Guess Who's Back
Just as Edwards ducks out, Ralph Nader appears ready to duck in. (Hard to see it as a coincidence when Nader had endorsed Edwards last month.) He launched an exploratory committee today with this call to arms:
Maybe the Democrats and Republicans will nominate Presidential candidates this year who will stand up against the war profiteers, the nuclear industry, the credit card industry, the corporate criminals, big oil, and the drug and health insurance industries.
We doubt it.
The site then proposes an offer. You give Nader $300, he'll give you "two DVD’s—Sicko and Unreasonable Man—and three books destined to become classics—Free Lunch, Gotcha Capitalism, and All The Shah’s Men." It's that simple!
The prospect of another Nader candidacy should surprise no one. (He ran again in 2004, after all.) But it's hard to see him taking a significant bite out of the Democratic vote this time around. In 2000, many Dems, disaffected with the Clinton White House, wanted to try a third way. In 2004, Kerry was so uninspiring that a Ficus tree could have launched a viable third party candidacy. But this year, Democrats are generally pleased with their options.
If Nader wants to put a dent in this election, he'll have to throw in more than a few DVDs. Maybe a Prius.
Unfortunately, Nader at this point has lost his zazz. Last cycle, he was literally begged on bended knee not to enter the race. This round I doubt anyone will even notice especially with far more interesting candidates on the ballot. His significance in 2000 was only made possible by by the horrible menu offered by both the Republicans and the Democrats that year. He needs to find a protégé.
As for the PBS pledge drive campaign, "join the movement, own the message" GENIUS! Look for that to be imitated in the future. This could be Nader's greatest legacy.
posted by thetoledowire_com on Jan 31, 2008 at 08:49:19 am #