The Nader Way

Via Andrew Sullivan, Ralph Nader's not very taken with Barack Obama:

There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American. Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson?

I would find this more persuasive were it not for the fact that Obama does want to crack down on predatory lending and other forms of financial exploitation of the poor. And then there's this:

Still, key players who worked with Obama at Altgeld Gardens said he deserves credit for pulling together a team of hundreds of residents who rallied for improvements at their housing projects. Obama helped secure grants for a jobs program and pushed for asbestos removal. His biggest accomplishment may have been to leave in place a group of activist mothers, some of whom continue to work or live at Altgeld Gardens.

And then there's Obama's lead abatement bill. All that is to say nothing of minor details like Obama's support for programs that would create universal access to preschool and health insurance. You don't need to be blind to the very real flaws of Obama and his agenda to recognize that it really is a substantially different one from what's being offered by John McCain.

Comments

Yeah, come on Barry, where were you when Pacman and the Rutgers women needed you? Probably out doing something very white, I'm sure...

Posted by Stu | June 25, 2008 1:25 PM

The only thing different about Barack Obama? Really? Isn't this the same Ralph Nader who basically argued (and ran on the idea) that there was no substantive difference between Gore and Bush? How has that worked out for us? I think the Kristol rule has to apply here: whatever Nader says, let's just go ahead and assume the opposite is true.

Posted by south side | June 25, 2008 1:29 PM

Poor, poor Ralph. Sooooooo desperately trying to matter. Reminds me of Joe Lieberman in that respect.

Posted by LFC | June 25, 2008 1:29 PM

It's kinda funny that Obama is actually quite good on the issues Ralph supposedly "cares about" in his racist rant.

And I'd add that, yes, accusing someone of "talking white" is racist, or at least racialist, in that it assumes all white people share some broad disregard for the needs of black people, all black people have uniform concerns, not to mention the conflation of "black" and "poor"

We can unpack it even more. What does it say about Nader that the shortcomings he sees in Obama don't actually exist in any factual sense, and he in conjunction with that claims the only difference between Obama and McCain is racial?

That is, why is Nader unable to see areas of broad agreement with Obama, but overly-focused on his race?

That ass.

Posted by Michael | June 25, 2008 1:35 PM

To Nader, a Democratic politician is only sufficiently different from the Republicans when he is too extreme to get elected or be effective. It's a convenient definition.

That extremism is in political views and in policy prescriptions, something radicals tend to overlook. Even if your policy preference are very extreme, the most effective way of moving forward may be in adopting more moderate proposals.

Posted by mpowell | June 25, 2008 1:36 PM

nader's a narcissistic douche bag who'd be more at home in an episode of "that 70's show" than joining the rest of us here in the 21st century.

and, please, calling obama "Barry" is really fucking annoying. I have no idea if anyone does call him this, but as part of a discussion in the public sphere the nickname just sounds derogatory.

Posted by mencken | June 25, 2008 1:37 PM

And of course, Obama is half African, not half African-American. I guess Nader is blind to such distinctions.

Posted by Mudge | June 25, 2008 1:41 PM

Re Ralph Nader

Mr. Nader is a piece of filth who is entirely responsible for the presence of fascist cocksucker Sam Alito on the supreme court. Mr. Nader is in need of a visit from Vito and Carmine and a subsequent 3 month sojourn in the hospital.

Posted by SLC | June 25, 2008 1:46 PM

Nader sounds like other men his age that I know. They tend to form very strong opinions about things without knowing very much about them.

Posted by blah | June 25, 2008 1:46 PM

Seriously, picture nader wearing a cowboy hat and jacket and squint: you get....IMUS!!!

Posted by Logan | June 25, 2008 1:47 PM

Seriously, picture nader wearing a cowboy hat and jacket and squint: you get....IMUS!!!

Posted by Logan | June 25, 2008 1:51 PM

Nader-Ferraro '08.

Posted by Kat | June 25, 2008 1:51 PM

I am surprised that Nader didn't interrupt himself and ask: " . . . African American - that's what I am supposed to call colored people now, right?"

Posted by blah | June 25, 2008 1:53 PM

Nader is unsafe at any volume. Please stop interviewing him, journalists!

Posted by Logan | June 25, 2008 1:56 PM

I didn't think it was possible for my respect for Nader to wane any further, but he keeps finding ways to surprise me.

This is not unlike my attitude towards Bush.

Posted by ChuckE | June 25, 2008 2:00 PM

In the quoted comment, Nader is comparing Obama with Kerry and Gore rather than McCain, at least directly. It is only with his past nonsense about there not being a drop of difference between the parties that one gets the comparison to McCain. So perhaps that is fair, although not directly what he said.

I think it is true that Obama has largely avoided anything that would make the comparison with Jesse Jackson easy. That is why Bill Clinton had to find the tortured way to make it.

But it is funny that Nader's advice to the first black candidate is to run in the way most likely to lead to your loss. Nader does seem to have a fixation with losing nobly over ever winning something.

Posted by Lon | June 25, 2008 2:08 PM

mencken, people close to Obama refer to him as "Barry". In the book "Dreams From My Father", it appeared to be used by family and close friends. It isn't necessarily racial when people use it, but rather someone trying to sound hip and on a personal level with them. It's like when hoop fans call Richard Hamilton, "Rip.

As far as Nader, with all due respect to the late Tim Russert, why in the hell did you even give this gas-bag airtime on "Meet the Press"? He should have just let a sleeping dog lie. Fortunately, Nader, at this point, doesn't seem able to inflict the same amount of damage that he did in 2000, THANK GOD. Let's just play this thing out through November, thank Ralph for the seat belts, and move on.

Posted by PR | June 25, 2008 2:10 PM

mencken, people close to Obama refer to him as "Barry". In the book "Dreams From My Father", it appeared to be used by family and close friends. It isn't necessarily racial when people use it, but rather someone trying to sound hip and on a personal level with Obama. It's like when hoop fans call Richard Hamilton, "Rip.

As far as Nader, with all due respect to the late Tim Russert, why in the hell did you even give this gas-bag airtime on "Meet the Press"? He should have just let a sleeping dog lie. Fortunately, Nader, at this point, doesn't seem able to inflict the same amount of damage that he did in 2000, THANK GOD. Let's just play this thing out through November, thank Ralph for the seat belts, and move on.

Posted by PR | June 25, 2008 2:11 PM

It's not particularly notable that Nader's attacks, (aside from their racial aspect) are inaccurate.

Nader is a narcissistic crank whose only real goal is attention. He's totally indifferent to the substantive accuracy or inaccuracy of his statements, just as he's totally indifferent to the actual impact of his political activism.

In other words, he's exactly the same now as he was in 2000.

Posted by N | June 25, 2008 2:18 PM

I would find this more persuasive were it not for the fact that Obama does want to crack down on predatory lending and other forms of financial exploitation of the poor.

Nader is just one more gasbag whose media access has outlasted his heuristic value. Then again, Michael Jackson still has fans.
.

Posted by Grand Moff Texan | June 25, 2008 2:38 PM

mencken, people close to Obama refer to him as "Barry". In the book "Dreams From My Father", it appeared to be used by family and close friends.

Actually I believe that's not quite accurate. My understanding is that he USED TO go by Barry (thus the references in his book), but around college he decided to go with Barack exclusively. Certainly makes sense -- as a kid he'd want to fit in, but then as he came of age he wanted to be more true to himself and his parentage.

I saw somewhere or other that when he was considering his first political run, some advisers were suggesting he go back to Barry to seem less exotic, but that he refused saying "my name is Barack, and that's what I want to be called."

Incidentally, what does the comment about "Barry" refer to? It doesn't look like Nader used it, and the first commenter was clearly being snarky. But whatever...

Posted by ResumeMan | June 25, 2008 2:52 PM

Nader is Arab-American, yet he is not carrying out the Arab-American agenda, whatever that is. Shame on him.
On another level: I am transitioning from wishing Nader a slow and painful death to wishing him play the role of Zed in the sequel to Pulp Fiction.

Posted by ahmad mahmoud mubarak | June 25, 2008 2:57 PM

Nader finally manages to get his name in blogs by complaining that Obama isn't black enough. So we can expect more.

Posted by Deborah | June 25, 2008 2:57 PM

Im sorry, but whether you like ralph nader or not, he is generally correct that Obama is your traditional democrat on most issue--especially those economic.

Be honest, is an advisory team of cutler, liebman, goolsbee, and furman the group that will--or even wants to--destroy entrenched urban poverty.

I too have worked in Chicago's ghettos, and while I admire Obama's past work here, you are lying if you think his policies are going to extinguish this scourge, despite Matt's insistence otherwise. his past work neither immunizes him from criticism nor speaks to his current policies.

In general, he has shied away from speaking about the poor and urban poverty (much less than say Edwards). In fact, most of his rhetoric directed at the black poor is boilerplate admonishment on poor dietary choices and absentee fathers, wholly absent any nuance on why these problems occur (grocery stores, financial disincentives to fatherhood, the general depth of urban poverty). The kind of stuff white people love, and really love to see from a black candidate.

So whatever your thoughts on Nader, and many of them are warranted, this is a general critique you will hear in the black community about Obama's quest for the presidency.

Argue if you will about the political purposes of it, but please don't tell me he is the champion candidate of the black poor. Better than many. Yes. Better than John McCain. Of course. But that does not mean his policies should be stronger or that he is a great champion of the cause.

Posted by jeff | June 25, 2008 3:21 PM

Lon said:

In the quoted comment, Nader is comparing Obama with Kerry and Gore rather than McCain, at least directly. It is only with his past nonsense about there not being a drop of difference between the parties that one gets the comparison to McCain.

Granted.

From my pov, his nonsense in 2000 is all that matters. His hypothesis that there is no practical difference between the major parties was disproved by the field experiment.

My only concern about anything he has to say from here on out is that I take every opportunity to trash it in my local letters to the editor, in blog comments, and with my social circle. I, personally, cannot take the chance that he will not fuck my shit up, again.

Posted by cmholm | June 25, 2008 3:30 PM

This is even sadder than when he was recently on the Daily Show saying he was running to break the two-party system. Oh noes, stability! He must know he has no actual chance of breaking that system by running, so what's the point?

Posted by Reality Man | June 25, 2008 3:35 PM

And Nader has so many accomplishments of his own over the past decade.

Posted by Adam Villani | June 25, 2008 3:41 PM

Nader? Yawn, whatever. The only thing Nader is "taken with" is himself and his overly stuffed briefcase which I've NEVER seen him open. The guy falls very squarely in to the what has he done lately category.

Posted by tom.a | June 25, 2008 3:50 PM

Dear Ralph Nader,

I'll take you 10 times more seriously for every Green Party (or whatever) Congressman you help elect. If you don't elect any, you agree to graciously STFU.

Deal?

Posted by Aatos | June 25, 2008 4:18 PM

so, now that he has bashed the democrat for three elections in a row, do you s'pose he will get around to finding time to criticize a republican?

who is giving him $$ ?

Posted by interlude | June 25, 2008 5:19 PM

so, now that he has bashed the democrat for three elections in a row, do you s'pose he will get around to finding time to criticize a republican?

who is giving him $$ ?

Posted by interlude | June 25, 2008 5:22 PM

Nader is past his time and place. There was a time he had things to say that meant something, but his generation has screwed it up and it's time for people with a stake in the game to take over. This means McSame and Nadaryoutosaysomethingsane.

Posted by muffler | June 25, 2008 5:25 PM

Ralph wants Hillary's racists that were gonna vote McCain. And he's frumpy enough to get them.

Posted by kravitz | June 25, 2008 5:53 PM

Ralph is correct, once again.

Obama is now more pro-Israel than 62% of Israelis (ala Jerusalem). Wasn't always the case back in the Illinois days. But the kowtow to AIPAC was abysmal.

Obama made sure to blast black fathers on Father's Day - truly a Clintonesque Sister Souljay play.

From Ishmael Reed at Counterpunch:

His Father’s Day speech was meant to show white conservative males that he wouldn’t cater to “special interests” groups, blacks in this case. This was the consensus of those who appeared on MSNBC and other opinion venues of the segregated media on 6/16/2008 even the progressive ones. (Segregated? Not quite. The two percent of African Americans who support Bush all seem to have jobs as pundits, columnists and Op-eders). Michael A. Cohen, writing in The New York Times, June 15, 2008, acknowledging Mr. Obama’s Sister Souljah moment wrote “Indeed, just yesterday, Barack Obama had his own mini- “Souljah moment” as he decried the epidemic of fatherlessness and illegitimacy among black Americans. While it is a message that Mr. Obama has voiced before to other black audiences, speaking unpleasant truths about issues afflicting the black community may provide political benefit for a candidate whom some working-class white voters are suspicious of — just as it did for Clinton 16 years ago. The talking heads also concluded that Obama’s speech before a black congregation in which he scolded black men for being lousy fathers and missing in action from single parent households and being boys, etc. , was cleary aimed at those white male Reagan democrats, who, apparently, in Obama and the media’s eyes, provide the gold standard for fatherhood, which fails to explain why there are millions of destitute white women, “ displaced housewives”and their children whose poverty results from divorce, or why, according to one study, 90% of middle class white women have been battered , or have witnessed their mothers sisters, or daughters being battered.”

As to FISA, according to votenader.org, last October, Obama said he would "support a filibuster of any bill that includes retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies." Now he says he will vote for it.

Oh, and public financing of elections???

Go, Ralph, GO!!!!!

Posted by gerty fenwick | June 25, 2008 9:32 PM

Nader isn't too taken with anyone not named Ralph Nader. If the ghost of Euegene Debs showed up to run Nader would find him insufficiently porgressive.

Posted by JonF | June 25, 2008 9:35 PM

Quote: "Mr. Nader is a piece of filth who is entirely responsible for the presence of fascist cocksucker Sam Alito on the supreme court."

Really now, the AMERICAN PEOPLE are responsible for the presence NOT Nader.

Do you really believe the Bush got "elected" twice without "sufficient" support from the public? The people elected him even in 2004 instead of trouncing him???

You have nothing to say about the state of the public but would criticize someone running for president? Amazing!

Posted by AJ | June 25, 2008 10:06 PM

AJ, GWB barely managed a win during 2000, when a greater than average number of potential voters didn't take the election seriously. Thanks to Ralph, a number of college students and the fruity wing among progressives had a toy with which to play at alternative politics.

In 2004, GWB added a bunch of scared-shitless Democrats and independent voters to his base of "yellow dog" Republicans.

Posted by cmholm | June 25, 2008 10:43 PM

Oops, wrong terminology: make that "hound dog" Republicans.

Posted by cmholm | June 25, 2008 10:52 PM

As usual, Ralph is right. CNN only let embedded democrats and one republican comment on what Ralph said. There was no independent thinker in sight. Idiots.

Posted by Matthew | June 26, 2008 12:21 AM

Isn't Nader Lebanese? What has he done for the Arab-American community lately? Has he spoken out against profiling Arab-Americans at airports?

Posted by thisis | June 26, 2008 12:34 AM

To kravitz: I have yet to meet a fellow African-American that was not personally touched by Obama's father's day speech. We have been waiting for this kind of leader for longer than you would like to imagine. His speech was full of wisdom and courage. He spoke as a Fatherless child and not a patronizing politician. No other politician on earth has the credibility to make that kind of speech. Absent fathers are killing us off one by one.

Posted by thisis | June 26, 2008 12:39 AM

I'm so glad that Ralph Nader,the great ARAB-AMERICAN, Opened up his flap-trap mouth to gain some exposeur that he could not gain on earned merit. Yep, he had to pull a cheap-shot Bill Clintonisk, by making an obsured reference to Obama "being half Afro-American and talking white." Ralph Nader is an Arab, and our country is at war with those fuckers, that deplay the same extreme hatered and contemp for ALL-AMERICANS, that Nader speech festers for 'half AFRO-AMERICAN candidate Barack Obama'. Let us not forget history, long before the slave trade came to America, it was the Arabs that spread it in the old kingdoms they basterized. Fast forward, Mr. Nadar, and remember you have not mentioned a word about what the Arabs are doing in Dafur; Or do you only want to talk arab. But again thank you for the memory, it was our-american Marins that kicked ass and defeated Tropoli. Now crawl back in your high chair and shut up Arab-American and speak english.

Posted by Black in America and proud | June 26, 2008 2:13 AM

>who is giving him $$ ?

I'm sure Nader's ego is enough for him to make an ass of himself, but the "cui bono" question is not so far-fetched. Remember 2004, when some Republicans urged progressives in Oregon to vote for Nader?

Obama's stands on predatory lending and dangerous levels of lead are typical examples of things the MSM have not considered newsworthy. Nader should be blaming the media, not Obama.

And to think that in the early 70's, when Nader was a bold consumer advocate, he was one of the people I most admired!

Posted by mim | June 26, 2008 7:58 AM

>who is giving him $$ ?

I'm sure Nader's ego is enough for him to make an ass of himself, but the "cui bono" question is not so far-fetched. Remember 2004, when some Republicans urged progressives in Oregon to vote for Nader?

Obama's stands on predatory lending and dangerous levels of lead are typical examples of things the MSM have not considered newsworthy. Nader should be blaming the media, not Obama.

And to think that in the early 70's, when Nader was a bold consumer advocate, he was one of the people I most admired!

Posted by mim | June 26, 2008 7:59 AM

Mim, I think you're glancing at what I call the JK Rowling phenomenon with Obama, where he isn't giving enough attention to any given issue unless he is giving incredible speeches on that topic alone. (Or in Rowling's case, she should surely mention it in the next Potter book, thereby giving it the prominence it deserved.) "My issue is important, and if Obama cared he'd use his magical powers of rhetoric to make everyone else care." The list of such issues is endless.

Posted by Deborah | June 26, 2008 10:33 AM

Re Gerty Fenwick

An article from the antisemitic website counterpunch is about as factual as an article from its right wing counterpart, stromfront.

Re ahmad mahmoud mubarak

Actually, Mr. Naders' position on the Arab/Israel issue has been evolving over the years. It is my understanding that, until his presidential run in 2000, he had little to say about the issue. Then, in 2000, he ran on the Israel bashing Green Party ticket and was mildly critical of actions of the Israeli Government. His very mild criticism consisted of a statement that Isreali roadblocks in the West Bank should be pulled back a few hundred yards so as to lesson confrontations, a not unreasonable notion. By 2004, he had evolved into a two fisted Israel basher, like his backers on counterpunch and in the hierarchy of the Green Party.

Re AJ

It is my contention that, had fucktard Nader not been on the ballot in New Hampshire and Florida, Al Gore would have won the election. Just because some numbnut assholes in those states were stupid enought to vote for him does not in any way, shape, form, or regard exculpate him.

Posted by SLC | June 26, 2008 1:36 PM

SLC calls something anit-semetic: revelatory.

Posted by jeff | June 26, 2008 11:22 PM

Wow. There is a whole lot of “don’t know what the fuck I am talking about” going on in this thread. I haven’t seen this much stupid leashed up and taken for a walk around the block in a long time. And I live in New York.

In this thread we are being treated to “insight” from posters who either a) have no idea who Ralph Nader is and what he done or b) are using this thread as an exercise to vent corny anti-Arab hatred.

Ralph Nader is arguably the most successful American progressive activist of the late 20th century. The next time you stop short when you are driving and your kid doesn’t shoot through the windshield like a cannon ball you can thank Mr. Nader. He single-handedly took on one of the most powerful corporate cabals of 60’s America–the auto industry–and won. He is the reason your car is not a deathtrap. In the process of winning that fight they did everything they could to entrap and discredit him: investigations, phone taps, even trying to set him up with hookers.

None of it worked. He couldn’t be bought or silenced through these kind of Pink Panther machinations. So he knows a little something about moving within and against the white power structure in America.

When someone like Nader, a first generation Arab-American who grew up in the 30s and 40s and has had to negotiate white America his entire life says the phrase “talk white” he knows exactly what the fuck that means. If you don’t understand that you should start fucking trying to understand it. The conversation about race, “blackness,” and “whiteness” is just going to get more treacherous as Obama makes his way (please God) to the White House. And you know what? Despite the best efforts of some, Arabs–who don’t fit neatly into either category but complicate both of them (waves hi to Latinos)–aren’t going anywhere. So if you can’t get that we “count” as people of color when you are talking about “race” in 21st century America then maybe you should fucking crack open a book and raise your game a little.

It seems very clear to me that Nader did not intend to race bait in his comments. He is a man of color who has run for president what, 3 times now? When Nader says that he was treated as a “nigger” in the 2004 campaign…he is completely right. He was. And he still is. Only this time it’s by people who really should know better.

Posted by Jospeh | June 27, 2008 12:53 AM

Wow. There is a whole lot of “don’t know what the fuck I am talking about” going on in this thread. I haven’t seen this much stupid leashed up and taken for a walk around the block in a long time. And I live in New York.

In this thread we are being treated to “insight” from posters who either a) have no idea who Ralph Nader is and what he done or b) are using this thread as an exercise to vent corny anti-Arab hatred.

Ralph Nader is arguably the most successful American progressive activist of the late 20th century. The next time you stop short when you are driving and your kid doesn’t shoot through the windshield like a cannon ball you can thank Mr. Nader. He single-handedly took on one of the most powerful corporate cabals of 60’s America–the auto industry–and won. He is the reason your car is not a deathtrap. In the process of winning that fight they did everything they could to entrap and discredit him: investigations, phone taps, even trying to set him up with hookers.

None of it worked. He couldn’t be bought or silenced through these kind of Pink Panther machinations. So he knows a little something about moving within and against the white power structure in America.

When someone like Nader, a first generation Arab-American who grew up in the 30s and 40s and has had to negotiate white America his entire life says the phrase “talk white” he knows exactly what the fuck that means. If you don’t understand that you should start fucking trying to understand it. The conversation about race, “blackness,” and “whiteness” is just going to get more treacherous as Obama makes his way (please God) to the White House. And you know what? Despite the best efforts of some, Arabs–who don’t fit neatly into either category but complicate both of them (waves hi to Latinos)–aren’t going anywhere. So if you can’t get that we “count” as people of color when you are talking about “race” in 21st century America then maybe you should fucking crack open a book and raise your game a little.

It seems very clear to me that Nader did not intend to race bait in his comments. He is a man of color who has run for president what, 3 times now? When Nader says that he was treated as a “nigger” in the 2004 campaign…he is completely right. He was. And he still is. Only this time it’s by people who really should know better.

Posted by Joseph | June 27, 2008 12:53 AM

Nuts to the eccentric lawyer who invented the seatbelt. He provides nothing to American political discourse these days. It's not 1970 anymore, what's he done for me or my kid lately? What have his runs for the White House achieved? Not a damn thing. Go away Ralph, and take your harden cadre of lefty purist contrarians who could barely organize a picnic with you.

Posted by sweaty guy | June 27, 2008 2:06 AM

Ralph, we Europeans have seatbelts too, in fact the whole world does, and we don't owe them to Ralph Nader. Some forms of progress are just unstoppable, and although I will gladly admit that Mr Nader brought seatbelts to the US a decade earlier than would otherwise have been the case, I really can't imagine the US still being without seatbelts in the 21st century, with or without Nader's involvement.

What I remember Nader for is that he waged campaign against Gore, criticizing him on every point and accusing his environmental supporters of having a "servile mentality", explicitly preferring Bush ("the bumbling Texas governor would galvanize the environmental community as never before"), recanting on his promise to not campaign in swing states and handing Florida and New Hampshire to Bush, refusing the vote-exchange proposition of Jamin Raskin whereby Nader would get the same number of votes but in safe states, expressing no remorse for the catastrophic consequences of the Bush victory he enabled, taking the money of the grateful Republicans for his 2004 campaign, and now, as in 2000, blasting the Dem candidate and being kind to the Republican one.

Your point about racism is well taken, though.

Posted by Hans B | June 27, 2008 5:59 AM

Just because the corporate media only reports Nader's criticisms of Democrats (which by the way are accurate and fact-based criticisms), doesn't mean that Nader only bashes Democrats. In fact, Nader has been consistently calling for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney based on their subversion of the Constitution. Meanwhile, Obama and the rest of the corporate Democrats have taken impeachment off the table. Bush is the most impeachable president in American history and yet the Democratic Party powers that be would rather give him a free pass, knowing that they were and continue to be complicit in his crimes.

Posted by RikeMiley | June 27, 2008 12:25 PM

I just checked out Obama's riff on credit cards. He voted against caps on interest rates. He is against usury laws to prohibit loan sharking by predatory lenders. So Nader is right and Obama is being given a pass, another would-be President with an open ended mandate to do anything his corporate donors want- and that includes the financial industry. See opensecrets.org. Trust Obama as he shifts gears to corporate financing, pro-gun and pro-death penalty. Trust, but don't verify. Only Ralph Nader has the guts to demand specifics.

Posted by steve conn | June 28, 2008 3:30 PM

I just checked out Obama's riff on credit cards. He voted against caps on interest rates. He is against usury laws to prohibit loan sharking by predatory lenders. So Nader is right and Obama is being given a pass, another would-be President with an open ended mandate to do anything his corporate donors want- and that includes the financial industry. See opensecrets.org. Trust Obama as he shifts gears to corporate financing, pro-gun and pro-death penalty. Trust, but don't verify. Only Ralph Nader has the guts to demand specifics.

Posted by steve conn | June 28, 2008 3:31 PM