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Will Nader Challenge Dodd?
Could Ralph Nader reprise his spoiler role at the expense of Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.)?
The consumer crusader, perennial presidential aspirant and Winsted, Connecticut native says lots of people are asking him to run for the Senate against Dodd in 2010 -- and he isn't saying no just yet. The consumer crusader, perennial presidential aspirant and Winsted,
Connecticut native says lots of people are asking him to run for the
Senate against Dodd in 2010 -- and he isn't saying no just yet.
"You can't believe the number of people of asking me [to run]... Right now I'd say I'm agnostic," Nader told me earlier today, asked about rumors he'd run an independent, siphoning off liberal votes Dodd needs.
"I'm totally neutral, but I'm hearing the same things you are hearing."
The 75-year-old Nader is still registered as a voter in the state, making him eligible to run, according to the elections division of the Connecticut Secretary of State's office.
Nader says he first heard the idea back in April, when Manchester (Conn.) Journal Inquirer editor Keith Burris penned a column urging "Run, Ralph, run," and blasting Dodd for his role in the 1999 repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act.
Nader's entry as a third party candidate would be terrible news for Dodd, who is hoping to energize his liberal base in possible match-ups against GOP challengers Rob Simmons and Linda McMahon, who lead him in public polls.
Nader says he personally likes Dodd and met with him more than six months ago for an hour in hopes of getting the Senate banking chairman to sign off on Nader's plan to create an independent Financial Consumer Assocation, which Nader thinks is needed to keep mutual fund managers and pension executives honest.
Dodd was sympathetic and said he would look into it -- but the commission wasn't part of the legislative package Dodd introduced earlier this week. Nader, whom many Dems blame for delivering the '00 election to George W. Bush, says Dodd's bill was a good start, but lacks teeth on regulating derivatives and other financial products.
"Nothing in the bill would put the screws to the heads of the pension or the mutual funds," Nader said. "I'm trying to get Dodd to do the right thing... Right now, they are not serious" about tightening regulations, he said of Senate Democrats.
He said his focus, at the moment, was on bolstering the reforms, not electoral politics.
Nader also faulted Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY), who first introduced the financial consumer association idea as a House member 24 years ago, but has been silent on the issue this year.
"Schumer graduated Harvard Law School years after I did, and now he's not returning my calls," Nader added with a chuckle.
"I guess he thinks he's a big shot."
151 Comments so far
Show AllHelp me anyone.
Does this not say, in the 1st sentence and beyond, that RN will help a Republican? This is a pattern I do not fathom as one looking for the Halo.
I'll vote for Nader.
But I am confused.
The parties, though both horrific, ain't he same. Why help either?
It was after '00 that Nader supporters went into high gear saing the parties are the same, lesserevilism lalala bs.
Gore would not have invaded Iraq. Bring it on.
I'll vote for RN, but his PATTERN is to target Dems in word & acton by about a factor of 2 to 1 over the gop.
Why? If they are the same why target them? Have cake and eat too?
azjoe,
Let me help you out. First, forget who is associated with what party and relax your mind out. Next, see the issues and see who represents any of them. I wished the CT voters had a heart for Lamont instead of falling for that Lieberman.
P.S.: If Gore had won, that Lieberman creep would have pulled a different kind of Cheney and started some war in the Middle East. As a matter of fact, Lieberman did push for the war in Iraq and he had his own political reasons. I can't be exactly sure but picking Lieberman as his VP was the lamest idea. Even Gephardt would have helped him in MO.
Morning Jennifer, 1st, 3 bong hits. Mind relaxed.
2. True, Lieberman would have helped w/ 9-11, but unlike cheney used Palestinians then extirpated them to a one.
3. Delete parties from brain.
4. Jennifer; this works. I once lionized RN, plan to vote for him and that is some kind of right. Unlike my 1st but not last vote that drones on & on.
Salutations too, to the z-man just hither, I'm trying bro. Heck, I'll roll an a.m. joint, 1.1 g's and cripple myself. Stuck in a cast anyhow.
Nader, enigmatic quixotic Ralph, unless Moondoggy instructs me different. After Obomba, I don't trust my own thinking.
Speaking of Moondoggy, I miss him so badly. Where is that sweetheart? :(
Last Moondoggy sighting by herd of Moose SE Shelby Montana 33 kilometers(+-2k), Midnight. Last full moon. Est speed 15 kph. No prints. Echo in air, "the grid leads to madnessss," then a howling, which an entire pack seems to join as it fades....
I don't know what that's supposed to mean but I hope he is ok out there. I miss a spiritual thinker with a positive mindset like him. I thought I learned a lot from him too. Sigh... :(
I meant to say I believe he is skiing on a glacier, literally, or otherwise putting his back to too much civilisation and his heart forward.
Plus I alluded to a touch of lupine madness-projection only.
"After Obomba, I don't trust my own thinking."
Here's a short list of who you can trust. These people have been uncannily correct just about every time: Howard Zinn (voted for Nader), Noam Chomsky (voted for McKinney), me (voted for Nader), Jennifer Beddington(Nader). Some of these savvy intellectuals did say that if they had lived in red states they would have voted Dem, although the difference between the parties is minimal. As Chomsky said, "If I lived and voted in a swing state, I would have voted for Obama - very reluctantly."
When progressives jumped on the bandwagon for Obama, there was not one demand made, no pull, no group asked for anything from him. It was all a big celebrity charade, shallow as commercial TV yet progressives fell for it, big time. It was painful to witness, given what I knew about Obama. When will they ever learn?
"Jennifer Beddington(Nader)"
Correction: Change Beddington to Bedingfield
I know. Sometimes, they get my last name wrong. Sorry about my last name being a little too long. :)
How do you know I was referring to you?! (teasing ...I was). Thanks for correcting me. sorry about that, Ms. Beddingfield.
Thank You, a fine list. Though I like Juan Cole as well. Today he was on.
But not time shall mitigate my egregious, felonious, mortal sin. I am an actual Jonestown survivor too-this makes twice.
It was like when The Reverend said it was supposed to smell like almonds, he was so eloquent.
I've actually had major problems with a couple of Juan Cole's articles on here. I think he's the only person to have an article to appear on CD I've called an idiot. But they were from way earlier in the year, I'd have to look them up to remember the disagreements I had with his conclusions.
Hi zmann, Opinion of today's Informed Comment?
Kinda liked it, though they do vary....hey, Naomi Klein is quoting herself on CD today....the fine Maine writer yesterday said Pakistan had a tendency to get "crazy," (something 167 million people don't do,) Morford got clumsy twining money & morality.....Friday the 13th for genius.
Agree with you 110% JB.
"Gore would not have invaded Iraq." ???? where do you get this stuff?
Not true. Gore was actually more militaristic than Clinton. Although Clinton was responsible for the deaths of half a million Iraqis, mostly children, Gore wasn't satisfied and said so. Where were you in 1996?
Did you also think Obama would escalate in Afghanistan, Pakistan? Use drones to kill innocent children? did you think Obama would turn his back on suffering Palestinians, instead siding with those who massacred 1400 innocent people, including 400 children? Did you think Obama would buck the insurance corporations to shove through a bill that forces We the People to purchase profit driven health insurance from coorporations? I bet you didn't.
Anyone who enters the Whitehouse does so as a shill for the corporatocracy. Period. Give me one example of a president, after FDR, who didn't.
Jimmy Carter was not "a shill for the corporatocracy - period." That's one of the reasons why he was defeated after one term. This is the man who developed the first comprehensive strategy for conservation and alternative energy (if only the country had listened to him)! He began the Departments of Energy and Education, saved the Alaska wildlife preserve (that the GOP wants to "drill, baby, drill"), instituted the oil windfall profits tax, who engineered the Camp David Accords and the Panama Canal Treaty, strengthened ties with Africa, and placed human rights as an essential component of US foreign policy. And, he actually had a good job creation record (surpassed by Bill Clinton), superior to those of any Republican president.
In retrospect, his re-election hopes crashed with the hostage rescue attempt. But he resisted pressure to bomb Iran (including calls for a nuclear bomb), and CARTER, not Reagan, is the reason the hostages came home alive. (Yes, I do believe the smelly "October Surprise" caper took place. See Robert Parry's ConsortiumNews.com.)
Carter may not have been the kind of corporatist Clinton and Obama turned out to be but he wasn't clean either:
http://www.nader.org/index.php?/archives/1176-Analyzing-the-Election.html
Remember, it was Richard Nixon who brought our country the Environmental Protection Agency, the EPA! But I must concede. Carter, who won in 1977, was not nearly as bad as today's Democrats, although he was an advocate of nuclear energy, a really bad thing for the environment! Do you remember when he let the Shah of Iran into this country, inflaming Iranians! Since he's been out of office and can't be coerced to shill, he is much better. I like what he is doing for Palestinian people. I admire him so much for that.
Read this article by James Petras. You might discover some uncomfortable truths about Carter.
James Petras, Bartle Professor (Emeritus) of Sociology at Binghamton University, New York. He can be reached at: jpetras@binghamton.edu"
"Beware Jimmy Carter" by James Petras
http://www.counterpunch.org/petras07082004.html
Yes. Every year the choices for President get worse.
As many have pointed out, the Clean Air Act and the once effective EPA were formed under Nixon.
He also genuinely wanted National Health Care.
Really he was a better man for Liberal causes than Obama.
Yet if you ask the public who the most dishonest man in the world is, you will very likely hear Nixon.
I believe that it is almost impossible to become President without making some bad deals along the way.
The real trick is to get power while still being able to accomplish some good.
It gets harder every year as we become increasingly under the foot of ever more powerful corporations.
Also, Carter was a supporter of nuclear energy, but that is far better than what we have now--about 60% of our energy from coal.
If your argument is that Gore or anyone else would have waged this or that war, then you might as well conclude that Nader would have gone to Iraq, based on the same non-logic.
Here again are some press releases from Gore about Iraq:
Gore publicly decried the Iraq invasion imhttp://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/10/18/gore.iraq.ap/index.html
Gore: Bush purposely deceived public on Iraq
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Al Gore on Monday accused President Bush of
intentionally deceiving the public about the reasons for invading Iraq and
said he is so ideologically driven that he refuses to admit -- or even
learn from -- his mistakes.
"It is beyond incompetence -- it is recklessness that risks the safety and
security of the American people," the former vice president said during a
speech at Georgetown University.
Gore, the Democratic presidential nominee in 2000 and loser of that
bitterly contested election, complained that Bush's refusal to budge from
"a rigid, right-wing ideology" has led him to forbid any dissent and ignore
warnings that may conflict with his assumptions about Iraq, tax cuts and
other policy issues.
"He is arrogantly out of touch with reality," Gore said. "He refuses to
ever admit mistakes. Which means that so long as he is our president, we
are doomed to repeat them."
Gore touched on many topics, but saved his sharpest critique for Bush's
Iraq policies. He said evidence from the 9/11 commission and other reports
shows the invasion of Iraq was Bush's first choice rather than his last.
Worst of all, Gore said, was that Bush and his Cabinet purposely created
the false impression that Saddam Hussein was linked to the al-Qaida
terrorist network and that the Iraqi leader was somehow to blame for the
September 11, 2001, attacks -- a notion that 70 percent of the public once
believed, according to polls.
"This was not an unfortunate misreading of the available evidence, causing
a mistaken linkage between Iraq and al-Qaida," Gore said. "This was
something else -- a willful choice to make a specific linkage whether
evidence existed or not."
The Republican National Committee dismissed Gore's criticism, saying, "each
time he speaks, Al Gore, like John Kerry, demonstrates a fundamental
misunderstanding of what it takes to protect America's homeland and win the
war on terror."
Thanx jstevens. Gore would not have invaded Iraq. A saint? No. They don't exist.
Satanic? No again; but dick & the chimp were.
What I find interesting is how Nader brings out such animosity and division.
So Gore was Gore. Why does he have to be made into Bush by Nader supporters. Why?
Answer is ez, huh? I'll vote for RN; but I quit taking LSD; supporting Ralph won't mean absolutism or blind reverence or hallucinating mandated.
It will mean he is a good man amongst thieves. Not that all dems are all bad all the time. (Kucinich, Carter) An absolute!
Signed; A Relativist.
rvrwalker, where do I get this stuff? My opinion, God. Sir.
Where was I in '96? Raising 3 kids alone in cali & I'm poor. It was hard. So effing what? You wanna be Red Rick? Then now question my parent's relationship to each other, that was his last attack, after 100's, (brother & sister btw) b4 being 86'd from CD.
Inform. Don't attack. Thomas Jefferson is a good ex of how.
Have a good day. Let's please be nice.
With Naderites, after '00, all dems had to become rethugs. Unneccessary; they fall on their own, non-gop swords quite nicely.
That is my OPINION. As opposed to when you speak? Not opinion Sir....? Just Fact, huh? Oh yeah, God, I forgot in whose presence I tremble. hehehe
"Gore would not have invaded Iraq"
That's why the masters handed the orifice to chimpy. Do you believe the masters exist? The townsfolk are always denying they exist.
Yes, please.
Too bad Canada is so far north. I hope the Kucinich amendment is in the final bill. Single Payer, SB-810, will pass here in California next year. The insurance companies will use the legal system to block its implementation without the protections of the Kucnich bill.
And Governor Terminator will do his best to terminate it ASAP.
Nader's at his zenith. Screw doppelgangers die Schumer and das Dodd, indeed!
If this stupid bas+ard helps Rob Simmons get elected next year, he'd better never come back to CT, just stay in Washington under armed guard. Dood may not be wonderful, but Simmons is terrible. And Nadir doesn't stand a chance of beating either of them. All he can do is split the Left, yet again, and in this case put a CIA spook, Poppy Bush crony into the Senate.
I wonder if the Republicans will put money and support behind his campaign here like they did in 2000.
It's time for Ralf Nadir to retire, he's already disgraced himself and done so much damage that all his previous good works are forgotten or destroyed. All he can do is make things worse.
The only thing that should retire CV is your tired logic. CT politicians are all "paid for" hacks carrying water for those who fill their pockets with cash.
This state, this country, NEEDS a Ralph Nader desperately. If Obama had a spine, he would have put Ralph in his cabinet.
RUN, RALPH, RUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Imagine Nader for chief of staff. Obama didn't really even throw the people a bone--more like he's boning them every chance he gets.
He would have most likely done to Nader what he did to Van Jones. Anytime the creeps on the Far Right yellow "socialism", Obama is ready to play rollover and go "dumb dog" to appease them ! :(
If Nader does run against Dodd, perhaps that would put some needed pressure on Dodd.
What's your solution? If you can't vote them out, what do you do ... get down on your knees and beg? ..... the only thing that will do is make you shorter. Proven fact: lesser evil voting moves politics to the right!
"Whenever we compromised, we lost." -- the Arch Druid, David Brower
Oh please ! Blame Nader all you want but how do you like Lieberman and Dodd batting for Wall $treet? A vote for Nader is not a vote for Simmons. What has Dodd been doing all these years other than sitting like a fat slob and being a silly dilly hee-hee-hee clown on the media ? So what if Rob Simmons wins? At least he would have probably not supported Goldman Sachs shamelessly. Let Dodd lose and go down in defeat with Corzine. Those Goldman Sachs turkeys deserve to fail ! LOL ! In the meantime, go fix your Democrat Party if you dare. Nader did not disgrace himself. YOU and those who shamelessly voted for Democrat or Republican in the last 3 presidential elections are the spoilers and soilers while I and the minority of voters tried to rescue this country from lame-brain-isms by voting thrice for Nader and/or Green.
Well said. Jennifer RULES!
Thanks AGG. Today, I didn't feel like commenting on anything else but I apologize if I posted a lot here today. I just couldn't resist debating all this "spoiler" mumbo jumbo. :)
I don't know if in our life times we will ever get quality progressives to represent us. The best we can get is Sanders and even he has some issues though he is much better than any other senator.
Some people complain to me that Nader waits until election year to run. I ask "So what? Wouldn't that save the taxpayers lots of money if campaigning did not have to start right after one election is over?"
Maybe I guess the electorate is technically correct to identify "cheap" for "cheap". Those who want everything "too cheap to be true" will vote for such pols. Never mind quality. :(
Jennifer,
Yes, the reductionist mindset of many doesn't allow them to consider people who function outside of the "pevailing wisdom" meme pushed by the PR people down our throats.
But you know, this quality versus cheap has a good back story. Henry Ford would deliberately reduce the quality on car parts for two reasons:
1) they were cheaper to make
2) they wore out or broke sooner.
A whole business model was pioneered by him. It spread like wildfire all over industry and into human relations where things really got ugly. I'm sure you've heard of planned obsolescence, right? How abou MTBF (mean time before failure)? It got to the point where it was un-american to make a quality product (we left that to the Swiss and Germans, supposedly) because the factory that made the widgets would not be able to provide continuous jobs. Well, that was the excuse, of course. It was really all about continuous profits. Notice the rich have everything hand made in their houses. No Walmart or Home Depot for them.
Now when the "planned obsolescence" meme caught on with health insurance providers and corporate and government personnel departments, we had arrived at the logic of nazi Germany. By the way, Henry Ford was a contant advocate of Hitler and Nazi Germany until WWII. Jennifer, WE ARE THE WIDGETS NOW. GET IT? We have become a "product" and they are tweaking our MTBF as we speak to ensure continuous profits. Ugly, inhuman and disgusting, I know.
That is why it is so important to get someone like Nader into a key role in government. We need to throw out the "planned obsolescence" meme. We need to erase it from all civilized thought in society. It is the kind of poisonous thought that leads to conscience free genocide.
Nader believes in quality of goods and, more importantly life. Most of our criminal politicians don't.
Those two points about Henry Ford in some ways put a damper on what he said about paying his workers better wages. Henry Ford invented the hemp car which was supposed to be better than all those "cheap" metal cars. I will have to agree to your 2 points on HF because he did nothing to fight against the illegalization of hemp even for industrial use. If he were alive today, I think he would be able to get away with using cheap parts and labor as an excuse to pay his employees less and obscenely enrich himself.
Henry Ford was overpraised in my school history books for all the big talk on his inventing the automobile. I just came across Henry Ford in wiki and on google. Like Adolf Hitler, Ford opposed labor unions. I cannot believe that our ancestors said nothing against those two admiring each other ! I cannot believe that FDR didn't even go after Henry Ford who opposed his administration. I'm glad that the Big Auto company Ford is failing and should never come back. It is sooo unbelievable that like the Bush dynasty, Ford's dark side of associating himself with Hitler is never exposed in most US history books.
I know the basics of "planned obsolescence". Thanks for the reminder. Experience seems to be the greatest teacher of that concept.
P.S.: Good job on making cannabis legal in VT.
Thanks. Vermont does have a clearer vision of what is a proper society than many places. Now if we could just get Vermonters to stop with the racist crapola, we'd be one of the best places for anyone to live in the states. As it is now, well, you know how it is.
I would assume that the race issue in VT pales in comparison to MO but I would be glad to visit the state and evaluate.
It sounds like you are personally threatening Mr. Nader's life. Anonymously threatening him over the internet, too. Pretty indicative of the sort of spineless, cowardly thinking that leads sheep like you to continue following a party and politicians with a long history of assisting the economic elite in their relentless class warfare against the American people. Ralph Nader has done more for the citizens of this country than any Democrat in the Senate. He is a national hero, and as an army veteran I don't appreciate seeing him threatened by cowards.
Briggs Seekins
briggsseekins.wordpress.com
Briggs,
I can respect you for your military service, but like it or not, CV has as much right as you to express an opinion, and to vent as much anger as the Nader supporters. Your opinion is that anyone who doesn't regard Nader as God's gift to the universe is "sheep". Jennifer's is that we're "spoilers and soilers" (What poetry!) and "lamebrains" (several times over). Hopefully, as she continues in her gallant efforts to "rescue this country", she'll be able to come up with another insult.
Relax, Briggs, your "national hero" is in no danger! Back in 2000, Michael Dukakis said he was tempted to strangle Nader with his bare hands. I'm sure ol' Ralphie has been able to visit Massachusetts without incident. I share CV's contempt for him, but trust me, I have no intention of going near Nader - I wouldn't lower myself! Or is it that I'm a "spineless coward"? Yeah, I guess the guy with the pie had more courage.
Perhaps you can help Jennifer lead a commando raid on the Democratic National Committee. But spare me the "A-Team" posturing!
Thomas Chacko.
But what is your solution if it's not voting for whom you want? All you can do is beg. And most progressives don't even do that. They sat on Obama's lap and drooled all over him, like over-excited puppies.
What kind of pressure can you put on these sold out politicians if you're going to vote for them no matter what. duh. Well, you can get down on your knees and beg. If you won't punish them at the voting booth, then you'll spend the rest of your life just begging, election after election, while they continue to move right.
What is your solution when begging doesn't work? I thought we were supposed to be putting good Democrats into Congress. Your solution is to let the corporations do that? You will just be a loyal voter for Democrats. Ha! Great strategy, eh? How's that working for you?
Thank you rvrwalker. TC thinks I am worshiping Nader or something. Yes, I have a lot of love for that man especially after what I learned about him influenced my life and way of thinking. Given all that Nader stands for compared to gasbag pols like Dubya, Gore, and Barry, it is unbelievable that the fake "progressives" and "liberals" will continue choose anyone with a D next to their name regardless of their positions and/or records to show for or against it. I would likewise say the same for the faux "conservatives" blindly slobbering for any pol with an R next to their name. TC should tell us what good 2006 and 2008 did after all that trouble of electing Democrats to power. I hate to punish the Democrats at the cost of putting in Republicans too but since the two parties are nearly identical, accountability is needed.
Cheers, CV!
It's Friday, the 13th of November. I get into CommonDreams.org and what's the first picture I see? Ralph Nader - AAAHHH!!! Not a good omen for the rest of the day!
What he hopes to accomplish is beyond me. I guess it's the old Naderite nonsense:
put more Republicans in office and that will really motivate opposition, like the Greenie groundswell during the Bush years - remember that? No, nor do I!
Of course the GOP will put money into his campaign. In 2000 they had money earmarked for that.
He says he personally likes Chris Dodd. With friends like these ... well, you know the rest. And let's give him a comforting hug because Chuck Schumer won't return his calls. There, there, Ralphie ... !
"Of course the GOP will put money into his campaign. In 2000 they had money earmarked for that."
Nader never took money from the Republicans or Democrats. Please give us proof that the Republicans earmarked money for Nader in 2000. Algore ran a mealy-mouthed campaign with Joe LIEbernazi rolling over for Cheney like a dumb dog. Gore was unable to carry his own home state of TN, Clinton's home state of AR, WV, MO or OH where labor union voters were aplenty, or for that matter NH to keep the Northeast blue. Any one of those states and Gore would have been president. Gore also refused to do a statewide recount of FL which would have also helped him win. Oh, and don't even think about mentioning the 90,000 voters who went for Nader. 200,000 registered Democrats chose Dubya. Sorry tmchacko but Gore refused to fight for the people or even honor his winning the popular vote despite the electoral vote loss. Gore lost because of Gore.
And there we have the excuse that ralph himself likes to use for the 2000 election.
Bad bad Al Gore didn't win his home state.
From the guy who never wins any state!
How can he sleep at night uttering such nonsense.
And then another great excuse--bad bad Al Gore didn't get the Supreme Court Decision reversed.
Are you at all familiar with the Supreme Court?
They are the final authority.
But wait there's more.
Since Gore won the popular vote but not the electoral vote he should demand to be President.
I would suggest a review of the rules, there Jennifer.
All of these impossibilities.
But hey, it would have been possible for Gore to win if Ralph hadn't bashed him all over the place.
Gore had nothing much to show for his accomplishments other than fluff and puff talk. I thought we already made it clear to you his poor record as far as the environment is concerned. Add to that the fact that Gore couldn't run a campaign or pick a VP like Graham, Gephardt, or even Edwards who might have helped him out in the south. Ok, Edwards turned out to be useless in 2004. And what about that Bob Shrum who was successful in helping Democrats fail on the presidential level? Why would that "smart" Algore hire a loser strategist like him?
Ok, so Gore couldn't do anything about his popular vote win or the Supreme Court but he could have done what Andrew Jackson did when he won the popular vote but got cheated out because of the electoral vote. Gore could have run in 2004 but he didn't because he had no plans in 2000 and nothing to show just like Dubya so why would 2004 be any better? Sorry but Gore and Dubya were hot air.
"But hey, it would have been possible for Gore to win if Ralph hadn't bashed him all over the place."
LOL ! I could laugh all day until I wet myself just reading that silly dilly lame-brained excuse. :)
Gore making fluff and puff speeches with nothing in his years in Washington to show for it isn't a record. There is plenty to show how anti-environmental Gore was when it came to his voting and legislation all those years and yet nothing pro-environmental unless you can share with us just one piece of legislation he fought for and/or voted on to prove otherwise. It's not Nader's fault that Gore had nothing to show or couldn't run an effective campaign to crush a then bumbling governor of TX.
Historically the rock bottom running of a campaign belongs to Nader.
He had a few percentage points in 2000 and way less in 2004.
Most liberals are disgusted with him.
These pages on CD don't reflect well on how Ralph is perceived.
Ok, so maybe Ralph Nader isn't quite that "politician celebrity" you are looking for but so what? If all that matters to you is "winnability", then by all means toss out top quality progressives and keep us with mediocre pols.
"He had a few percentage points in 2000 and way less in 2004."
He was forced off the ballot by Democrats in several states and like all other third parties, given very little air time to present himself or debate. Nader would have crushed Dubya and Kerry in the debates had he been given the chance to take them on.
"Most liberals are disgusted with him."
Then they are not liberals but party apologists who are like lost children.
"These pages on CD don't reflect well on how Ralph is perceived."
You're right. Most of the cornfed electorate doesn't get it. Better to put party over principle, isn't it?
Didn't Gore actually win the electoral vote too? If I remember right, all the Florida votes were eventually counted by journalists using the Freedom of Information Act, which showed that he won, even though the electors had long since been wrongly given to Bush.