From Nader/Gonzalez

 I hope that we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations, which dare already to challenge our government to a trial of strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country. - Thomas Jefferson

Click here for “A Conscientious Objection”

Click here for “Pressuring the Democrats on Peace: A Commentary on the Fifth Anniversary of the War”

Click here for “Obama Glosses Over Colombian Attack in Ecuador; Clinton Calls for Escalation Against Venezuela”

Click here for “Hell Hath No Fury: Ralph Nader vs. the Fundamentalist Liberals”

Click here for “Obama, Clinton, Dems – Show Leadership, Make Change Happen, End the War Now”

Ralph Nader amplified my voice yesterday when he declared his candidacy for chief exec. Up till now, Obama and Clinton were answerable only to John McCain and the tiny minority he represents. Today they are answerable to me and the minority I belong to, people who reject war and insist on social justice, and who vote on that basis.

Neither Clinton nor McCain could ever get my vote, but Obama can claim it from Nader with just a few commitments. He has to commit to end the wars. All of them. He has to commit to undo the curtailment of civil liberties. He has to commit to national health insurance comparable to what citizens of other countries have. He has to commit to hold Bush and company accountable for the crimes they have committed and for the injury they have done to the country.

Nader gives me all of these commitments and much more. He doesn’t promise to win the election, but he enhances the value of my vote, which has never come cheap. If the accountability crowd unites behind him, he can challenge Obama to reject the anachonistic chauvinism that continues to dominate the right wing of his party, especially as embodied in bought-and-paid-for members of Congress. That probably won’t happen, but it might happen.

Ralph Nader invited the Democrats in the last two elections to make him irrelevant by embracing the goals of the movement for peace and justice. Both candidates declined even to discuss national health insurance, and the last one pretended there was something worthwhile to be salvaged from our military adventures. The two now vying for the support of serious voters have so far come up short on peace and justice, and some of us will demand more.

We should consider the election a mere formality at this point. Obama’s popularity is not going to abate. Nothing ugly is going to come out about him because there isn’t anything ugly to come out. Nader remarked when he announced his candidacy that if the Democrats can’t landslide this election they should close up shop.

Let’s concede that the time between now and the inauguration will be spent preparing to govern and not campaigning for office. Obama will become a magnet for every opportunist in America and every patriot, and that’s where Nader’s candidacy comes in. As an independent candidate, Ralph has a seat at the table, whether Barack wants him there or not.

Obama’s new and he’s clean, and he has an opportunity in Ralph Nader’s candidacy to win over the skeptical wing of the liberated majority. Nader knows that most of his supporters will probably vote for Obama even if he doesn’t come around on the issues, but voting’s not the big event here. The big event is unfolding now, and Nader’s candidacy ensures that our movement will play a part in it.

Click here for “Clinton, Obama Must Answer to Farmers”

The idea of Bill Clinton lecturing Barack Obama on any subject makes me want to choke. Obama could say (but won’t) that he still has his law license. Clinton surrendered his Arkansas license for five years and remains a disbarred attorney, banned from practicing before the Supreme Court of the United States because he lied under oath. Obama might say (but won’t) that he, like Clinton, enjoys being adored by beautiful women, but he hasn’t made a practice of seducing them. Not on the job, and not off the job either. He might say (but won’t) that his wife wouldn’t tolerate such conduct on his part and would never be so corrupt as to facilitate his infidelities in exchange for a promise of political power. He might point out that history already judges Bill Clinton, Democrat, as less progressive than Richard Nixon, Republican. He might say that Bill Clinton will be distinguished always and forever as an impeached president and is today an embarassment to his party, if not a millstone around the neck of every Democrat. Clinton needs to get out of the way, and somebody should tell him that. Somebody should tell her that.

Click here for “Democratic Debate; ‘Unbelievable’ is the Operative Word”