Ralph Nader said from the start that if the price for his candidacy was electing George W Bush, it would be worth it. In hindsight we know that the Nader voters made the difference, not just in Florida but in New Hampshire too. Nader has been joking in Washington that Al Gore cost him the election, but the club of centrist democrats in Washington isn’t laughing now and neither are many progressives and environmentalists. If George W Bush opens the Arctic Wildlife Refuge in Alaska for oil drilling or clearcutting there are democrats who are prepared to name the tree stumps Ralph Nader National Forest….
To Ralph Nader’s claim that he established a vigorous new grassroots third party in America, Tom Friedman of the New York Times says Mr. Nader midwifed a president from the oil biz, a vice president from the drilling industry, and a chief of staff from the auto lobby. The Nader effect is this hour the Connection
(Hosted by Christopher Lydon)
Guests:
John Nichols, editorial page editor for The Capital Times, Madison Wisconsin
Henrik Hertzberg, editor and writer for The New Yorker
Ralph Nader, presidential candidate and head of Public Citizen.