Ralph Nader speaks on an Obama presidency pt3

[98bigbutt]

Nader knew it all along about Obama and nobody including myself didn't listen.

[metalreign81]

Dick Riding Obama---check out this video from The Boondocks--hilarious

Nader is like a great mammoth juggernaut compared to these two silly billys. He understands the methods and modes of infiltration of our government by corporations and banks better than anyone in the country

We need a strong anti-corporate 3rd Party to rewrite our outdated and often ignored anti-trust laws, end corporate personhood and welfare, end disasterous "Free Trade" policies, and clean up our corrupted elections

[kagasan2008]

Morris is a moron.

[brianlee89]

i hate the way fletcher and moriss try to sound intellectual ... speak to the people

[lifthz]

@brianlee89 EXACTLY. Nader does it better than them... they're busy trying to "act white"...

[WeNeedA3rdParty]

Fletcher manages to talk and talk without saying anything

[ghahandi]

Nader is the only honest man to lead this country. The neocon-NSA-CIA machine would "erase" him, if he were elected. They erased JFK and MLK. They have a big eraser. I love Ralph.always have...Did I mention my first car was a Corvair? It's fun in the snow~but unsafe at any speed....

[vandall]

O.M.G. I can't believe I ever disreguarded this news source so quickly

[gregsperry4]

I bet the guy on the right dances as white as Obama does.

[SCOOTERBALLUSA]

The United Third Party Won the Election.The Individual who did this name is Larry J. Schuetter. By one endorsey endorses all other then dem and gop opens a new legal precedent Third Party Proxie Representation.

The solutions right now are:

1. The Life Line legislation intro to social security credit card at 1% per annum on monies for healtcare what plaques the economy.

2. The Melt down slowed down by 90-100 year mortgage reducing payments and interest by 2/3s.

These simple items.

[brcmasters]

The host reminds me of Bill O'Foxnews. He likes the sound of his own voice and avoids issues like the mass media. I would not support this guy or anyone who shares in his spotlighting of fluff news.

[Kold2market]

Go Nader 2012!

[zelda975]

You know it, I can vote in 2012 finally so I will be voting for Nader no doubt!

[DANxCHORIN]

But Nader probably won't run in 2012. He'll be 78.

[seltian]

Ha!

Just TRY to stop Nader from running when he's 78!

[robers05]

Interesting to hear a US-citizen such as Nader speaking. Too bad that he'll never get to speak on your national television.

Most of us in Norway were hoping for Obama, even though he is on the far right compared to our politics. But r e a l l y change would only come with the Green Party, I think..

[pippicat]

Green parties in Europe are much different -- primarily because parliamentary democracies have proportional representation.

Here in the States, the Green Party is a corrupt mess -- a sad organization consumed by the vices of the American Left -- especially statism and group identity politics.

The party long ago abandoned its ideological roots -- ecology, community, decentralization -- amid the quixotic grasping for large-scale power. Nader unfortunately played a key role in that unraveling.

[pippicat]

greenpartygonebad.blogspot. com/#5938278841759094233

[quadrrr]

Very special indeed.

Here in France, we don't have anyone that comes even as close as to what Nader (A learned man with great humanity and an awesome global vision of society and politics) is offering to the Americans.

And what a great tragedy 99.5% of(Nader: 678,207 votes) Americans can't see that yet!

(In 2007, the French made an even worst choice by electing the equivalent of a "John McCain")

At least, Nader has deeply inspired people like me, way beyond the USA. Thanks also to Noam Chomsky.

[ELisSheba]

Being American I feel cheated that Nader is not treated well in the US. "Fire in the belly", unfortunately "most" Americans don't care, are ignorant and too conservative to understand this concept. The bottom line is Americans have one more chance right now to make a REAL change and to listen to Nader and others who are interested in the power of the people. Bush and company are working on eliminating civic freedoms from Americans. If we don't do something now this is really it.

[lighwave]

Repeat after me.--There will never be a 3rd party, and that's for the better, End of story.

[S6Mezzo]

The third party theory is obviously not working, through being pushed out of the debates and big media...but we have to start somewhere.

Are you say you want a revolution? How do we get the masses off their asses? That's what Nader's asking.

Change is almost always painful. Interestingly enough, Obama hasn't mentioned that.

[rabmunch]

It is amazing to me that men like Chomsky and Nader are not manly, courageous, and strong enough to accept a fundamental truth.

The goal of defeating "corporatism" or "commercialized mass democracy" or "a consumer state populated by sloganized and depraved human herds" - this goal is utterly impossible. These men are delusional.

The only true freedom is for the mind.

[mad3moyer]

It is very possible to accomplish this. However, it is likely either going to take a monumental national betrayal/disaster caused by the two parties, or a Perot like billionare with stronger stands on the issues than what Perot had.

[mdt187]

Since when are apathy and defeatism "manly, courageous, and strong" traits?

And who uses such hyperbole anyway? Sounds like you've been sloganized. . . . Ah, but if you thought to free your mind from sloganization, well, then, you'd be a pussy.

Might as well wither up and die.

[rabmunch]

You might as well join Sarah Palin, you fool.

Why? Because Liberty in an immense mass democracy, federalized & centralized with the machinery of modern governmental institutions, having iron clad separations of power, is an absurdity. Moreover, commercialism, on a mass scale, with representative government keeps the people preoccupied with their private petty existence. And you want to raise up public spirit and virtue?

You are the dupe of your society's delusions.

Raise Lazarus from the dead.

[mdt187]

You raise observations that I've come to and have moved beyond because they're base, and because they all conclude with stasis. Your mind is in stasis, and it's rotting. And you sound like a 12th-grader.

[rabmunch]

The causes which Nader has fought for, and which are supported by, for instance, Chomsky (with some qualifications), these causes are dead.

Obama proves that demagoguery can ally itself with mass-man money, and corporations, and speak the fraudulent histrionic language of "change" and "hope".

The causes that Nader proposes are hopeless.

[duh420duh]

what about the date collin powell spoke of....

what are they planning????

we are all doomed!

[mad3moyer]

I strongly disagree with Bill Fletcher. A third party is absolutely needed. You can pressure Democrats and Republicans all you want, but if you have no alternative to vote against both of them, they know all they have to do is promote the other party as being worse than them.

[rabmunch]

"A third party is absolutely needed."

You might as well join Sarah Palin and pray for the 2nd Coming, and the 3rd Coming too.

Wishes don't give birth to horses.

Modern mass democracy can never sustain what Nader or Chomsky hope for. Modern mass commercial democracy is by nature based on human vice. If they had studied modern political philosophy they might know that.

Without any awareness, they are advocating the "Indian Rope Trick".

And Obama? A corrupt and dishonest heart.

[blackiron60]

He's absolutely right, inspiration, motivation and struggle is what brings real change - you only get real change if you fight for it. This is the challenge now, all around the world, people have to be motivated to stand and fight for a just world. This capacity for motivation and organization will be tested over the next few years in the United States: will Americans stand up and not only demand but fight for something better or will they passively accept whatever Obama gives them?

[joelramirezramirez]

why would the federal minimum wage be under the federal poverty level. if the minimum wage is not at or above the poverty level then by implication dosent the senate suport systematic poverty in america.

[dawance88]

That's why I voted for Nader.

[audadvnc]

Good Nader quote: "There is a civil liberties issue to break open the 2 party system that stifles dissent, snuffing out the competition which in the 19th Century brought up the anti-slavery party, the sufferage party, and put the issues in the public arena before the major parties could accept them... great ideas have never come from the major parties, but from small parties, independent candidates, that never won a national election."

Thanks, Ralph. Thanks, Real News.

[oldhacks]

Nader's awesome. all we need is a federal ballot initiative process and everything changes

[karinablack]

Has Nader ever considered joining forces with Ron Paul? The ideologies are different but it seems some of the desired outcomes would be the same.

[prkjs08]

They kind of joined forces---you can find footage of them being interviewed together on CNN. Paul refused to endorse McCain and called on his supporters to vote third party; he and Nader also drew up a four point agenda that they agree on (1) Ending militarism, (2) Getting rid of the deficit, (3) Restoring civil liberties (4) Cracking down on corporate crime and abolishing the Federal Reserve as it currently exists. McKinney and Baldwin also singed on to this statement.

[Panpiper]

Resistance of the union legislation that was discussed here is not 'just' corporate influence. There are a lot of non-corporate individuals, economists, who oppose such legislation as being a very bad idea.

[Panpiper]

Missed an opportunity here to make a great point. Referring to split voting electing conservatives, this is exactly what happened in the US in 2000 and 2004, the left split their vote with a small proportion going to Nader. That cost Gore and Kerry the majority, and put Bush in power. What we need is Instant Runoff voting.

[McOath]

it did not cost Gore the majority, let's remember that.

[thisismyfunnyname]

Gore did not get a majority of the vote in 2000.

[McOath]

please look up on the official presidential election results of 11/7/00 Gore got 543 895 more popular votes than Bush.

[kapaka12]

Despite everything they have done, he did get the popular vote... that's a historical fact. Denying it won't change history.

[thisismyfunnyname]

The websites of the FEC, CNN and Wikipedia all say Gore received less than 50% of the vote. Do you have other information?

[mdt187]

No one's denying it. Nader certainly isn't questioning Obama's right, here. No doubt the candidate who gets the most votes should win, but that's not what this video is about. It's about creating equity and opportunities for justice, which are very hard things to accomplish.

[rabmunch]

You are one more deluded believer in democratic political freedom in a mass commercial society.

Political freedom requires extremely small societies. In immense societies the men are either pusillanimous (like you), or they are giant painted gas bags (like Obama or Hitler) - who may be dangerous. They are called "demagogues".

Notice: "Demos"+"agoge" = leader of the people. = Obama, Chavez, Hitler, Putin etc

"Creating equity and opportunities"? Where did you go to school? Goebbels University?

[mdt187]

Ha! You forgot to include puerile reductionists.

[rabmunch]

Politically I am enslaved. But my mind is free.

Politically, you dream that you can be free; but your mind is hopelessly and terminally enslaved.

You are a mass phenomenon: Moribund-Man.

[prkjs08]

You are wrong about 2000 and 2004 (I can go into it if you want). The "spoiler" argument is flawed and is simply not supported by the numbers.

I agree with you on Instant Run Off Voting. Matt Gonzalez, Nader's running mate, advocated for IRV in San Francisco where it became policy.

Unfortunately, the Democrats and Republicans have no incentive to adopt IRV because they know under the current system they will be in power roughly 50% of the time.

[Panpiper]

If I am wrong, I would appreciate you going into it. I do not like being wrong. ;-)

[0613162k]

Democrats like to blame every one but themselves. They've completly killed the progressive movement by scapegoating Nader & the Green Party as if it was a bad thing people were ready to support a true progressive agenda.

The fact is more Democrats voted for Bush than Nader, so the whole spoiler argument never worked in 2000, as Nader voters voted AGAINST, unlike those who thought Clinton/ Gore behaved like Republicans so they might as well vote for 1.

[prkjs08]

Well, you are definitely wrong about '04. Nader got a mere .3 percent of the vote then, and Kerry lost by substantially more than that. There was no "spoiler effect" then.

In 2000, 20% of all registered Democrats voted for Bush---that's 8 million voters. 250,000 of those Democrats were in Florida, where Nader got less than 100,000 votes. More Florida Democrats voted for Bush than all Florida voters who voted Nader COMBINED. Add to that voter fraud, the Supreme Court, etc.

[Panpiper]

To the idiots who are downrating my comment, I am simply illustrating the comment that Bill Fletcher made early in this video! The literal truth is that if we had had instant runoff voting in 2000 and 2004 we wouldn't have had Bush in power the last eight years. Please look beyond knee jerk reactions and see that there is a real solution here, one that BENEFITS Nader and third party candidates. I am NOT arguing against Nader running, I AM suggesting there is a better way!

[pippicat]

The problems with the American political system are far too large to be solved by instant runoff voting. Tinkering with the machinery will not solve the intrinsic flaw of excessive scale.

Simply put, the country is far too large for truly representative democracy. The extent of the political rot became particularly evident during Watergate -- thereby instigating a widespread (and justifiable) cynicism toward the process.

For all his strengths, Nader erroneously clings to the belief in reform.

[pippicat]

Plate of catered food at presidential fundraiser: $1,000

Obama '08 Total Fundraising: $666 million

Federal '07 Budget: $2.73 trillion

Replacing the capitalist empire with local and regional governance: PRICELESS

There are some pseudo-solutions that money can buy.

For real hope and change, there's re-localization, restoration of true community, and ultimately -- SECESSION.