This is a piece related to Ralph Nader's recent appearance on Democracy Now and the closed minds of some who claim to be 'democratic.'
An Open Letter to Diarists of The Daily Kos
A few weeks back, I posted a diary in which I said that I was particularly disappointed a few years back when Randi Rhodes viciously tore into Ralph Nader when he was a ‘guest’ on her program on Air America. I brought this up because it was one of the most glaring examples, that first came to mind, of the self-defeating, public brawls on the Left of the political spectrum. And boy was I surprised, and again saddened, at some of the responses I got to my diary. One respondent in particular had all the subtlety and finesse of an Ann Coulter, "take this shit somewhere else," & "my point is that Ralph Nader doesn’t share the principles of this site. This guy (referring to me) is a Republican stooge---a guy who helps those who have no regard for the rights of the rest of us." Seems this gal is the self-appointed censor & gate-keeper of The Daily Kos. She goes on to say that The Daily Kos is a democratic site & its purpose is to support democrats. So, if I criticize democrats or mention Ralph Nader’s name, I’m working for the ‘other side,’ in her opinion. Doesn’t sound very democratic to me. What are the ‘principles’ of this site? Only speak if you agree with the majority? Tow the party line? Seems to me that this gal has tunnel-vision and is the one who doesn’t have any regard for the rights of the rest of us. She goes on to say that Nader is a multi-millionaire who owns stock in the very corporations he purports to criticize. And for her proof she lists the website www.realchange.org. I checked it out and there are 5 ‘sources’ for these accusations. One of which is from The New Republic, hmm? I’ll have to check out these ‘sources’ in more depth, but for now I felt it was important to highlight this example of self-defeating behavior. And, I too, am guilty of giving into my basic instincts & responding to her in a childish & vulgar manner.
I opened this can of worms once again because a few days ago, Nader was the guest for the hour on Democracy Now & I couldn’t help but wonder if my antagonist, now felt that Amy Goodman was also working for the Republicans? Whatever happened to ‘civil discourse,’ where people pose their arguments in a civilized and respectful manner & argue the issues? It seems that ad hominem attacks have become the order of the day? Whatever happened to the Free Marketplace of Ideas?
Ralph Nader pointed out on his recent appearance on Democracy Now that whenever he asks the Democratic presidential candidates how their campaigns are going, the first thing they say is how many millions they’ve raised. And to raise these absurd & obscene amounts of money to ‘run for office’ is, in my opinion, an exercise in futility. I know some of you will argue that this is just the way it is. But I am reminded of that old Bruce Hornesby song That’s Just the Way It Is & his lyric, "but don’t you believe it." And I don’t believe it or accept it. I say we’ve got nothing to lose but our chains---can’t remember who said that? What’s it going to take before we rise up and say "I’m as mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore?" (from the movie, Network)
The best & the brightest on the Left (Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, Gore Vidal, Michael Parenti, Jim Hightower, Molly Ivins, etc.) all agree that the transnational corporations are the key issue and must be reined-in if we are to save our planet or have a semblance of a sustainable future. As long as the democrats remain corporate whores, I say they don’t deserve any more respect than the Republican reptiles. Instead, the ‘common wisdom’ on the Left is to ignore inconvenient facts like Clinton’s signing NAFTA which is destroying the working class or his passing of the Telecommunications bill which has allowed even more media concentration & given Rupert Murdoch even more power to shape people’s opinions. Or Carter’s support for the Death Squads of Central America and etc. I believe Carter’s concern for human rights was all a sham and he’s been doing atonement for his sins ever since he left the presidency. But we’re suppose to blindly follow whoever our ‘democratic’ presidential frontrunner is, like lemmings, right over the cliff to our destruction. They tried to send me to Vietnam but I listened to my gut instinct and refused to go. And now I see it happening all over again & the innocent and misguided soldiers paying with their lives and their souls for the rich, cowards’ further war profiteering. Our illustrious Democratic ‘representatives’ rolled-over and allowed it to happen all over again. And you tell me I must be silent? I say hell no? I won’t remind silent. As someone said, "if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything."
The only thing that the democrats or the republicans respect is power and it’s high time all the poor, the working class, the middle class, etc. all stand up on our hind legs and roar. I say shut down the government and start from scratch. "What country before ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? ...The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure." (Thomas Jefferson, democrat) The longer we wait and play nice, the more the fascists, totalitarians, & theocrats consolidate their control over us.
I believe to the marrow of my bones that Noam Chomsky is our greatest national treasure & that he sincerely cares about the welfare of all humanity. Every so-called progressive, liberal, or democrat should study Chomsky’s work because he gives us the most thorough blueprint for what we need to do. I caught the tail-end of a lecture of his recently & thought I was hearing things because I believe he said something to the effect that he rarely votes. This struck me like a bolt of lightning because I felt it ran so contrary to the bulk of his work. But a few days ago, I was reading a short book of Chomsky’s called Secrets, Lies And Democracy and I believe I understand why he said what he did regarding voting? He basically said that voting every four years gives the public the illusion that they have a say-so in the political process but doesn’t fundamentally change anything. He goes on to say that nonetheless we shouldn’t stop voting because at least it sends a message but there are many more things we need to do if we are to effect real change. Chomsky argues that we need to concentrate on institutional changes. In short, we need to stop the corporate behemoths. I am taking great liberties here in my paraphrasing of Chomsky but believe I’m reflecting the essence of his thought?
In conclusion, I defend Nader because of his consistent battle against the corporate robber barons & see this as the core issue around which we all need to unite. I’m not saying that Nader is a saint but he has done a helluva lot of good over the course of his lifetime for all of us who aren’t rich. If we don’t unite on a core of basic issues & values like the corporate cockroaches on the Right, and if criticizing democratic charlatans, is considered blasphemy by supposed democrats, liberals, & progressives, then we don’t stand a chance in Hell!
---Rob DeLoss, July 11, 2007