Top 10 Favorite Documentaries, Part IV
This is #9 on a list I started in March 2006. Once in awhile, a person, a book, or a documentary will come along that changes your way of thinking.
Go here for Part I, Part II, & Part III. Go here for Part V.
This is the post I was working on that became four pages long, then seven. I'm still trying to edit it down, but there's just so many things to say here. This documentary had a huge affect on me in the same way that a Noam Chomsky book once did. It was like being hit in the head with a rock marked TRUTH, and my opinion on a lot of things changed.
9. An Unreasonable Man: Ralph NaderRalph Nader is an American icon, yet refers to himself as a private citizen. He is neither Republican or Democrat, which allows him to see things from a different perspective. He is a liberal though, and without his unrelenting fights against corporations and the government on behalf of citizens to live a safer life, things would be a lot worse today. He's most famous for getting auto companies to put seatbelts and airbags in our cars, when they did not want to do it. He is a true American hero, and as Bill Murray said, "the best American."
Ralph Nader was raised by Lebanese immigrants who believed strongly in American democracy and taught their children to be responsible citizens. As a young attorney, Nader helped pass an auto safety bill despite death threats, harassment, and stalking (GM had him tailed). After the auto bill was passed, he sued GM and used the money to fund citizen safety projects.
The documentary takes you through Nader's life, beginning in childhood. It shows us his achievements and his life's work, and ends with the events surrounding his second presidential campaign. It portrays Nader in a good light so critics may call it biased, but I knew it would be a pro-Nader film before watching it. That doesn't mean it isn't factual, but it gives Nader a chance to show his side of the story and bring attention to why we don't see third-party candidates in presidential elections.
Nader's legislative record as a private citizen would be the envy of most Presidents, including The Clean Air Act, Safe Water Drinking Act, Law establishing Environmental Protection Agency, Nuclear Power Safety, Mine Health & Safety Act, Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, Freedom of Information Act, Whistleblower Protection Act, Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA), Consumer Credit Disclosure Law, and the list goes on.
During the Carter years, Nader put a lot of faith in Jimmy Carter, who publicly agreed with Nader on his ideas. But, in 1978, there was a big showdown, which was described as an epic congressional battle. Nader tried to get the Consumer Protection Agency Act passed, but he didn't have Carter's support and the bill never passed. As much of a disappointment this was, it didn't compare to the Reagan years, which was when Nader saw almost everything he spent his life work on, being torn down. The film talks about the Lewis Powell Memo (The Powell Manifesto), which was a major factor in changing politics as we see it today. It was a strategy for big business to fight back against consumer laws and organizations. It even named Nader as an enemy.
Realizing that he could no longer change things in congress, Nader took his crusades to the streets on a grass-roots level. He was able to achieve many of his goals this way on his credibility alone.
The Third Party System and Ralph's Runs for President
This is the most important part of the documentary and what really opened my eyes to what the Democrats are doing to American democracy (if there is such a thing as democracy anymore).
Before Nader decided to run for President in 2000, he pushed for third-party candidates because many people who didn't feel represented by the two-party system had nowhere else to go. When he realized that real progressives did not want to run because of the dirty politics involved, he decided to run. The mainstream press treated his candidacy like a joke and Gore ignored him. But, when the Gore posse realized that Nader was gaining support in major states, they turned on him. Nader's platform included healthcare, solar energy, the environment, taxation on corporations, and raising the miminum wage--all those things that big business supporters don't like.
Democrats showed their true colors when Nader tried to get in on the televised debate. I didn't know how the debate system worked before, so I learned something new here. Debates are run by a private corporation which include only Paul Kirk, a former chair of the Democratic National Committee and Frank Fahrenkopf , a former chair of the Republican National Committee. Both are lobbyists (Frank Fahrenkopf is the biggest lobbyist for the gaming industry). As producers of the debate, they decide which candidates the voters will see. They are also sponsored by Anheuser-Busch, US Airways, and other corporations. As Phil Donahue asked, "Can you imagine how much an American corporation would want Ralph Nader on that stage?"
Nader was frozen out, despite polls that showed 2/3 of Americans wanted him to debate. Since, he couldn't debate, he decided to just attend it where he would watch it on a TV screen in a remote location. He wasn't even allowed through the gates. The Democrats had passed around a facebook with ALL third-party candidates, so that security could block them from entering. Ralph's photo was at the top of the list.
When Gore lost, the Democrats blamed Nader for it. We all saw this. It wasn't the fact that Gore ran a shitty campaign and couldn't even carry his own home state. It wasn't the fact that Gore folded when Bush stole the election and didn't demand a recount. Nope, it was all Ralph Nader's fault. He denied Gore a victory, and we all believed it because we trust what the Democrats tell us, just like Republicans trust the Bush Administration. If we can't trust Democrats, who are liberals to trust? There's nowhere else to go.
The Democrats were brutal with Nader. As Journalist, James Ridgeway, said, "The Democrats just totally trashed the guy and they have been trashing him for four years. They’re the meanest bunch of motherfuckers I have ever run across."
The difference in votes between Bush and Gore was 537. Every third-party candidate got more than 537 votes. James E. Harris of The Socialist Worker's Party got 562 votes. Maybe he cost Gore the election.
Despite opposition (and abuse), Ralph didn't give up and in 2004, he ran again. I have the impression of Nader as someone who feeds off the battle. The more you push him, the stronger he becomes, and the more he pushes back. I also have a new perspective on what happened during both of his runs for President. He has principles and he will fight for them. He didn't try to steal either elections, he just tried to win. Since when is it wrong to run for President because you might hurt someone else's campaign? Nader said that no one is entitled to votes, you have to earn them, and that was all he tried to do.
When it came down to Kerry vs. Bush, the same thing happened all over again. Kerry ran a shittier campaign than Gore did. Democrats blamed Nader for trying to make Kerry lose the election. I remember watching on TV as Bill Maher and Michael Moore got down on either side of Nader and begged him to drop out. To this day, I can't watch that clip without cringing. It's just so despicable and humiliating. As much as I love Maher, and I like Moore's documentaries, man, they had it all wrong when they did that. I still think they owe him a public apology. Here are two quotes from Michael Moore:
2000 Presidential Campaign, speaking for Ralph at Madison Square Garden: "We’re at the place we’re at because we have settled for so less for so long. If we keep settling, it’s only gonna get worse. The lesser of two evils, you still end up with evil. You still end up with evil!"
2004 Presidential Campaign, speaking against Nader: "And when you go in the voting booth, don’t go in there like, ‘Oh, this is gonna make me feel good though. I’m gonna feel good voting for Ralph Nader because he’s pure, and I’m pure, and I want to feel good. So I’m gonna vote for Nader. Listen, my friends, your parents must’ve told you when you were 14, five minutes of feeling good, you gotta pay for it for the rest of your life. Come on!"
Some other quotes by Democrats during Nader's Presidential campaigns:
"Ralph, go back to examining the rear-end of automobiles and don't risk costing the Democrats this year as you did four years ago" - Jimmy Carter
"Thank you, Ralph, for the Iraq War, Thank you Ralph for the tax cuts. Thank you Ralph for the destruction of the environment, Thank you Ralph for the destruction of the constitution...I just think the man needs to go away. I think he needs to live in a different country. He's done enough damage to this one, let him damage somebody else's now." - Eric Alterman, The Nation
“Ralph Nader denied Al Gore a clean victory.” - Tom Daschle
The December 2006 Atlantic Monthly lists Ralph Nader (#96) on its list of 100 Most Influential Figures in American History. Here's how The Atlantic thinks he contributed: "He made the cars we drive safer; thirty years later, he made George W. Bush the president."
Ralph Nader said that there wasn't much difference between the Democrats and Republicans. Both are funded by corporations. Both make promises they don't keep. Both play dirty politics. By keeping third-parties out of the race, voters who don't feel represented by the the two main parties, have to keep voting for the lesser of two evils. This is what Nader was trying to change. If we had voted for him, I truly believe that he would have done everything that he listed on his platform. We could have had a better healthcare system, a better environment, and a better economy. But, in the end we were the ones who turned all of that down. Ralph Nader didn't spoil the elections, the Democrats did. And, Ralph Nader never sold out, we did.
If Ralph Nader decided to run for President again, I would vote for him.
