Trailhead : Ralph Nader

Even Ralph Nader Is Running Against the Media

Christopher Beam — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 17:03:00 GMT

Perhaps taking a cue from Sarah Palin’s barbs against the elite Washington media, Ralph Nader has released a new Web ad chiding the same fickle bunch.

But it’s not negative coverage he’s complaining about. It’s the lack of any coverage whatsoever.

“All these reporters I’ve known, and the commentators and editors, they just froze,” he tells his pet parrot. “They froze, Cardozo. National television has just blacked out the Nader-Gonzales campaign. I don’t know what I have to do.” His best bet, he decides, is to dress up like a panda and go to the zoo.

Running against the media is a failsafe way to gin up attention. Voters devour it, even as they depend on the media to broadcast the candidate’s media-bashing. Even the media kind of likes it, since they get to discuss their favorite subject. At least Nader does it with a sense of humor, compared with Palin’s suggestion that media elites dislike her because she’s an outsider and “consider a candidate unqualified for that reason alone.”

Nader has only registered on the election radar a couple of times this cycle, first with the usual will-he-or-won't-he, then with his vindication on the question of game-fixing in the 2002 NBA playoffs. Both times, the spotlight faded. (Between the conventions, the hurricanes, and the economic meltdown, you can sort of see why.)

“To be, or not to be … a panda,” Nader wonders. Hell, I'd cover that.

Ralph Nader's Plan To Fix the NBA and Win the Presidency

Christopher Beam — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:49:00 GMT

Ralph Nader rocketed back into the spotlight Wednesday after disgraced ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy alleged that Game 6 of the 2002 Lakers-Kings series was rigged—a charge Nader (and, well, just about everyone with a pair of eyes) has been making since it happened. Now, with his umpteenth presidential campaign gearing up, Nader has managed to turn his moment of vindication into a media tour. He announced via press release that “even when it comes to the NBA playoffs, Ralph was right.” He spoke to ESPN about his crusade to reform sports officiating. He even found time to share some thoughts with Trailhead.

Nader slamming the NBA sounds much like Nader slamming any malfeasant company: It’s a “corporate dictatorship” that cares more about the bottom line than its consumers—or in this case, fans. The problem, he explains, is “there’s no process to explain to the fans when the line has been crossed.” Players can be fined for objecting to a ref’s call. Coaches and owners get penalties, too. “If you have pattern of behavior not inscribed by law,” he says, “it becomes insidious, there’s no way out.”

Nader has a solution. He’s urging the NBA to create an independent panel that would review referee selections. Company men would be sussed out; fans would feel reassured. But should the NBA really have the government meddling in its officiating? Nader says it’s all about the consumer: “Without the fans, there wouldn’t be an operation.” Likewise, he recommends that the nondisparagement clause—the NBA rule that prohibits players from complaining about a call—should only apply during the season, not the finals.

The timing for Nader couldn’t be better. A recent survey showed the independent presidential candidate polling at a not-inconsiderable 6 percent. It looks as if he’ll be on the ballot in Colorado, and he has applied to appear on the ballots of at least three other states as well.

Nader doesn’t expect to make sports officiating a big part of his platform—at least no more than any other local issue. But it’s certainly higher on his priority list than on his opponents’. “They’d never get involved in a local sports issue,” he says. “That’s considered a total loser. Hillary was for the Yankees and the Cubs, right?”

Meanwhile, Nader is pushing to be included in this year’s debates, particularly the summer town halls being negotiated by Obama and McCain, as well as debates hosted by Google. He dismisses concerns that he’d be a spoiler for the Dems: “I’m concerned about the votes I lose to them,” he says. “If I have an equal right to run for election, there’s no concern. None of us are spoilers or all of us are spoilers.”

And this year, Democrats can’t blame Nader alone for upsetting the two-party system. Bob Barr is running on the Libertarian Party ticket, which could presumably suck away GOP voters. Nader points to a double standard: “How can liberals say Nader shouldn’t run without saying Bob Barr shouldn’t?”

Ralph and the Ref

Christopher Beam — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:02:00 GMT

Yesterday, Ralph Nader had a moment of vindication. In a court filing, disgraced ex-NBA ref Tim Donaghy claimed that Game 6 of the 2002 Lakers-Kings playoff series was manipulated by two of the three referees. Guess who has been saying that all along?

Back in 2002, Nader wrote a letter urging NBA Commissioner David Stern to investigate the controversial game, in which the Lakers scored 16 of their final 18 points at the foul line thanks to some heavy-handed officiating. Nader’s interference drew scorn, but then again so did everything he did back then. People were still miffed over the 2000 election results, for which many Democrats blamed him.

Charles Barkley called Nader an “idiot.” One San Bernardino Sun columnist mocked the “clang-clanging of a howling Ralph Nader just audible below the din.” The Daily Oklahoman editorial board laughed at the “perpetual crank”:

[W]ho else but the most boorish fan—well, other than Ralph Nader—would call on the league office for an outside investigation of the referees, or even more silly, of the referees' collective intent?

Who indeed.

For Nader, the timing couldn’t be better. In case you didn’t hear the first time, he’s running for president again. “This whole thing has lit up our funds today,” spokesman Chris Driscoll told me. Meanwhile, Nader’s office sent out a celebratory e-mail blast: “We tell our kids that sports teaches lessons about life. The lesson we learned from the 2002 NBA Playoffs—Ralph was right.” At last, Ralph Nader can get the respect he deserves!

Well, not quite. Even in his moment of glory, ESPN killed the mood, describing him as a “former presidential candidate.” No doubt another example of the corporate-owned media trying to push him out of the race.

Nader's No. 2

Christopher Beam — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 23:12:00 GMT

Slate intern Alex Joseph sends in this dispatch on Ralph Nader's press conference in Washington, D.C.:

Roughly two dozen reporters gathered at the National Press Club today to find out who will be Ralph Nader’s running mate in his fourth consecutive bid for the presidency. Nader has been in the race only a week, but judging from the attitude in the room, he has already overstayed his welcome.

Nader acknowledged his history with the reporters who showed up. When someone pressed him for specifics during a question, Nader laughingly reminded them that they of all people know he can give specifics. He even condemned Washington Post writer Dana Milbank by name for his negative columns (all but guaranteeing another one), while Milbank sat in the back of the room smiling. It felt like an awkward college reunion, where a group of old classmates gathered grudgingly to reminisce on the good ol’ days.

The most interesting (a relative term) aspect of Nader’s press conference was his new running mate, Matt Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a young, articulate politician who made a name for himself by earning 47 percent of the vote as the Green Party candidate in San Francisco’s 2003 mayoral race. After graduating from Stanford Law in 1990, Gonzalez became a public defender. In 2000, he was elected to San Francisco’s board of supervisors. While Nader harped on how corporations run Washington, Gonzalez laid out three different priorities: election reform, poverty relief, and a quick withdrawal from Iraq.

Nader seemed to recognize Gonzalez’s appeal, at times deferring to him. At one point, Gonzalez tapped Nader on the shoulder while he was speaking, quietly insisting that Nader step aside and allow him to follow up. This may have been Nader’s best decision all afternoon: allowing a fresh face to engage a press corps that’s become increasingly tired of the perennial candidate.

Ralph Nader Announces Presidential Candidacy, Star Trek Fandom

Christopher Beam — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 21:29:00 GMT

Back in December, TV Guide published a roundup of the presidential candidates’ favorite TV shows. (Clinton: The Ed Sullivan Show; Edwards: Boston Legal, Obama: The Wire.) Noting a few oversights, we did some digging and figured out that Mike Gravel watched the History Channel and Ron Paul only watches the news.

Now that Ralph Nader has entered the 2008 race, it’s time to update the list. According to Nader’s Facebook page (Supporters: 127), the activist’s favorite TV show is Star Trek. (The lack of specificity and his age suggest that he prefers the original series, as opposed to a later incarnation.) Perhaps he and Hillary Clinton can finally agree on something.

Also, notice that his favorite movies include Gandhi but NOT An Unreasonable Man. So modest!

Guess Who's Back

Christopher Beam — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:35:00 GMT

Just as Edwards ducks out, Ralph Nader appears ready to duck in. (Hard to see it as a coincidence when Nader had endorsed Edwards last month.) He launched an exploratory committee today with this call to arms:

Maybe the Democrats and Republicans will nominate Presidential candidates this year who will stand up against the war profiteers, the nuclear industry, the credit card industry, the corporate criminals, big oil, and the drug and health insurance industries.

We doubt it.

The site then proposes an offer. You give Nader $300, he'll give you "two DVD’s—Sicko and Unreasonable Man—and three books destined to become classics—Free Lunch, Gotcha Capitalism, and All The Shah’s Men." It's that simple!

The prospect of another Nader candidacy should surprise no one. (He ran again in 2004, after all.) But it's hard to see him taking a significant bite out of the Democratic vote this time around. In 2000, many Dems, disaffected with the Clinton White House, wanted to try a third way. In 2004, Kerry was so uninspiring that a Ficus tree could have launched a viable third party candidacy. But this year, Democrats are generally pleased with their options.

If Nader wants to put a dent in this election, he'll have to throw in more than a few DVDs. Maybe a Prius.

Devastating Blow to Mike Gravel

Chadwick Matlin — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 22:20:00 GMT

Ralph Nader, who had previously all-but-endorsed Mike Gravel, has jumped ship and backed John Edwards, instead. This comes just 48 hours before the Iowa caucuses. Will Gravel be able to recover in time?