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DEL.ICIO.USNader: Speaking about a ‘white-talking’ Obama to a virtual generation
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Just finished with a Ralph Nader rally in Athens, and the third-time presidential candidate was his usual, provocative self.
A bonus will come later, but here’s a portion of what I just filed for the mainsheet:
Athens — Three-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader continued to attack rival Barack Obama on Friday for “talking white,” and called him a “corporate Democrat” who has surrendered his principles.
In a speech to 150 on the University of Georgia campus, Nader accused Obama, poised to be the first black presidential nominee of a major party, binding himself with ties to major U.S. corporations.
“I don’t want him to talk black. I want him to talk justice,” the 74-year-old independent presidential candidate said. “What’s the point of this country being on the verge of electing an African-American president , after all these years — and then have it mean nothing?
“[Obama is] always talking about his past as a community organizer. But again and again, day after day, he’s back-tracking, surrendering, flip-flopping — and appointing the worst corporatist advisors you can imagine,” Nader said.
Nader is a driven, unwilling-to-please character who’s hard to explain. He was late on Friday for a promised press conference. He drove from Columbia, S.C. — this is not a campaign that can afford a hired plane.
Only two reporters attended, but Nader insisted on standing behind the crystaline plastic podium, then bowing his head to read his remarks, in a shiny, well-worn gray suit. Age is beginning to show, in more ways than one.
Midway through his speech, Nader wandered down a tangent that amounted to an attack on modernity that made you remember his puritan roots — and how much, in a way, he still has in common with conservative Christians.
But you have to wonder how it went down with an audience that was dominated by plugged-in twenty-somethings.
Said Nader:
”Childhood is now commercialized. These corporations have dared to enter territory they never dared enter. Fifty years ago, when I was a kid, about the only thing they would sell directly to kids was bubble gum.
“Now they’re bypassing, undermining parental authority in the most insidious ways, selling junk food, junk drink — huge expansion of childhood obesity, diabetes, hypertension — and junk programming. Violent, vicious, sadistic programming that they’re now involving youngsters [in] through interactive video.
“The most vicious type of exploitation of children, for profit, by these corporations, whose heads get invited to the White House, for White House dinners. These are electronic child molestors.
“And we let them get away with it? Undermining parental authority, turning these kids into nags? That’s what advertising does….
“Where’s their shame? What have they done to us? We’ve become Pavlovian specimens, starting at age 3, 6, 10, 12. Looking at screens. It’s now 60 hours a week, pre-teens and teenagers are looking at screens. Television, Internet, inter — you know, computer screens — and the video games.
“What does that do to attention spans? Socialization?
“You don’t see kids playing in the streets anymore, hardly. That may not be a bad idea, in some cities. But you know what I mean.”
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Comments
By Grace
July 26, 2008 12:36 AM | Link to this
Truth to power—that’s Mr. Nader. My husband & I drove 500 miles from Tampa to hear this program. Obama’s betrayals on campaign finance, FISA and a two state solution in the Middle East demonstrate he is just another politician who owes corporate America everything. Internet donors are icing on the corporate cake.
By Grace
July 26, 2008 12:37 AM | Link to this
Truth to power—that’s Mr. Nader. My husband & I drove 500 miles from Tampa to hear this program. Obama’s betrayals on campaign finance, FISA and a two state solution in the Middle East demonstrate he is just another politician who owes corporate America everything. Internet donors are icing on the corporate cake.
By Bullfrog Johnson
July 26, 2008 3:39 AM | Link to this
Truth to power can we please agree to bury this phrase it makes me want to puke on your silly infantile insanity
By Bitter EX democrackkk
July 26, 2008 7:22 AM | Link to this
‘Electronic child molesters’
occurs early in life, ruins mans ability to think for himself.
its a VERY astute term, Mr. Nader THANKS for introducing it!
By Bitter EX democrackkk
July 26, 2008 7:25 AM | Link to this
hey Bullfrog…’Truth to Power’ is a demo crackkk inspired phrase, which they can use to twist up most any of their plantation giveaways.
By Soledad "Brown Potato" O'Brien
July 26, 2008 8:19 AM | Link to this
“Black in America’, really come on, can we quit the pity party for a race that sold themselves into slavery, look at Clayton County, Atlanta city Govt., Blacks are doing just fine, how ‘bout white in America, Soledud you are a rascist, who sees only black and white, the rest of us have moved on like the movie Soul Man we see shades of grey
By Betty Boop
July 26, 2008 10:55 AM | Link to this
Grace, ya’ll wasted your gas. RN is and always was a johnny one-note. Frankly, he and his message have gone sour and no one with a lick of sense has any desire to waste their time, much less their vote, on this idiot. He may have had something relevant to say in the 60’s; but, honey, that was 40 years ago.
As for attacking Obama’s “blackness” — Ralphie boy ought to take a quick step back into his own ethnicity.
Betty Boop says this is all sour grapes from a perennial loser.
BB
By Colbert was Right
July 26, 2008 11:35 AM | Link to this
Pick a side Soledad.
By Pigskin Life.
July 26, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Ralph Nader will go down as the worst politician in history. It was Ralph Nader that let Bush get elected in 2000.
Now we’ve the devil to pay. Oh, the surge is working real good. It’s preventing the civil war and the genocide that Bush said was never a possibility and all of a sudden it’s McCain’s campaign slogan.
America: R U this stupid? The surge is working. Be morons and be glad about it.
We deserve 8 more years of Cheney/Bush. Yes, americans R that stupid.
The Iraq War is good. I like the Iraq War. I really love the surge. I love the end game scenarios that McCain mumbles through.
R U americans really this stupid? Think through the Iraq War end game just once. Think through something for once in your silly tennis shoes with lights lives.
Think.
Obama 08: Leading Americans back to America.
McCain 08: A deer. A headlight. A 1000 mile stare. But he thinks the surge is working really well and he’s glad he supported it.
By Nader's sad legacy
July 26, 2008 12:11 PM | Link to this
Ralph Nader has discovered and exposed some of America’s worst problems, so it’s horribly tragic that his poor political moves have made those problems worse. Denial must be the only way he lives with himself.
By Pigskin Life.
July 26, 2008 1:55 PM | Link to this
Had Ralph Nader stayed with his original mission: to get the car companies to make safe, economical cars, then he would be a viable candidate for prez.
But he’s a schmoe as he runs for office now.
A schmoe.
By Matilda Schletchenhorse
July 26, 2008 4:49 PM | Link to this
One cold rainy night in 1974 this ole gal broke down in a Ford Pinto on a desolate highway, out of nowhere a man in a cheap suit with a sturdy jaw and a pious aura pulled up on a mechanical horse. We set the suit on fire to keep warm throughout the eve, we made love, debated the power of fart gas, and parted in the morning with a twist of my hair. That man is Ralphie Nader a true American cowboy. He’s got my love and my vote.
By TW
July 26, 2008 7:21 PM | Link to this
Nader is just as responsible for the Iraq war as is the republican party. Thanks for costing us Al Gore, Ralph. Be real proud of yourself.
No one has given corporate America a bigger lift than Nader did in 2000.
Do us all a favor, Ralphy - go dig a hole and get in it.
Moron.
By Nice2Fool
July 26, 2008 7:36 PM | Link to this
Matilda, your comment is suspiciously similar to the plot of Police Academy Six. You should not hack material.
By steve conn
July 26, 2008 10:46 PM | Link to this
Two national polls now show that with Nader in the race, Obama’s lead over McCain actually widens. you read this correctly. So the Democrats who block Nader’s ballot access WILL SCREW Themselves ,as they did in 2004 ,by denouncing Ralph Nader who is not for sale..
By Post Haste
July 26, 2008 11:17 PM | Link to this
Hillary’s been so quiet. That must mean it’s her for VP.
By Matilda Schletchenhorse
July 27, 2008 2:04 AM | Link to this
I’ve made love created hope stopped dead in my tracks to hold her hand, however the bee that pollinates my love light does not deal in the shadows of lack of will, the road ahead shall be very trying, Get up, Stand up. U gottq fight 4 ur right 2 chill
By Huff Much?
July 27, 2008 8:33 AM | Link to this
Y-y-yeah! You gotta f-f-fight for your r-r-right to ch-ch-chill!
By Churchill
July 30, 2008 8:23 PM | Link to this
So I come home from work, and as I do from time to time, I decided to turn on PMSNBC to see what the libs were saying. Some show with a panel was on. Usual suspects: three libs, one of them being that odd looking fellow, Rachel Maddow and one conservative. I think it was Pat Buchanan. Anyway, they were talking about Obama and Ludacris and playing this dirtbag thug’s song about Obama. It was unbelievable. Obama’s pals seem to have it in for him. This song will offend the same group of voters that Obama so desperately needs. It kinda reminds me of the Rev. Wright debacle. I think Obama has been “Rev. Wrighted” by Ludacris. I love it. Peace.