It looks like Ralph Nader will make a decision about whether to run or not next month: ["Nader to decide soon on possible presidential run"].
I will be honest and say that I hope Nader decides not to run. And I say this not for the reasons most people would think, that he cost Al Gore the presidency and all that other bogus crap. As Nader's New Hampshire coordinator in 2000, I know that what they are saying about what happened is not true. But I say that I hope he will not run because I sincerely think Nader needs to move on from seeking the presidency and let others take up the mantle.
Ideally, he is the perfect person to be president. He has shown through tireless work that he would be the greatest advocate for the American people. There is nothing Ralph Nader has not done and we owe him so much - from car safety, to food safety, to clean air and water - the list goes on and on. Unlike most politicians, Nader has actual ideas and proposals which will work. Despite all the claims by his enemies, he does not run because of his ego; he runs because he truly believes there can be a better America.
And although he is probably the best person to be president, he has already done enough for us. It is time for the American people to elevate themselves to do the job that Ralph Nader has already done and continue to pave the way for change. It is time for us to make the sacrifices. It is time for us to say that the time we spend improving the nation as a whole is better than the time we spend doing things for ourselves.
While Nader does not care about his legacy, as he politely stated in the new documentary, "An Unreasonable Man," when asked, some of us do care about his legacy. We want his legacy preserved and cherished. We want people to understand what this man has already done for America and how we could do and be so much more as a people.
So long as fools continue to denigrate the man, we will be unable to get to his message, and that is key. We don't want people to use the man as a scapegoat for bad Democrats who continue to assist in electing even worse Republicans. Nader, not unlike Jesus Christ, as a political and spiritual figure, has shown us the way. And we either need to take the reins ourselves and move our country forward or live with the government we have.
In some ways, the candidacies of former Rep. Cynthia McKinney and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg are very intriguing. McKinney, who is openly seeking the Green Party's support, will elevate the party nationally. She, like Nader, is a serious contender. Bloomberg has the money to actually throw himself into a rigged political system without all the instability of the Perot movement. It is such an interesting time to be living. And with these potential indies waiting to jump in, there probably is no room for Nader.
And we only have to look at last night's Democratic debate [admittedly, I only saw clips] to realize that the Democrats still don't get it. Poor John Edwards. He is the man who needs to lead the Democrats and he is caught in the wrong moment in time. The "frontrunners," yelling and screaming at each other, are a diversity nut's wet dream - a serious female and serious black candidate running for president. But, you know, the black candidate needs to get back to hoping and let the Clinton muck slide off him while the witch needs to control her friggin' husband.
Or, actually, don't do that. Scratch that. Continue what you're doing and by some hope of a miracle Edwards will win South Carolina and slide back into contention. Or, go ahead, continue what you are doing. Create the list of Republican talking points for the general election. What fools. Again, bad Democrats potentially electing very bad Republicans. It is so hard to watch. They both think and act like they are owed the nomination. It is so sad.
But back to Nader for a second. While it may seem like I am lecturing him, I don't mean to be. I'm not asking him to do anything that I have not done myself. My own move from part-time political activism into full-time journalism about eight years ago was a similar decision as the one Nader has to face [I've been working in media part- and full-time for more than 20 years but only as a full-time journalist in the last eight]. I was sick and tired of the lack of coverage for important stories in the news and decided that maybe I should try and get into the business and contribute instead of criticizing. Quite by accident, and with the help of others in the business, I became a pretty good community journalist. While I have no regrets on how I have lived my life, this is what I probably should have been all along. In all fairness to myself, if I had not done the previous political work I probably never would have stumbled into journalism. As many people saw, I was doing political journalism while being involved in politics. In many ways, it happened the way it was supposed to happen.
Maybe it is time for Nader to go back to the past and try and work how he used to work: Gathering together all kinds of young minds and molding them into a new generation of Nader's Raiders. Maybe those minds will have a political bent to them instead of an activist bent. Maybe there could be a whole new generation of potential Democratic or Green Party candidates with the principled, unwaivering, stalwart, granite persistence that is Ralph Nader. I know that I would love to cast a vote for that kind of American.
In the end, as I have written before, Ralph Nader will make his own decisions and he should be allowed to. I may even consider voting for him again. I don't know. I'll need to see who else is running. But whatever the case, what I truly hope is that he makes the right decision and not just for himself but also for the rest of us.
I will be honest and say that I hope Nader decides not to run. And I say this not for the reasons most people would think, that he cost Al Gore the presidency and all that other bogus crap. As Nader's New Hampshire coordinator in 2000, I know that what they are saying about what happened is not true. But I say that I hope he will not run because I sincerely think Nader needs to move on from seeking the presidency and let others take up the mantle.
Ideally, he is the perfect person to be president. He has shown through tireless work that he would be the greatest advocate for the American people. There is nothing Ralph Nader has not done and we owe him so much - from car safety, to food safety, to clean air and water - the list goes on and on. Unlike most politicians, Nader has actual ideas and proposals which will work. Despite all the claims by his enemies, he does not run because of his ego; he runs because he truly believes there can be a better America.
And although he is probably the best person to be president, he has already done enough for us. It is time for the American people to elevate themselves to do the job that Ralph Nader has already done and continue to pave the way for change. It is time for us to make the sacrifices. It is time for us to say that the time we spend improving the nation as a whole is better than the time we spend doing things for ourselves.
While Nader does not care about his legacy, as he politely stated in the new documentary, "An Unreasonable Man," when asked, some of us do care about his legacy. We want his legacy preserved and cherished. We want people to understand what this man has already done for America and how we could do and be so much more as a people.
So long as fools continue to denigrate the man, we will be unable to get to his message, and that is key. We don't want people to use the man as a scapegoat for bad Democrats who continue to assist in electing even worse Republicans. Nader, not unlike Jesus Christ, as a political and spiritual figure, has shown us the way. And we either need to take the reins ourselves and move our country forward or live with the government we have.
In some ways, the candidacies of former Rep. Cynthia McKinney and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg are very intriguing. McKinney, who is openly seeking the Green Party's support, will elevate the party nationally. She, like Nader, is a serious contender. Bloomberg has the money to actually throw himself into a rigged political system without all the instability of the Perot movement. It is such an interesting time to be living. And with these potential indies waiting to jump in, there probably is no room for Nader.
And we only have to look at last night's Democratic debate [admittedly, I only saw clips] to realize that the Democrats still don't get it. Poor John Edwards. He is the man who needs to lead the Democrats and he is caught in the wrong moment in time. The "frontrunners," yelling and screaming at each other, are a diversity nut's wet dream - a serious female and serious black candidate running for president. But, you know, the black candidate needs to get back to hoping and let the Clinton muck slide off him while the witch needs to control her friggin' husband.
Or, actually, don't do that. Scratch that. Continue what you're doing and by some hope of a miracle Edwards will win South Carolina and slide back into contention. Or, go ahead, continue what you are doing. Create the list of Republican talking points for the general election. What fools. Again, bad Democrats potentially electing very bad Republicans. It is so hard to watch. They both think and act like they are owed the nomination. It is so sad.
But back to Nader for a second. While it may seem like I am lecturing him, I don't mean to be. I'm not asking him to do anything that I have not done myself. My own move from part-time political activism into full-time journalism about eight years ago was a similar decision as the one Nader has to face [I've been working in media part- and full-time for more than 20 years but only as a full-time journalist in the last eight]. I was sick and tired of the lack of coverage for important stories in the news and decided that maybe I should try and get into the business and contribute instead of criticizing. Quite by accident, and with the help of others in the business, I became a pretty good community journalist. While I have no regrets on how I have lived my life, this is what I probably should have been all along. In all fairness to myself, if I had not done the previous political work I probably never would have stumbled into journalism. As many people saw, I was doing political journalism while being involved in politics. In many ways, it happened the way it was supposed to happen.
Maybe it is time for Nader to go back to the past and try and work how he used to work: Gathering together all kinds of young minds and molding them into a new generation of Nader's Raiders. Maybe those minds will have a political bent to them instead of an activist bent. Maybe there could be a whole new generation of potential Democratic or Green Party candidates with the principled, unwaivering, stalwart, granite persistence that is Ralph Nader. I know that I would love to cast a vote for that kind of American.
In the end, as I have written before, Ralph Nader will make his own decisions and he should be allowed to. I may even consider voting for him again. I don't know. I'll need to see who else is running. But whatever the case, what I truly hope is that he makes the right decision and not just for himself but also for the rest of us.
1 comment:
Cynthia McKinney?!?
I lived in Atlanta during her time in Congress, she was horrible. Her diva drama queen antics at Capitol Hill were the icing on the cake.
It was almost a year of horrible racist allegations and hatred that we didn't need. I'll say that she was one to get attention though, but I don't remember any of it being uplifting or positive.
I do not think she's very supportive of Americas greatness and what we do to help the world.
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