Burnt Orange Report

Ralph Nader acts more like a self-designated messiah or cult leader (such as Rev. Jim Jones or David Koresh) than an American politician.
He would rather entice his followers into drinking the poisoned Kool-Aid of third party candidacy than work in a rational way for progressive causes.

I think it's easy enough to agree that there are nut jobs to the left and right. In a way, letting the nuts have their own party is very good in a way, unlike the right wingnuts who have taken over that party.

Sadly, I agree Tim Z.

Here is my note to the Nader folks --

I supported Ralph Nader in 2000, and I believe that he did the right thing. By talking about issues that I cared about, he got me involved in the democratic process.

But I now strongly believe that participating in the democratic process means participating in the Democratic party process. I believe that a lot of us learned a lot of lessons over the last three years -- and the most important being that there's really only room for one party in this country that seeks to represent the people and not the powerful.

We heard a lot of talk about that in 2000, but I for one believe that in 2004 we're going to see more than that. There's been a sea-change in the way that a lot of Democrats act, and I'm proud to say that I am a Democrat today.

That is not to excuse the way that a lot of Democrats continue to act in Washington today. It's inexcusable that we've seen cave-ins on the War in Iraq, the Medicare bill, and the "No lobbyist left behind" energy bill. Inexcusable. But, I think there's been a lot of progress by people like me who want to take over the Democratic Party and make it the "democratic party."

I believe that a Nader candidacy would torpedo that, and could seriously harm the future of progressive politics in America.

Ralph Nader is too good a man to lower himself by handing George W. Bush another disastrous term. I think it would be better that good Democrats and independents and Greens work together to make our election laws better. I'd certainly support that.

But I won't vote for Ralph Nader again if we're able to accomplish something in the Democratic nomination process, and I for one would consider either a Dean or Kucinich nomination (or even Clark) a victory for progressive politics in America.

Slate's Jacob Weisberg suggests that Nader may believe that contributing to the worsening of conditions for the majority is a valid political tactic, especially if it arouses a complacent public.