don’t make me ralph
by Paige Cram
Published: February 27, 2008
A lot can be spoiled in just fifteen minutes. You can burn a soufflé, miss a train, overcook a turkey and, apparently, ruin a presidential election.
During a fifteen-minute interview Sunday morning on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Ralph Nader made another desperate grasp for his fifteen minutes of fame by announcing his decision to enter the race for president. No, this is not an old article. It’s really happening… again.
With a series of catchy phrases like “tolerance for candidate rights,” a laundry list of issues he feels are being ignored and a mouthful of convenient statistics, he made his best attempt at convincing the audience that his intentions are noble.
Well, forgive me if I’m still skeptical.
He claims that he’s running because people are not being represented, not being giving a choice and are being left out of the political process. Yet, in many states, the voter turnout in these primaries is breaking records. When asked about his role in the outcome of the 2000 election, his response was,”Let’s get over it.” When asked about the possibility of his candidacy tipping the election to John McCain, he maintained that the general election shouldn’t even be close, saying “You think the American people are going to vote for a Republican like [John] McCain? … There’s no way.”
Well that’s a convenient belief for someone who’s trying to justify entering the race, but dismissing the existence of conservatives in this country isn’t going to change the facts. There is, in fact, a large percentage of the American people who have, and will, vote for John McCain. And despite Nader’s insistence that his supporters come from all sides of the political spectrum, the only ones rejoicing in his candidacy are the Republicans. They seem to disagree. Mike Huckabee said on CNN shortly after the announcement, “naturally, Republicans would welcome his entry into the race.”
Nader maintains that he’s doing this for the good of the country; he wants to open up the debate. He unabashedly compares himself to the great revolutionaries of the past, saying his candidacy is about “the shift of power from the few to the many.” Yet in an election where that shift of power already seems promised, why get involved? He promises a publicly financed campaign, but Barack Obama is already doing that. He promises attention to the environment, healthcare, the tax system and fiscal responsibility, but those are topics that have been readily addressed by all three of the current major candidates. He also promises to impeach Bush and Cheney even though the majority of this country (including this self-described raging liberal) is focused on looking forward, not back.
This isn’t an opportune moment for Ralph Nader to help America, so one can only assume it must be an opportune moment for him to help himself.
I know that Nader has a 40-year record of doing great work in public policy and consumer action, and no one can deny the contributions he has made. But why then is he so intent on having his legacy be about a string of futile and spoiling attempts at the White House? Hasn’t he made his point about our stifling two-party system in the previous four elections in which he competed? And if not, what makes him think that a fifth try will accomplish anything?
It’s funny that with all the talk of change in this election, this one thing stays the same. I’ve only been alive for one presidential election in which Ralph Nader did not participate.
It was 1988.
In light of that, one could argue that he has already had his fair share of time in the spotlight. But as the 74 year-old is nearing the end of his life, I guess he’s hoping for just fifteen minutes more.
There’s just never an egg timer around when you need one.
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