Counterpunch October 30 / 31, 2004 A Question of Character What Makes Ralph Nader Tick?
By GREG BATES
All strategy issues aside, should anyone really vote for Ralph Nader, the man? Hardly a day goes by when the guy isn't accused of lying, accepting support from Republicans, or worse. And those accusations come not only from his opponents but from people on the left we are accustomed to trusting. I and others have addressed many of these attacks. But one is worth careful scrutiny. Many pundits have diagnosed in Ralph Nader what they see as a debilitating character flaw-a flaw that all by itself should disqualify him from the race. As they see it, Nader is a true "megalomaniac," a "Lone Ranger for Righteousness," a self-centered man with a "tin ear" motivated by "pure egotism." Or, as Calvin Trillin so thoughtfully summed it up in The Nation, a "creep." By reducing Nader to these terms, they seek to disqualify him as candidate worthy of our vote.
Ironically, this election is all about ego, but not Ralph Nader's. Remember Howard Dean, impaled by the media and the Democratic Party on his own ego quirkiness? Now we are essentially down to three guys. One struts across the deck of an aircraft carrier in a borrowed flight suit to remind us that the war in Iraq is really a "mission accomplished." Another has some differences from the first but does everything he can to minimize them, while he runs around as the white knight proclaiming he will save the country from Big Bad Bush.
And then we have Ralph Nader, running on little support, addressing important issues about the Bush administration that Kerry is unwilling to confront (like the need to end the war, not "win the peace"), taking a stand for what he and many others believe is the right direction for the country. And all the while, he endures the scorn of his former allies when, at 70, he could have called it a day.
So who, really, is on an ego trip? Not the jump suit. Not the white knight shadowing the president. According to the left press, it's the guy who built this brilliantly effective group of organizations and has now lost his legacy on the stupidest strategy to garner accolades ever devised.
Evidence that Nader is on an ego trip rests on three theories. First, since we know he can't win, it must be his misguided ego that's got him running. Second, he's alienated his Green Party base by running as an independent and damaged his own legacy by showing callous disregard for the impact of such a run. Third, he ignores even his closest allies who counsel him not to run. So many supporters of yore plead "not this time." And he may have received more public counsel about the dangers of his running to the future of the country than anyone in history. Shunning it all, Nader forges ahead.
Isn't that the very definition of arrogance?
But a look behind this "blindingly obvious" conclusion suggests there is more to it. The first reason is bogus. If we can't find an easy explanation for his campaign, look harder. Don't blame it on his ego. None of the important political reporters we depend on for so much of our understanding of politics has put serious effort into analyzing Nader's candidacy. We see cheap jabs over substance.
full: http://www.counterpunch.org/bates10302004.html
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