Nice move Ralph. Too bad they didn't look more carefully at the issues behind what he said. Come to think of it, Obama does think Ronald Reagan was great - what's up with that?

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Here is what Obama wrote about that:

“The Founders recognized that there were seeds of anarchy in the idea of individual freedom, an intoxicating danger in the idea of equality, for if everybody is truly free, without the constraints of birth or rank and an inherited social order…how can we ever hope to form a society that coheres?”

(Obama, The Audacity of Hope [New York, 2006, pp. 86-87) 

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And gets called 'reprehensible', 'delusional', and even 'racist' by the host. I suppose they have to attack someone who tells a truth that as biting and damaging as that one.

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You're really doing your own party, third parties in general, and the voters of this country a solid with such racist tripe.

Maybe next you can tell us how there is no difference between Obama and McCain. I used to respect you and would even have voted for you, but you were wrong about Gore and Bush, you were wrong about Kerry and Bush, and you would be wrong about Obama and McCain. I get the gist of what you are trying to say... that the parties in power aren't very different at all... but you take it all a bit too far.

You really want to help elect a third party, Ralph? Stop saying stupid shit like this and stop thinking you and you alone are the only candidate worth of running as a third party.

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Ralph has a right to run but should the media be giving him free air time? If this crap last more than one day you will know that the MSM is out to destroy the obama candidacy.

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...and chew on some lead paint.

The most common reaction to Nader is a swift ad hominem attack in order to evade the issues he brings up.

Nader wasn't talking about "protecting the middle class", or gas prices, he was talking about the systematic abuse of the poor who don't have lobbyists or money to dole out for elections. If you're not a corporate citizen, it is as if you don't exist.

"Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn’t want to appear like Jesse Jackson?" They skipped out the Jesse Jackson reference in the video, just so you know. Jesse was a champion of the poor of all skin colors.

If Carl Rove said something like this, it would be to scare racist white voters into not voting for Obama. When Ralph says it, it is to remind black voters to pressure Obama into actually representing their interests and not just taking their vote for granted because of skin color.

Aside from the "reprehensibility" of Nader's words, whatever that means, are they untrue?

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"Do you think Nader's comments can be construed as racist; or that he is just calling it the way he sees it?"

How about both.

People usually believe the racist things they say, because they are racist. I don't care what else Nader had to say, because it doesn't matter. We don't need racist attitudes like this in the White House.

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What would Ralph call that? Bush mumbles and babbles most of the time unless he feels the need to turn on the Texas drawl. At least I know what Oama is talking about. ANNA

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What would Ralph call that? Bush mumbles and babbles most of the time unless he feels the need to turn on the Texas drawl. At least I know what Oama is talking about. ANNA

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And this is my personal opinion.

Black folks don't need some white person to tell us how to operate our politics. What white people who care about poverty should do, instead of perpectuating the myth of poverty as "black," is tell poor white folks to stop clinging to guns and religion, "Cause you do, Blanche." Then we could get somewhere. Cause it's obvious Nader didn't "focus group" black people before he said this nonsense.

What's more is that you don't play to "white guilt" by "acting white." That's playing to white people's sense of privilege that the way they act is "proper." "Black is power, black is beautiful" isn't playing to "white guilt," either; it's just rejecting white supremacy and privilege altogether. Playing to "white guilt" is a different type of politics all to its own. When it comes to "white guilt" politics, Nader doesn't know what he's talking about.

And for the record, black folks aren't trying to make white folks feel "guilty" as though there's nothing you can do about the situation. What we want is equality and justice. That's plain ole human rights and has nothing to do with "guilt."

It just boils down to this, by running off at the mouth, Nader presumed to be speaking for someone else. Not only is this arrogant, it's also disempowering. He comes across as accepting the the racist narrative of the "honorable but not independent" Negro in need of white paternalism.

Is Obama pandering to white folks? Yes. Should we have different standards for Obama and McCain when it comes to pandering or not pandering to white folks? No.

Are black folks reacting to Obama's white folk pandering? According to Nader, not enough. This white guy presumes to tell Obama and black voters how to be "black." And the truth is, with mainstream media always focusing its attention on white America except when it comes to the 3Ds, most white folks, including Nader, don't know if, how or why blacks are responding to Obama's white folk pandering.

So, yes, he's comments are foolish. I'd say racist. He is just seeking attention. And he needs to sit down and shut up.

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Unbelievable!! How about we get past this "acting white; acting Black" stuff and just talk about humanity. Nader's comments are an insult to Obama's integrity and to any person that has progressed from the ignorant ideas of stereotypes based on color, geographic location, vocation, religion, sexual orientation, gender, physical abilities and so on. Is Obama influenced by his cultural and ethnic background?...absolutely. Is Nader influenced by his cultural and ethnic background?...absolutely, again. It's an obvious point (I hope) that none of us can be totally unbiased, however, we all can move beyond on those limits.

I have had great respect for Nader for years and am totally disgusted with his comments. I find them steaming with his own white privilege and angst regarding the changing racial power structure that is imminent. At this point, Nader is not "a credit to his race."

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I think Nader has finally lost his last marble.

THIS is the advocate that we knew and admired since we were kids?

When the importance of egotistical fulminating supercedes truth, and when a person's goal is simply to criticize and destroy, it's time for that person to retire.

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If one were to suggest that Nader's comments were "racist", they must also recognize that the race being targetted is white. This is a comment against white power, and if we find it so important to have a black president, can't we rightfully expect him to represent issues of concern for his black constituents?

This hyper-sensitivity against talk of race has allowed Obama an undeserved immunity against such criticisms. He is NOT an ideal candidate. He truly has aligned himself with the existing (white) power structure in America; if he's not willing to criticize it, then we ought to be willing to criticize him.

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...for the last eight years, Ralph can be excused for misspeaking in this case. He's been the magnet for plenty of unjustified hate by people who claim to be against hate - long before he made this statement.

I'm not saying he is justified or right in what he said or how he said it, but before we jump on a new "Hate Ralph" bandwagon, maybe we should start looking at the issues again, closely.

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I found the tone of Alternet's coverage of Nader's comment to be a wasted opportunity. Instead of focusing on the context of a valid criticism from the left, this site has chosen the sensationalized message of the MSM. It's easy to preach to the choir, it's a lot harder when you need to take a risk. Very dissapointed....

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and tell him what you think. Go here: http://www.votenader.org

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I don't see what all the fuss is about regarding Nader's comments, but I do sense a little fear on both sides here--a fear of a multi-party system of politics in the US, one of the few remaining democracies that simply doesn't have a lot of choice. Also, Obama has already brought himself down a few notches in my opinion. His pandering to the Israel lobby, his condescending scolding of negligent African-American fathers, his tough talk on the Middle East, and his dumping of his pastor strike me as reprehensible.

Nader has, in light of Obama's missteps, every right--if not duty--to be critical of Obama's campaign. That's politics, folks. Cut the crap, already!

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Obama plans to raise the minumum wage to $9.50 by 2011 and then index it to inflation.

By 2011 $9.50 is going to be worth about five bucks.

Why not put issues like this on the front burner in a time off need? Three years down the road? Tepid at best.

You can go find some fine print on his website, but he sure as hell never brings it up that I've seen.

Poor folks don't need tax handouts, or credits for this or that, or another public/private boondoggle program to get yet another person rich on their behalf, they need to get paid what they deserve in the first place - for all the REAL work they do for society.

Paying people shit and throwing them crumbs after like they should be grateful - just shove it.

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Obama's health care plan sounds like those credit card offers with "guaranteed eligibilty." How about guaranteed health care instead? Why have the choice to "opt out"? What does that mean, anyway? "I opted out and got cancer - to bad for me!"

"Opt out" is insensible and reflects something else, maybe it has something to do with -
"...and it's time to let the drug and insurance industries know that while they'll get a seat at the table, they don't get to buy every chair."

No not every chair, just Obama's? The insurance companies need to be shown the door - not offered a chair. Health care is not something to debate with people looking to make a buck - it is a right - one we need to take back.

When people get sick or injured, we need to take care of them - take care of every single one, regardless of how rich or poor they are - good care too. It's the only decent thing to do. Seems like nothing decent can get done in this country anymore without someone making a buck off it.

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