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hereinstead.com: ralph nader wanted to throw the election

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NADER THE SPOILER, WHO PUNISHED THE DEMOCRATS JUST AS HE WANTED TO DO

September 20th 2001

I know a big secret about Nader's 2000 campaign that I learned first hand at the time. I've been assuming that somebody more prominent or well-connected than me would reveal it. But nobody has. I've waited long enough to explain what I know in all its gory details. For openers, I'm briefly summarizing some of it ... here instead

The secret is that Ralph Nader really, truly, sincerely WANTED to throw the election. It was, probably from the beginning, and perhaps as early as 1996, his hope to do so. But he never told his followers that is what he was trying to do. He WANTED to punish the Clinton-Gore Democrats because he felt betrayed by them. He didn't particularly want to elect Bush, but his desire to punish the Democrats out weighed that. And he NEVER said that.

Ralph Nader strapped political dynamite onto himself and walked into what was clearly to be one of the closest elections in American history hoping to catch a spark and blow it up. He so much wanted to do this that he was willing to destroy his career and legitimacy. And he succeeded. As some observers noted at the time, on the day after election day, when everyone else was grim, Ralph Nader was the happiest man in America. He was the only person who had gotten exactly what he wanted. Indeed, given the amazing circus that followed, he got even better than he had dreamed possible.

Almost nobody has told this story. Many people have never even considered that it could be true. Many people have never wondered why, late in his career, Ralph Nader decided that there was no "major" difference between the two parties. Almost nobody has seriously discussed why "honest" Ralph Nader claimed repeatedly throughout the campaign that the two parties were "Tweedledee and Tweedledum."

Ralph Nader, you should remember, had spent his career working in the interstices of tiny differences between Republicans and Democrats on things like whether a car bumper would be crushed at five miles an hour or ten miles an hour. He spent decades mining those differences to stop nuclear power, protect the environment, and get many small but valuable breaks for American consumers. And he did so with great success.

And yet, late in the game of his life, Ralph Nader "decided" it didn't make any difference at all when the choice was between way-too timid, conservative Democrats and a right-wing Republican gang that are vicious, Brontosaurus-like, super-militaristic, police-state loving, bag and suitcase men for the tax-stealing rich and powerful. (And boy have they lived up to their potential.)

Ralph Nader is no dummy. He certainly knew what Bush-Cheney would do in office. He didn't make a mistake. Ralph has never said "oops." He hasn't even said that the regime of Bush-Cheney was an unfortunate by-product of his righteous cause. Ralph Nader WANTED to punish the Democrats and he certainly succeeded. I suspect that Nader himself is amazed that nobody has talked about the fact that he WANTED to punish the Democratic Party by getting enough votes to change the election.

His pal Michael Moore certainly knew that Ralph's hope -- and reason for running hard in the 2000 election -- was because it was so close that Nader's votes in any one or more of a small handful of states might throw the election to the Republicans. Florida was always on the top of every list of states "too close to call."

But Nader never considered pulling out in Florida. He never considered asking his supporters in a very few states to hold their noses and vote for Gore.

If Nader had asked supporters to vote for Gore, say, in just Florida and a some other "too close to call" states, it would have given him tremendous legitimacy. He likely would have more than made up the votes in "safe states" where it was clear that pulling the lever for him would not change the state's majority winner and thus the electoral votes. When Gore won, as would have been the case, Nader and his movement would have become a powerful, progressive force to be reckoned with. Nader would have demonstrated to one and all his potential to throw the election, and his good judgement not to do it now or yet. Nader would have grown in stature and respect. If he had done so he would now be a major advocate for the environment, social justice and, for example, for a sane response to "terrorism." He would be a serious political presence. But now he is just an asshole.

Michael Moore certainly knew what Nader was trying to do, and so did a number of other top advisors to Nader. But no insiders have talked about Nader's decision to run, about his strange "change" of political understanding, and his abandonment of the political commitments of over forty years.

Sooner or later, historians will tell this story. Sooner or later, someone will want to write in depth about the motivations of the ONLY left-of-center third party candidate in the twentieth century to actually change a U.S. presidential election. Ralph Nader, who spent his career passionately winning small victories from the corporate rich, chose to stay in the election in the very close states and by doing so hoped, in effect, to turn over the whole damned government to his life long enemies. Why?

Michael Moore came closest to explaining it early in the campaign. He wrote about Nader's strangeness, his awkward personal style. He didn't write about Nader's unfriendliness, his lack of friends or long-time associates, and much else -- but he certainly knew it. Moore said that Nader was almost as crazy as Jesse Ventura and much smarter. Think about that. Ask yourself if that would not well describe a person who would try to do, and pull off, what I have said Nader did.

For his own reasons, because he felt betrayed by the Clinton-Gore Democrats, Ralph Nader WANTED to punish the Democrats. He WANTED to hurt them. He WANTED to wound them. And I know....

_______________________________________

I'd love to tell all that I know and have figured out to anybody seriously interested in investigating this story. If you are interested, or if you know something yourself, write to me at hglevine@hereinstead.com.

This is what I said on October of 2001.
Now, to see where it has all landed...
Click here to go to: THE REAL RALPH

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