Progressives Owe Nader Thanks, Not Scorn

By Scott Cavanagh
Since his recent announcement that he would run—for a third time—for president, legendary consumer advocate Ralph Nader has taken quite a pounding from most everybody on the left. Although I do concede (despite Nader’s arguments to the contrary) that his 2000 campaign cost Al Gore Florida and that his legacy as the champion of consumers and regular citizens everywhere has been somewhat tarnished by his now annual quest for an unattainable political prize, I take issue with those that ignore the Democrats’ own shortcomings in the 2000 race and belittle the accomplishments of someone I consider a personal hero—painting him as some has-been ambulance chaser desperate for the spotlight.

Unfortunately, 2000 has scarred him forever, but it would not have been so had the shortsighted Democrats embraced his progressive ideas and listened to him during the early parts of that election season. Instead, Gore screwed himself by ignoring Nader's progressive message and ignoring and not utilizing Bill Clinton-- moves that played right into the GOP's hands. Now Barack Obama has not found time to meet with Nader for even one hour, despite Ralph’s repeated requests for just a few moments to discuss issues facing consumers today in the age of unprecedented corporate greed and avarice—requests that began over a year ago.

While I agree that he has developed a huge ego over the years, I have to reiterate that Ralph Nader has not just done some good for some people--He IS THE REASON we have seat belts and air bags in our cars, safety caps on our RX bottles and safe toys for our children. Ralph has started, or had a hand in starting or assisting, virtually every grass roots political action organization in the country. I've worked for two in my lifetime--Citizen's Action and Consumer Awareness Group-- and never even knew he was affiliated with either of them until much later, when I found out he had founded and helped fund both.

This is a great man—a man that has done more for everyday Americans than the past seven presidents combined, and to disrespect him is shameful. Do we want another Republican in the White House? Certainly not, but is Ralph not correct when he says that the Democrats have virtually BECOME Republicans over the past 30 years? Is he not correct that the Dems' decision to abandon all of their core values in favor of becoming "Republican Light" has eroded and destroyed our base so badly that now the Republicans can just treat "liberal" as a dirty word and get away with it? Are all of us not in simple agreement with Ralph that when politicians talk about Social Security solvency and what we must sacrifice in benefits or higher premiums to protect it, they do so knowing that the entire system could easily be made secure by just cutting loopholes that let American companies set up post office boxes in foreign countries to avoid paying billions in taxes?

Both Republicans and Democrats let charades like these go on and on. Ralph's administration would end them immediately, because he would call Congress out on them every day. Every single day he would use that bully pulpit to fight for us. Is that what Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer have been doing for the past two years? Is that the party we deserve? We deserve better and he knows it. Would Ralph Nader have supported NAFTA, or GATT, or the Bankruptcy Bill, or the Patriot Act, amnesty for Big Brother or anything to do with war in Iraq? Of course not. He's Ralph Nader. He's not for sale--thank God.
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