In Nader’s first presidential campaign in 1996, he infamously said “I don’t do gonadal politics” in response to a question about the Green Party’s support for gay marriage. Nader wanted to center his messaging on corporate power and economic class issues. But the backlash to that statement made him quickly realize he could not dismiss social issues and he began taking progressive stands on them, including supporting gay marriage and abortion rights.
Solnit’s slight of Nader is may be an oblique reference to this 1996 gaffe. And, since she references 2000 and reproductive rights, Solnit could be also recalling a concerted campaign against by leaders of NOW against Nader late in that year’s campaign. It was disingenuous because Nader that had been clear in supporting abortion rights and had endorsed NOW’s platform months before. Democrats who continue to this day bashing Nader in diatribes against all Green “spoiler” candidates would get these references. — Howie Hawkins > Rebecca Solnit: > I’d argue that because of its intersectional understanding of both problems > and solutions, this left is more radical—radically inclusive, radically > egalitarian—than those who treat race and gender as irrelevancies or > distractions (including the men, from Ralph Nader in 2000 on, who’ve been > dismissive of reproductive rights as an essential economic justice as well as > rights issue). Perhaps it’s seen as less radical because bellicosity is often > viewed as the measure of one’s radicalness. > Mark Baugher: I'm clueless about this. In 2000, Nader's running mate was > Winona La Duke, an indigenous woman who strongly supports reproduction > rights. In 2004, it was Peter Camejo, a man who strongly supported > reproductive rights from a socialist perspective. What am I missing? -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#29286): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/29286 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/104750353/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
