Few people have the progressive credentials of Ralph Nader. With a public life dedicated to advocacy for the weak against the powerful one would think at this point in his life Nader would be a progressive paragon beyond reproach. His work which in part has brought about the formation of the EPA, OSHA, and Public Citizen has shown the power of the people when they band together to fight for what is right. Sound familiar bloggers? Yet this man is one of the most demonized figures of the Democratic Party especially here on DailyKos.
Nader's much vaunted "Nader Raiders" and their work has inspired reform in almost every area near and dear to a progressive's heart. When discussing Nader however there is but one issue democrats discuss. The 2000 election it seems for many can wipe away all the progress he championed. All the lives he saved. All the good fights he fought with or without help from democrats. Everything fades away in a sea of accusations about Nader "spoiling" an election in which he got 2.7% of the vote and an election where significant fraud and suppression abounded on the republican side. This is where many independent minded progressives that value action over slogans part ways with democrats. While many champion Gore's platform in 2000 as proof that he wasn't like Bush they are hard pressed to find action to back up that platform during his 8 years in the White House as the number two man in america.
When it comes to Nader action is what is important. Can Al Gore or any democrat challenge his record of action? The man has started non-profit organizations to act as watchdogs on just about every bowel of power in washington and the corporate world. While Democrats and Republicans alike during the Clinton years decided to reform welfare for the common people because apparently they had it too easy they were also supporting all kinds of corporate welfare and write-offs without batting an eye. I think it can it be argued that without the work of Nader and those he inspired we might not have a Safe Drinking Water Act, Freedom of Information Act, and OSHA?
Nader was a trailblazer in consumer advocacy and non-profit watchdogs that keep the powerful in check and on their toes. But to talk to some democrats you'd think Nader was in the same league as Karl Rove, George Bush, and Joe Lieberman (their VP candidate in 00). How can this be? Let's look at a few of the myths aka gripes of the democrats.
Myth 1: Nader cost Gore the election!
We've been over, under, and through this one enough times. If Bush's fraud and 250K dems voting for Bush in FL is not enough to convince you I don't know what is. It was never Nader's job to get Gore/Lieberman elected. Nader was trying to get the Greens the 5% nationally to qualify for federal funds. See Nader was on a crusade to install a third party that could be a viable option to americans.
But let's cast this one aside for the moment and look at the second myth which is tied to the first and the real crux of the argument.
Myth 2: Nader is to blame for the Bush years!
This one is a laugh. When George Bush was coronated...or inagurated the democrats were 50/50 in the Senate. This party that claimed they were nothing like the republicans could easily clog up any disgusting policy spewing from a president who had about as much political capital as Jimmy Swaggert. They would soon have Jim Jeffords even swing them the majority by going independent. He was hailed by some dems...and I'd like to know if they are the ones bashing Joe Lieberman or that liar Richard Shelby in AL that jumped to the republican party after being elected as a democrat. But I digress...
The argument here is that we wouldn't have Bush's disasterous tax cuts, the Patriot Act, the Iraq War, No Child Left Behind, etc if it weren't for Nader mucking up the election. Even if nothing will convince you that Nader didn't spoil the election you still have to back away from the implications of that argument. The Democratic Party was an absentee opposition. The Democrats that Nader warned were swaying from their principles for political expediency did just that. They were complicit in not stopping the tax cuts. They helped engineer No Child Left Behind. They were fully supportive of the Patriot Act. And in the most shameful moment of the last 30 years the Democrats said absolutely nothing and voted overwhelmingly to offer Bush a blank check to do whatever he wished in Iraq.
Keep in mind that Nader opposed all of this policy. Nader like Gore was way ahead of the democrats in congress. How is Nader to blame for the democrats disappearing? The democrats are just as much to blame for the Patriot Act as Bush. Democrats are just as much to blame for the war they refused to oppose. Democrats are just as much to blame for No Child Left Behind. Those are the fault of Nader. To blame Nader for Bush's mistakes that Democrats supported or were to cowardly to oppose is just more scapegoating.
Myth 3: Nader is an egotist!
Oh really? Nader ran because of his ego? Knowing he was going to lose soundly, be ignored, and even loathed for the run and yet you think he ran to make himself feel better? The more accurate accusation would be that Ralph is a masochist. If he were an ego-driven politician Ralph would've walked into the welcoming arms of the democrats and campaigned for candidates that he really didn't believe in. The democrats would have championed his record of real action and progress and called him a foundation of the movement that he really is. They would've stroked his ego while filling his bank account. He refused.
It is so odd for me to see people hate Ralph Nader. People that claim to be progressives loathing one of the most active progressives in the past 40 years is surreal. No one has done more at the grass roots level to impower people, hold big business to account, and protect the interests of the consumer. To hate him because Al Gore couldn't beat an inexperienced bumbling George Bush is insane. To further blame him for the lack of democratic opposition to his policy is insulting. It is time for the democrats to embrace people like Nader. To grab ahold of his respect for the masses and suspicion of the privileged. It is time to take to heart his priority of action over hollow words and platform planks.
These Nader Haters either have to pony up their progressive action records or step aside while real americans fight to take this country back. If you can't respect a record like his just because he isn't in your playhouse it is time for you to look in the mirror and find out if you are more interested in your party's success rather than the country's.