Nader: The Lone Ranger of righteousness

The Lone Ranger of righteousness
Nader campaign threatens anti-Bush consensus


It's my right to run.
This is Ralph Nader's core case in announcing his 2004 presidential candidacy. Yes, Nader has a legal right to do this. He also has a legal right to donate $100,000 to the Republican Party and become a Bush Pioneer. That doesn't make it a good idea.

So much of Nader's career has been built on reminding us of our common ties. It's not ok, he's argued, for companies to make unsafe cars, pollute our air, or pillage shared resources. Actions have consequences, he's pointed out with persistence and eloquence.

Now, he's taking the opposite tack, fixating on his own absolute right to do whatever he chooses, while branding those who've argued against his running as contemptuous censors, who "want to block the American people from having more choices and voices." This argument would seem familiar coming from an Exxon executive. Coming from Ralph Nader, it marks a fundamental shift from an ethic of responsibility to one of damn the consequences, no matter how much populist precedent he tries to dress it up with. No wonder participants in right-wing websites, like FreeRepublic.org, have salivated over Nader's candidacy and suggested their members email him in encouragement.

~snip~

Assuming the admittedly flawed John Kerry becomes the Democratic nominee, we don't have to support him blindly. As we work to challenge's Bush's lies and to reach out to our fellow citizens, we can build autonomous community. We can connect with coworkers and neighbors, work to unite historically separated progressive movements, keep raising core issues no matter who's elected in November. We don't have to be true believers. But we're faced with as critical a choice and challenge as we've experienced in our lifetime. It's too bad that by prizing his own righteousness over the risks of his actions, Ralph Nader has just made that challenge a little bit harder.

more: http://www.workingforchange.com/article.cfm?ItemID=16474

When I saw the words 'Nader running for President' and 'donate $100,000 to the Republican Party' in the same paragraph.