When Nader said the nation needed a choice in 2000, you could see his point. Al Gore and George Bush shared more beliefs than Democrats and Republicans should.
Thus, it made sense for Nader to raise new issues and run on his principles. Little did we know the damage his candidacy would cause eight years ago.
It’s not fair to say each vote he received was destined to go blue. But polls showed the vast majority of Nader’s supporters liked Gore’s values better than Bush’s.
Nader received 97,421 votes in Florida, a state that finally gave Bush the nod - and the presidency - by 537 chad-hung ballots. If .6 percent had gone for Gore, imagine how things would be different today?
Bush might be looking for another baseball team to wreck. And Gore would never have earned a Nobel Prize for his work on global warming.
Nader’s sun had set by 2004. His sad attempt at relevance netted just .4 percent of the unpopular vote and wasn’t a factor in John Kerry’s swift trip to trivia.
Just when we thought he was ready to become an elder whiner, an Andy Rooney without a sense of humor, Nader dropped a turd in the punchbowl Sunday and said he would run again.
Barack Obama shouldn’t be bothered. But if Nader is dumb enough to think Obama - or Hillary Clinton - is no different than John McCain, he deserves a two-week vacation in Iraq and a 75th year on earth with no health care.
I wanted to remember Nader as a principled pot-stirrer. Now, the image changes to someone who can’t see a seismic shift in the electorate and can’t hear Obamamania.
If Nader were more popular, his candidacy would be the political equivalent of a rusty Corvair - unsafe at any speed. Instead, he needs to run to the bathroom more than he needs to run for office.
Maybe Ed Norton said in best in an episode of “The Honeymooners.”
“Sit down, Ralphie Boy.” |
