A general view during the March for Voting Rights at The King Center on August 28, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo: Derek White/Getty Images)
Why the Most Dangerous Political Movement Since the Civil War Must Be Crushed
"This is an order of magnitude we have never seen before," Nader concluded, denouncing Republicans. "We have never seen a party literally trying to repress the vote, miscount the vote, purge the vote, intimidate precinct worker volunteers, and steal elections."
Ralph Nader, the legendary consumer advocate and former Green Party presidential candidate, has a message for the Democrats: Crush the GOP in 2022. Nader sees the Republican Party's embrace of authoritarianism as an existential moment for U.S. democracy, and the midterm elections as the key moment to defeat this rising tide of fascism. "This is clearly the most dangerous political movement since the Civil War, the GOP under the corporate fascist Trump's thumb," Ralph Nader said this week on the Democracy Now! news hour. "He spread a whole breed of mini-Trumpsters who are getting far too much publicity compared to their opponents. Everything we fought for, for over 50 years, is at stake here."
"The midterm election ultimately is about democracy versus fascism."
Nader has partnered with political organizer and author Mark Green, launching a campaign called "Winning America," with a website, WinningAmerica.net. Nader and Green believe a rapid retooling of Democratic candidates' messaging could have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the midterm elections. The electorate is not as divided as many would have us believe, Nader and Green argue, especially on a range of policies and programs that most Americans support.
"What they've got to do is authenticate their message and their rhetoric where people live, work and raise their families, often called kitchen table issues," Nader said, referring to the Democrats. "They have got to compare and contrast life under the authoritarian bigoted corporate indentured GOP with life under the Democrats."
Ralph Nader continued, "For example, 20 or 25 million people will get a raise to $15 minimum wage under the Democrats. The GOP is against that. The assault on children by the GOP is absolutely stunning. From not using available Medicaid funds to insure them, to exposing them to hazardous pesticides and denying paid family leave and sick leave. The GOP is against that. The $300 a month child tax credit to 58 million children in our country, cutting child poverty by a third, was suspended because of GOP opposition in January."
Mark Green highlights the need to make simple, bold statements in the remaining time before the midterms to activate what he calls the "five-second voter," those who don't follow politics on a daily basis.
"The midterm election ultimately is about democracy versus fascism." Green said on Democracy Now! "But now in the last two weeks, you have to know how to be rhetorically muscular against the party, the Republicans, who don't hesitate to call Democrats not only socialists but communists and murderers. At this point, Democrats can't flinch at being blunt and reducing their campaigns to one, two or three major phrases and concepts...Democrats have better policies. How the hell are they losing?"
Ralph Nader has a reply to Republicans who attempt to smear their opponents as "socialists":
"Oh, you Republicans are against socialism? I know why you're saying that--because you hate Medicare. You hate the Post Office. You hate Medicaid. You hate public drinking water departments. You hate public schools. You hate Social Security. That's why you're talking socialism. But you are really corporate socialists. You want to bail out every corporation of any size. You want to subsidize, hand out all kinds of stuff to corporations in a mockery of your so-called free market philosophy. The same with defunding the police. The Republicans are defunding the corporate crime police."
While core issues like protecting Social Security and Medicare resonate with most voters across party lines, Donald Trump and his loyalists have deployed a relentless stream of propaganda and misinformation in support of Trump's big lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
The Washington Post analyzed every upcoming midterm race for Congressional and statewide offices, and found 291 Republican candidates who parrot Donald Trump's election lie. In 171 of those races, the Republican is expected to win. There are an additional 48 races that the Post labels "competitive." In many of those races, rightwing extremists could very well replace incumbent Democrats, in offices ranging from U.S. Senate, governorships, and, perhaps most alarming, as secretaries of state. These are the state officials who actually run the elections.
Ralph Nader has never shied away from criticizing the Democratic Party. Now, sharp and focused at the age of 88, he is urging Democrats to "Crush the GOP," with a detailed array of issues and talking points at WinningAmerica.net.
"This is an order of magnitude we have never seen before," Nader concluded, denouncing Republicans. "We have never seen a party literally trying to repress the vote, miscount the vote, purge the vote, intimidate precinct worker volunteers and steal elections. They have actually basically said, 'Any election we lose is because it has been stolen from us.' That is the word of a dictatorship party."
Urgent. It's never been this bad.
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission from the outset was simple. To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It’s never been this bad out there. And it’s never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed and doing some of its best and most important work, the threats we face are intensifying. Right now, with just four days to go in our Spring Campaign, we are not even halfway to our goal. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Can you make a gift right now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? There is no backup plan or rainy day fund. There is only you. —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Ralph Nader, the legendary consumer advocate and former Green Party presidential candidate, has a message for the Democrats: Crush the GOP in 2022. Nader sees the Republican Party's embrace of authoritarianism as an existential moment for U.S. democracy, and the midterm elections as the key moment to defeat this rising tide of fascism. "This is clearly the most dangerous political movement since the Civil War, the GOP under the corporate fascist Trump's thumb," Ralph Nader said this week on the Democracy Now! news hour. "He spread a whole breed of mini-Trumpsters who are getting far too much publicity compared to their opponents. Everything we fought for, for over 50 years, is at stake here."
"The midterm election ultimately is about democracy versus fascism."
Nader has partnered with political organizer and author Mark Green, launching a campaign called "Winning America," with a website, WinningAmerica.net. Nader and Green believe a rapid retooling of Democratic candidates' messaging could have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the midterm elections. The electorate is not as divided as many would have us believe, Nader and Green argue, especially on a range of policies and programs that most Americans support.
"What they've got to do is authenticate their message and their rhetoric where people live, work and raise their families, often called kitchen table issues," Nader said, referring to the Democrats. "They have got to compare and contrast life under the authoritarian bigoted corporate indentured GOP with life under the Democrats."
Ralph Nader continued, "For example, 20 or 25 million people will get a raise to $15 minimum wage under the Democrats. The GOP is against that. The assault on children by the GOP is absolutely stunning. From not using available Medicaid funds to insure them, to exposing them to hazardous pesticides and denying paid family leave and sick leave. The GOP is against that. The $300 a month child tax credit to 58 million children in our country, cutting child poverty by a third, was suspended because of GOP opposition in January."
Mark Green highlights the need to make simple, bold statements in the remaining time before the midterms to activate what he calls the "five-second voter," those who don't follow politics on a daily basis.
"The midterm election ultimately is about democracy versus fascism." Green said on Democracy Now! "But now in the last two weeks, you have to know how to be rhetorically muscular against the party, the Republicans, who don't hesitate to call Democrats not only socialists but communists and murderers. At this point, Democrats can't flinch at being blunt and reducing their campaigns to one, two or three major phrases and concepts...Democrats have better policies. How the hell are they losing?"
Ralph Nader has a reply to Republicans who attempt to smear their opponents as "socialists":
"Oh, you Republicans are against socialism? I know why you're saying that--because you hate Medicare. You hate the Post Office. You hate Medicaid. You hate public drinking water departments. You hate public schools. You hate Social Security. That's why you're talking socialism. But you are really corporate socialists. You want to bail out every corporation of any size. You want to subsidize, hand out all kinds of stuff to corporations in a mockery of your so-called free market philosophy. The same with defunding the police. The Republicans are defunding the corporate crime police."
While core issues like protecting Social Security and Medicare resonate with most voters across party lines, Donald Trump and his loyalists have deployed a relentless stream of propaganda and misinformation in support of Trump's big lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
The Washington Post analyzed every upcoming midterm race for Congressional and statewide offices, and found 291 Republican candidates who parrot Donald Trump's election lie. In 171 of those races, the Republican is expected to win. There are an additional 48 races that the Post labels "competitive." In many of those races, rightwing extremists could very well replace incumbent Democrats, in offices ranging from U.S. Senate, governorships, and, perhaps most alarming, as secretaries of state. These are the state officials who actually run the elections.
Ralph Nader has never shied away from criticizing the Democratic Party. Now, sharp and focused at the age of 88, he is urging Democrats to "Crush the GOP," with a detailed array of issues and talking points at WinningAmerica.net.
"This is an order of magnitude we have never seen before," Nader concluded, denouncing Republicans. "We have never seen a party literally trying to repress the vote, miscount the vote, purge the vote, intimidate precinct worker volunteers and steal elections. They have actually basically said, 'Any election we lose is because it has been stolen from us.' That is the word of a dictatorship party."
Ralph Nader, the legendary consumer advocate and former Green Party presidential candidate, has a message for the Democrats: Crush the GOP in 2022. Nader sees the Republican Party's embrace of authoritarianism as an existential moment for U.S. democracy, and the midterm elections as the key moment to defeat this rising tide of fascism. "This is clearly the most dangerous political movement since the Civil War, the GOP under the corporate fascist Trump's thumb," Ralph Nader said this week on the Democracy Now! news hour. "He spread a whole breed of mini-Trumpsters who are getting far too much publicity compared to their opponents. Everything we fought for, for over 50 years, is at stake here."
"The midterm election ultimately is about democracy versus fascism."
Nader has partnered with political organizer and author Mark Green, launching a campaign called "Winning America," with a website, WinningAmerica.net. Nader and Green believe a rapid retooling of Democratic candidates' messaging could have a dramatic effect on the outcome of the midterm elections. The electorate is not as divided as many would have us believe, Nader and Green argue, especially on a range of policies and programs that most Americans support.
"What they've got to do is authenticate their message and their rhetoric where people live, work and raise their families, often called kitchen table issues," Nader said, referring to the Democrats. "They have got to compare and contrast life under the authoritarian bigoted corporate indentured GOP with life under the Democrats."
Ralph Nader continued, "For example, 20 or 25 million people will get a raise to $15 minimum wage under the Democrats. The GOP is against that. The assault on children by the GOP is absolutely stunning. From not using available Medicaid funds to insure them, to exposing them to hazardous pesticides and denying paid family leave and sick leave. The GOP is against that. The $300 a month child tax credit to 58 million children in our country, cutting child poverty by a third, was suspended because of GOP opposition in January."
Mark Green highlights the need to make simple, bold statements in the remaining time before the midterms to activate what he calls the "five-second voter," those who don't follow politics on a daily basis.
"The midterm election ultimately is about democracy versus fascism." Green said on Democracy Now! "But now in the last two weeks, you have to know how to be rhetorically muscular against the party, the Republicans, who don't hesitate to call Democrats not only socialists but communists and murderers. At this point, Democrats can't flinch at being blunt and reducing their campaigns to one, two or three major phrases and concepts...Democrats have better policies. How the hell are they losing?"
Ralph Nader has a reply to Republicans who attempt to smear their opponents as "socialists":
"Oh, you Republicans are against socialism? I know why you're saying that--because you hate Medicare. You hate the Post Office. You hate Medicaid. You hate public drinking water departments. You hate public schools. You hate Social Security. That's why you're talking socialism. But you are really corporate socialists. You want to bail out every corporation of any size. You want to subsidize, hand out all kinds of stuff to corporations in a mockery of your so-called free market philosophy. The same with defunding the police. The Republicans are defunding the corporate crime police."
While core issues like protecting Social Security and Medicare resonate with most voters across party lines, Donald Trump and his loyalists have deployed a relentless stream of propaganda and misinformation in support of Trump's big lie that the 2020 election was stolen.
The Washington Post analyzed every upcoming midterm race for Congressional and statewide offices, and found 291 Republican candidates who parrot Donald Trump's election lie. In 171 of those races, the Republican is expected to win. There are an additional 48 races that the Post labels "competitive." In many of those races, rightwing extremists could very well replace incumbent Democrats, in offices ranging from U.S. Senate, governorships, and, perhaps most alarming, as secretaries of state. These are the state officials who actually run the elections.
Ralph Nader has never shied away from criticizing the Democratic Party. Now, sharp and focused at the age of 88, he is urging Democrats to "Crush the GOP," with a detailed array of issues and talking points at WinningAmerica.net.
"This is an order of magnitude we have never seen before," Nader concluded, denouncing Republicans. "We have never seen a party literally trying to repress the vote, miscount the vote, purge the vote, intimidate precinct worker volunteers and steal elections. They have actually basically said, 'Any election we lose is because it has been stolen from us.' That is the word of a dictatorship party."