoiler. He runs because every year, his issues are neglected. If a candidate arises, who aligns with Nader's progressive stance, he won't run.

He is a kook or the myriad of names we like to call people who speak truth to power. When the media gangs up on someone and calls them "nuts," I don't know about you but my ears perk up. This person must be saying something.

[jcmoore99]

Here here!!!
Nader is saying and doing the right things. We are watching how a collection of people respond to a very accurate, salient, and progressive approach when it is delivered by someone other than who they have decided is a "leader". Nader is currently demonstrating for us that we have a collective psychological weakness in which the best sense can be made to sound like nonsense. It's a great time to be alive.

Why do some of you want him to just "go away" when you fully know that he is the only candidate that actually speaks for you? Why don't you send him $100 instead and make a difference?

[TERRYKEITH4]

Yes, but why is it he only comes out at election times?

[PigLipstick]

They would rather spend their money on gasoline that the Democrat Congress stood by and watched triple in price because they are afraid of George Bush ! I wonder how they can make it up the steps of the capital without a backbone ?

[snarkopolitan]

HuffPost's Pick

Ralph Nader's bettered the lives of more ordinary people than many holders of national office. He has been a treasure. At the same time, I have to take issue with some of your arguments:

Arrogance.:Whether or not he does what he does for pay has nothing to do with whether he is arrogant: the question for me is, whether his idealism blinds him to information and skews his perspective. It's a question for all of us, really. Are we hewing to principle or just rigid?

It's within every citizen's right to run, not just the two parties. But exercising one's right can affect events for the worse or better. Had Ross Perot not pulled votes from Bush Sr, would Bill Clinton have been elected? Nader refuses to admit even the possibility that he pulled votes from Gore. It would be painful to allow in the idea, because the ramifations are awful.

The unheard-from: Nader slammed Obama for not addressing the inner city, but using racial terms. The poorest and most vulnerable are not just black. Does Nader's presidential run benefit these people? Are their concerns being best communicated this way?

Had Nader run for an office he might win and translated his grass-roots following into candidates working at the local level, he might have effected real change, but I feel he is locked into a strategy that doesn't work except to justify himself as a martyr. I think that is his great flaw.

[PigLipstick]

I heard those negative opinions of Ralph from his former raiders in the Documentary; "Ralph Nader; An Unreasonable Man". All those young progressives that passionately believed in his causes and later sold him down the river for their 30 pieces of gold. Nothing new here, I knew many dedicated liberals/progressives fighting for worthy causes in the 60s that later sold out to become comfortable and complacent. However, that doesn't give them the right to cast aspersions on Ralph's character when he has committed his life to his beliefs and they have sold out their own beliefs to be comfortable.

Anyone who gets on the public stage is motivated, to one degree or another, to promote their own agenda, Mr. Smith hasn't been to Washington in over 60 years. Arrogant, self-serving, and a Martyr, I don't think so. Maybe a little naive, but we all wish we could return to that period of our life when we believed our causes were right and just !

[Marrigan]

Nader is responsible for the demise of the Corvair and VW bugs, so I haven't had any use for him for decades.

[cautionbug]

You mean the magical exploding car and the tin can with front-wheel-drive with all it's weight in the ass end? Gee, it's such a shame and a loss to the automotive world that nothing before or since was ever better than those cars.

[cagevice]

Ralph,
Now why are you doing trying to obfuscate the truth, trying to talk like you're white (of English, Irish, Italian descent, are you? Try Lebanese. What are you ashamed of being an Arab? Are you scared that you'll alienate a portion of your 1% of your potential voting bloc?)
And what was your parents native language that you have spoken as a child? Why, I can't detect that Arabic accent at all! Give us a little of that Arabic.

"He has spoken Arabic since he was a child." http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/special/president/candidates/nader.html

So, how do you say "hypocrisy" in Arabic?

[LookingGlass]

He's probably as ashamed of being an Arab American Christian as you are of being a European American Jew.

[cagevice]

Wow, aren't you ridiculously presumptuous that I'm Jewish! What is the world made you assume such a thing. Unbelievable. That goes to show that you draw fallacious conclusions & have your own idiotic prejudices, ready to lash out without KNOWING the facts. Seems like you missed my point that about both his & Obama's families cultural assimilation. And you know what? Obama's lineage of generations of being an American is longer that Nader's. No, Nader SHOULDN'T be ashamed of exclaiming who he is as should no one else, but isn't it funny how he's ready to bring up Obama not being "authentically black" saying that he's "talking white" when he's not any more authentically Lebanese than Obama is Kenyan. AND NADER IS FULL LEBANESE!

[tbone99]

You write Nader is wrong to suggest" If you have a darker skin tone, you're obligated to base your campaign on "race" issues."

I'll tell you why Obama has a special duty to to deal with poverty and the legacy of racism.BECAUSE HE'S GETTING MORE THAN 90% OF THEIR VOTE-THAT"S WHY! His surrogates used charges of racism to unite the black community politically behind him, now he can't return to race neutral as if it never happened.

Voters expect solutions for their problems , thats why there are elections.The same reason many progressive people are disappointed in his turn to the right- because he's campaigned as the candidate of hope but is letting us off in the town of hopelessness..

Yet B.O didn't offer the African American voters anything AND called blacks angry about the injustice of America crazy and living in the past with distorted views,.

If thats not talking white -I don't know what is.And yet the Black community is so desperate in these days of increasing resegregation and economic hardship ,they will settle for a symbol, instead of real commitment to improve their lives.Looks like with FISA we've all been had...He'll soon be telemonitering any crazy old uncles who might decide to blow his masquerade.

[yhgtup]

Oh! I get it! Just because Barack is black, he is OBLIGATED to focus on black issues. None of the white Democratic presidential candidates in the past have been held to such standards. Why Barack?? Because he's black?? Barack Obama is a candidate for ALL the people! Black people have elected white Democrats & white Republicans to political office with them never having addressed "payday loans" or inner-city problems, which Barack has indeed addressed! Why does Barack have to explicitly focus on black issues, any more than other politicians?? I'm a 55-year-old black woman --- and the double standards placed on Barack are unfair --- especially coming from other "so-called" blacks!! Believe me, he can't do any worse than what we've had in the past.

[TERRYKEITH4]

Uh huh... You're right. Plus most Obama supporters are not Black, and many of them are in fact White. Everybody has moved on, but Nader is still in the 60's. Obama is the candidate of the people and not just one group. It's OK for Whites and Blacks to vote for a White candidate, but now that Barrack Obama (a nonwhite) is the candidate sudenly race becomes an issue. And it's not Black people doing the interjecting either.
I am a Black female and I never understood what talking or acting White meant. I'm glad we're taking a look at it now. I've heard Black people say that, but it was always someone with low self esteem, an under achiever.... A person without a dream.
Now Nader says it about Barrack Obama who was reared by White people who taught him how important eduction is. Smells racist to me. I also understand Obama's position on the FISA thing. Why let a nonissue linger around wasting time and tax payers money when corrupt people in the government are going to do what they want anyway turning the constitution into a roll of TP anyway. Obama is no dummy and certainly not a "trick". Bill Clinton already has that sewn up.

[tbone99]

.Obama ran as a Dem , which means , in general alleviating the gap between the haves and have nots, addressing injustice and keeping things well, democratic. These are all concerns of the black community because more than likely they are on the wrong end of injustice, economic opportunities and their minority staus decreases the chances of their concerns being heard and considered at all.

And a candidate who gets 90% of a communitiy's vote does have an obligation to them, no matter what that candidates color. But Obama has taken advantage of his own color to offer them absolutely nothing, unless you want to count reflected glory

[tbone99]

I don't think Nader is referring to the WAY Obama speaks - its the lack of commitment and the vague generalities, instead of focusing on ending the exploitive practices used by corporations against the poor, that keep them poor. Its things like Obama voting against holding interests rates to 30% and less.Its Obama's backing of CAFA which majorly obstructs lawsuits by the consumer against corporations.I

The only reason this is even considered a "black" issue is that 20 % percent of the black community lives in poverty, compared to 8% of whites. And 90% of the African American community turned out for Obama.

[Johnz52]

The Obamamites doth protest too much at Nader's words. Obama is no different from any other hack politician sitting on a fence seeing how the prevailing political wind blows. As soon as Barack racked up enough delegates to secure the Democrat nomination he ditched the Progressives who initially supported him and took a sharp turn to the right, especially when it came to Israel and the Middle East. Where was Obama the last three weeks while thousands in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri lost their homes? Obama speaks with a forked tongue on affirmative action and illegal immigration. The only change that may occure this November is a white guy being exchange for a half black guy in the 1600 Penn Ave. lottery. As far as hope is concerned, forget it, it's a four letter word. Suit up and get ready for the next big bang in Iran. Gore Vidal is right, America has only one political party, the Property Party. The Democrats and Republicans are merely the two wings of that party.