by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright November 1, 2000
All Rights Reserved.

rashing both traditional political parties, Green Party candidate Ralph Nader has little good to say about either Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore or his Republican counterpart Texas Gov. George W. Bush. "What good is [Al] Gore if he can’t beat Bush? I mean, Gore is beating Gore," said the relentless activist and crusader. Showing equal disdain for the GOP hopeful, "He’s a bumbling governor with a bad record who comes down on the wrong side of every issue. Gore should be running in a runaway," remarked the ever-acerbic Nader, whose lifelong crusade and, yes, credibility, finds itself on the line. With Nader siphoning off around 3% to 10% of Democratic votes, many rebellious liberals are now experiencing some anxiety heading to November 7th. Sure, Nader has a right to preach, but it’s now degenerated into pulling out the rug from underneath Gore. With most polls showing Gore lagging slightly behind Bush, Nader’s message hurts in key battleground states, especially Minnesota, Florida, Oregon and Washington.

       While Nader’s partly right when he blames Gore for self-destructing, his presence still siphons off crucial votes. Few, if any, Nader supporters have any interest in the GOP, though voting for Nader amounts to a vote for George W. Bush. Yes, Nader has his own message railing against both traditional parties, special interests and corporate greed, but he must also take some political responsibility for shaping the outcome of the election. Perot played the spoiler in 1992 and 1996, now it’s Nader’s turn to return the favor. Showing his true colors, Nader’s no longer obsessed with doing good, he’s consumed by unbridled greed to qualify for millions of dollars in federal matching funds should he achieve 5% of the electorate. Few politicians or lobbyists have ever been as monomaniacal as Nader’s lifelong crusade against America’s corporate establishment. Now that he’s spearheading the Green Party, his mission has changed into lining his own pockets with federal dollars.

       Regarded as a pariah by both political parties, Nader’s now the GOP’s ace-in-the-hole for beating Gore. Running pro-Nader ads, Republicans bargained with the Devil to upend Democrats in key battleground states. Bizarre as it sounds, Republicans new ally—like Perot was to Democrats in 1992—is doing an impressive job of sabotaging Gore’s chances. Justifying his strategy, Nader deludes himself into believing that neither traditional party has any distinguishable differences. When it comes to lobbyists he may be right, but you’d have to be brain-dead not to see obvious differences on federal spending, tax cuts, health care, Medicare, Social Security, abortion, and virtually every other plank in their respective platforms. Nader knows this, but prefers to sling the pasture muffins for his own personal gain. Blaming Democrats, Nader insists that Democrats allowed the word 'liberal' to fall into disrepute, abandoning a 'progressive' agenda. Everyone knows that Nader’s views on universal health care parallel Gore’s. While Perot’s thinking resembled the GOP, he handed Clinton the election in 1992, taking 20% of the vote. Perot’s unexpected robbery in 1992 proved that third-parties can tip the election.

       Unfortunately for Gore, Nader’s presence threatens to repeat Perot’s strategy in 1992—siphoning off just enough votes to hand Bush the election. Like Perot, Nader also isn’t part of the mainstream. Reacting to the impending train-wreck, Democrats are finally getting wind of Nader’s true intentions. Reacting to stinging criticism, "The Gore folks have engaged in systematic harassment. It’s sort of sad to see people you’ve worked with for 20, 30 years coming out and speaking against you," said an incredulous Nader to labor activists in a conference call. Attacking Gore, Nader’s quick to remind voters about broken promises from his book "Earth in the Balance," yet, simultaneously, trashes Bush as "a major corporation disguised as a human being." Like Buchanan, Nader is a clever propagandist, disguising his own agenda with catchy slogans and one-liners. Democrats have difficulty stomaching Nader’s rhetoric when Gore’s positions on key issues resemble those of the lifelong consumer advocate. As the election draws near, Nader’s supporters will begin taking a searching inventory.

       While the GOP supports Democrats' and independents' interest in Nader, they should be reminded that most voters don’t like squandering their vote. Referring to Nader supporters, "I would say to those people, there’s going to be only one of two people who win this election," said Gore spokeswoman Kym Spell, underscoring the fact that throwing votes to Nader won’t change the inevitable outcome of the election. Knowing this, third-party candidates like Nader and Buchanan are acutely aware of how protest votes aid the traditional parties. With Nader resonating with rebellious youth and disenfranchised Democrats, he stands to hurt Gore more than Buchanan does Bush. Returning to their sanity, groups like MoveOn—formed to fight Clinton’s impeachment—are now asserting, "What was positioned as a safe protest vote has become as sort of kamikaze vote," said Wes Boyd, a spokesman for the group. Playing Russian roulette, most protestors will think long and hard about punching Nader’s name on their ballot. Summing it all up, "The specter of a Bush presidency looms large," continued Boyd, reminding his following that the game of chicken must eventually end.

       Playing the spoiler, Nader might become a dangerous wildcard for Gore by inadvertently delivering his rebellious constituency on election day. While Nader will no doubt attract some protest votes, most voters aren’t willing to throw their vote down a rat-hole in the polling place. Like Buchanan, Nader’s indictment of corporate America has some kernel of truth, though wildly exaggerated and over-simplified. American business isn’t the personification of evil, it’s a mighty engine of freedom creating unprecedented jobs and opportunity. Trashing bilateral trade accords and railing against immigration, Buchanan went over the deep end trying to make his point that the American identity still counts. Though Nader can’t always get his way, he and the Green Party shouldn’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

About the Author

John M. Curtis is editor of OnlineColumnist.com. He’s also the director of a West Los Angeles think tank specializing in human behavior, health care and political research and media consultation. He’s a seminar trainer, columnist and author of Dodging The Bullet and Operation Charisma.

©1999-2000 Discobolos Consulting Services, Inc.
(310) 204-8300
All Rights Reserved.