Ralph Nader on national television:
“To put it very simply, he is our first African American president; or he will be. And we wish him well. But his choice, basically, is whether he’s going to be Uncle Sam for the people of this country, or Uncle Tom for the giant corporations.”
Nader concession press release
Senator Obama led a campaign of tactical brilliance that appears to be bereft of specific mandates. It is up to an aroused citizenry to organize behind these mandates which we were privileged to advance. These progressive mandates (living wage, Medicare for all, and a just foreign policy, and many more) reflect majority support and our long overdue redirections and reforms in our country.
Senator Obama will be President-elect Obama soon to preside over what our founders described as a representative government under our Constitution. Thomas Jefferson once said that the function of representative government is to “curb the excesses of the monied interests.” The corporate dominated government that Senator Obama inherits includes what President Dwight Eisenhower cautioned the nation against in his farewell address — the military industrial complex. It includes many other priorities entrenched by “the monied interests,” or global corporations, to drain and strip-mine the necessities and deserved justice long denied to so many Americans in their various roles.
Such challenges to apply available solutions to stagnant injustices and deprivations require a transforming leader who speaks truth with democratic power to falsehood and plutocratic power. This in turn demands a deliberate, thoughtful and challenging personality.
The Nader/Gonzalez campaign joins other Americans in wishing you well in the White House. We will remain alert to opportunities that advance those final words of the pledge of allegiance — “with liberty and justice for all.”
And, on Vote Nader blog:
Against all odds.
We prevailed.
On $4 million total — what Obama raised in one day.
Nader/Gonzalez overcame ballot access obstacles.
We put our shift the power agenda on 45 state ballots.
We set the world record for campaigning in 21 towns and cities in 24 hours during our Massachusetts Marathon.
We exposed Obama and Biden for the corporate politicians they are.
(And today, ABC News is reporting that Obama wants the militarist reactionary Rahm Emanuel as his chief of staff.)
We drew the line.
And together, we choose to make a stand.
You stood with hundreds of thousands of Americans.
Against the corporate militaristic machine.
Our consciences are clear.
Our hands are clean.
We made the moral choice.
History will look back and say — those Americans back in 2008 who supported Nader/Gonzalez — they were right.
So, thank you fellow traveler.
Thank you for your donations.
And your hard work.
It has been a joy — standing with you.
Fighting for justice.
Onward
The Nader Team
This won’t even be a footnote. No one remembers his “gonadal politics ” comment from 4 years ago and only a few people remember his “talking black” comment from earlier this year.
That said, it was a bad move on the Nader organization’s part to let him go on a network in the wake of a controversial commen that – while I do like it – has a penchant for confrontation like FOX. They could have done a “conflicting engagements” dance to turn down that interview request and the Uncle Tom comment would have instantly gone from getting 5 minutes of network TV coverage to – at most – 30 seconds.
I did think, however, for some Obamite to say “forcing us to side with SHEP F*#$@$ SMITH” … was amusingly ludicrous. I wonder if it’s Nader who forced them to side with the administration on FISA, PATRIOT Act, etc. etc. Such a sense of victimhood among the entitled Democrats – someone is always “forcing” them to do something or another they don’t “really” want to do. Pathetic. Nader was right on.
Oh well political suicide by Nader in this new world of Obama sensationalism. I don’t disagree with Nader for a moment on this but it will marginalize him further.
That’s the way it goes in third parties – lose and you get a promotion to lose in a better, bigger, more pathetic manner.
That might be a good thing. It’s Gonzalez with a z btw.
But, I think Nader will run either way.
Probably Matt Gonzales will run in 2012, and he may get the Green nomination too.
Thanks for that quote, Paulie.
I thought you might like it.
tHE end of Nader.
I think he’ll run in 2012.
Thanks for that quote, Paulie.
HAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHEHHEHEHEHEAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA BWAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHA!
tHE end of Nader. Obama victory for the glory of the Lord and the permanent Revolution! Landslide, earth-shattering defeat for the Nader/McCain/Keyes conspiracy! Republicans for 2/3 of Congress in 2010! Democrats inaugurate the New World Order in 2012! And with Prop 8 passing, bans of divorce and abortion are coming next! An end to foreign occupation, socialization of the economy, and fair trade! Long live God! Long live socialism! Up with the Fringe Alliance Strategy. Amen!
Here’s how the Obama Nation is spinning it (@wonkette):
Ugh. NADER. He’s been such a dick the last few days. His communications guy has been sending out all of these sarcastic (â€patheticâ€) e-mails; for example, there was one about how Nader won a mock election in some hippie high school and then decided that they were all more ethical than Obama. And then there was that snippy soundbite press conference. And the shit-flavored hummus. And now this: calling Obama an “Uncle Tom†after his victory and thereby forcing us to side with SHEP F*#$@$ SMITH in the above clip.
It’s not the first time Nader’s played this cheap identity shit, either. He really does have some psychological attention-craving disorder, the end. The man has saved countless lives over the decades by advocating for safer automobiles, cleaner air, water, and food, worker safety regulations, and most importantly the election of George W. Bush. Now he’s just some crazy racist losing an argument to a relatively mild-mannered Fox News anchor.
I’m not willing to burn the guy at the stake for saying one stupid thing at 1am on election night.
His point was completely valid but he put it in a very stupid way.
Way to go out in disgrace, Nader.