Back in the last campaign, Ralph Nader called me up one day and asked me to represent him in a trademark case. He was being sued — frivolously — by MasterCard for his parody of their “priceless” commercial. I sent him to a big law firm that had the resources to handle a case of that scope on an emergency basis (I sure don't); but while he was on the phone, I suggested that his candidacy was doing Bush a favor.
Nader disagreed — 'I'll hammer Bush so bad it will help the Democrats' was the gist of his reply.
I disagreed politely.
Now Ralph Nader says he wants to run again as a third party Presidential candidate. The Independent: Nader Says a Run Would Benefit Democrats:
Mr. Nader would run this year as an independent. (The Green Party will not pick its nominee until June, too late, he says, to mount an effective campaign.) And here is how he says his running could work to the Democrats' advantage:
By hammering away at populist themes like a higher minimum wage, union rights and occupational health regulations, all of which he says have been neglected, he would force the leading Democratic contenders to move left. That, he says, would expand the party's base, drawing out more liberal voters, some angry enough at him about 2000 that they would vote for the Democratic nominee instead, and many who would vote Democratic in close House and Senate races.
One common definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.
The time for polite disagreement is now long past.
