This is not about Ralph Nader, and it is not about abortion. It is about third-party and independent federal candidacies in an era when Democrats seem hopelessly weak, inept, and/or compromised, and Republicans are lunatic dangerous. It is about saving the last vestiges of our democratically elected republican form of government before we revert to the era of the Divine Right of Kings. It is about hoping that those last vestiges will be enough on which to construct a modern, effective, and truly democratic form of government, some time in the future.
Someone I have known my entire life has known Ralph Nader since they were teenagers. Because of him, I was raised to regard Nader as a hero. From the time I was politically conscious, I have done so. Flawed as are all heroes, Nader yet did as much good for this nation as did almost any public citizen in the Twentieth Century.
I don't want to revisit 2000. This is not about Ralph Nader.
In my estimation, one of the things that defines Democrats is our genuine desire for a fair and just society. Republicans are dominated by selfishness and greed, and they abuse government to serve those masters. Democrats believe one of the fundamental roles of government is to help those who cannot help themselves, and to provide opportunity to those to whom opportunity would otherwise be denied.
Before the 2000 campaign began, Ralph Nader called his old friend, and asked for his support. His friend was torn. His friend believed in Nader. He admired him. He had a personal desire to help. In the end, however, he said he could not. He told Nader he was too worried about the possible consequences of a Bush or McCain presidency. Nader was gracious. He understood.
As the old friend of Nader's explained to me:
Ralph's a wealthy man. He's never going to have to worry about where he will sleep at night. He's never going to have to choose between buying needed medication or food. He's never going to have to figure out how to send kids to college. He's never going to need an abortion.
More than anything, I told him that I'm worried about the Supreme Court. Justice Stevens is an old man. Justice Ginsburg has been in frail health. Justice O'Connor is said to want to retire.
It's easy to be a purist when you're not personally going to suffer the consequences of your purity. White people voted for Nader in larger percentages than did blacks or hispanics. Those who attend college, or have college degrees, voted for Nader in larger percentages than did those with no college education. The historically dispossessed tend to take government services very seriously. If you went to a Nader rally, in 2000, you would have seen a lot of white college students, and a lot of white college and higher degree graduates.
This is not about Ralph Nader. It is not about those who voted for him in 2000. It is about 2008. It is about the danger that our anger and disappointment at the Democrats will translate into lower turnout or wasted votes. I would hope that 2000 was a lesson for us all. I fear that it was not.
I am a Democrat. I have been for my entire life. In 1996, I voted for Nader. As a native of the Pacific Northwest, I had given up on President Clinton when, of nine possible forest management plans, he adopted the one most favorable to the timber industry. Even so, I availed myself of the advantage of living on the West Coast, by waiting until the television networks had called enough state results to ensure President Clinton's re-election. Had Bob Dole even had a chance, and had the California vote loomed as a factor in the final outcome, I'd have voted for President Clinton.
I'm an idealist, but a pragmatist. So, when I look forward to next year, I can only think of 2000. It's not about Ralph Nader, it's about the words of his old friend. My vote will come down to this:
Ralph Nader will never need an abortion.
Neither will I.
But many people will.
If for no other reason than that, I will support whomever is the 2008 Democratic nominee for president.