February 24th, 2008
Dear Great, Great Uncle Ralphie.
Ralph Nader, like the child who doesn’t want to play hide and seek yet never hesitates to go around telling Sammy where Mary is hiding. Like that child, he is changing the rules of the game while not really being affected by the results. Like that child, Ralph, quite aware what he does could be at the expense of a nation, has jumped in to the burning ring of fire.
His time is over. Not exactly irrelevant, he is like a tick on my dogs tail, he has to be addressed for the harm he could do even though the likelihood of real harm is pretty slim. It’s like he hasn’t noticed the people are showing up again, demanding real answers for themselves. The people no longer need Ralph Nader. We can thank President Bush for that.
I give him credit, at least he didn’t do what most of the generation of LSD and protest marches, and the end of the generation before them did,”Turn on, tune in, drop out“. I thank him for not following in the footsteps of his his contemporaries. I thank him for not giving it up when things got rough, when things didn’t turn out like everyone thought they should after the protests against the war, the marches against racism, and the essays on corporatism - long before it was called corporatism. When all that did not bring immediate success or change in policy, they all quit, headed to the hills, some eventually became part of the problem. Ralph Nader didn’t, and I thank him for that.
We can take over from here though. My generation will not give up so easily, are not as likely to head for the hills.We are better equipped with a large body of knowledge at our fingertips – so what if most of it comes off the internet - at least thirty percent of it is accurate.
Great Great Uncle Ralphie….please !! We can handle this.
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The rest, without attempted sagaciousness, is just for fun.
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For those who have totally messed up their life with their online presence, and I know some of you have, I’ve seen your FB and My Space pages, there is a solution. The Reputation Defender.
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And for you there who want to let someone know, though you know love is all you need, you gave them something else, Jezebel points out a site where you can send an anonymous card to your lovers to let them know you might have given them an STD. in Spot.
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A quickie stolen from Think Progress, which I hate to mention here as it might cause the more conservative of you to head for the blogging hills, but there ya go, like you didn’t already guess what “left of most lines” meant, even if you’ve never really read any of my posts completely I think you probably got the general idea.
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Peace
Exactly. I couldn’t have said it better myself, even to myself.
The links could be helpful too, for a friend or two, not me of course.
Video - hilarious.
I don’t get around much.
My generation will not give up so easily, are not as likely to head for the hills.
Ah, cooper … that’s what we said. [I use "we" loosely ... in those days, I professed to be right of center. Which continued until I finally figured out what that'all meant. Sigh.]
Until, like Abbie Hoffman, “we” discovered money and power. As did Nader, in a different way. He’s worth millions, though he claims that he never sees it. Life on the $25K per annum he says he lives on (according to Wikipedia) is a whole lot easier when you have a pile of people working in the corporations you’ve funded prepared to do everything for you but wipe your tush.
Obama is the new Kennedy, and your generation is about to live Camelot II. McCain might somehow survive Vicki, as Nixon survived Checkers, and put up some kind of a fight, but Nixon had the advantage of following after a reputable, if conservative, President - an advantage McCain lacks. I don’t see Obama winning in anything less than a landslide - with or without Hillary on the ticket.
May you and your generation fare better with your Camelot than we did with ours.
I really liked your previous post, letter to your body, for speed’s sake I’ll say it here. Good for you.
I didn’t live Camelot. I came slightly after to this world. Quite a bit after really. Not sure if your generation will do better, are they all like you? Doubt it, hope so, but doubt it.
We no longer need Nader, if we ever did, but you’re right to thank him - he did more in his way than most though not much came of it if you examine it. Messed up a few things too, at least if you ask some people.
I hope people are paying attention now, but how long into an economic recovery will the lassitude return? Not before the election certainly, I agree Obama will win, barring some unforseen affair with a covert operative from the Middle East. It’s the morning after where we fail, maybe we can stay awake and be wary of the morning after.
I have hope, first time in a long time. That’s a good thing.
But damn the morning after is where we have to stay awake.
I’ve been away so long I probably could have written a book here.
great uncle joe
How old is he anyway? Older than John McCain?
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I love the woman in the bottom frame who doesn’t quite know what to say but who tries to diffuse the situation somehow while trying not to laugh or cry.
Ralph Nader is directly responsible for the mess this country is in
I’m a baby boomer so all I care about is that big pay out I will get after selling my apartment :) The one in the city that was a mess when I first moved into it–but because of my generation and ones above it now has working subways, schools sort of and more.
My generation made inner cities livable–we did a lot of things that we’re not credited with
I will ask why nobody ever talks about GenX or the one after it? Why aren’t they responsible for change?
GenX came of age during peace time–after the recession that began in 70 and ended in 82–they would make fun of my generation while they were coke and ecstasy fueled. Why were they exempt from making this a better country?
People who graduated college in the 90’s walked into great paying jobs, bought expensive apartments or homes. Now they’re complaining–and blaming everything on us. Sorry it doesn’t work that way. Every generation is responsible to make this a better country
If I’m generalizing–my entire generation has been generalized and I’m tired of it
The children I didn’t have but my friends did are all Obama volunteers along with their parents. Maybe we raised spoiled kids who actually give a damn–maybe they learned it from us
Ralph Nader is a true generation above baby boomers–that was “the silent generation” as were the generations beneath mine
But nobody ever says “Gen X & Y should do more.” It’s always the baby boomers and has been since we were in our 20’s.
According to that blog I used to write for, all baby boomers walked around with rocks in our pockets during Viet Nam so we could throw them at troops. Baby boomers are solely responsible for the state of the country Not true but who cares?
Ralph Nader is a fly on the pimple on my ass. The dog is not responsible for him.
As Pia wrote, Ralph Nader put us into the funk of the last 8 years. Of, as joeg, writes a hangover that’s lasted 8 years of morning afters.
Ralphieboy was relevant at one point. Very relevant. Although I now think it would be very kewl to own a Corvair. But his ego-driven antics in 2000 are unforgiveable. He is the ego to Hillary’s id.
Perhaps he could do us all a favor by declaring ironpantsuit unsafe at any speed.
OC? Hillary on Obama’s ticket? Hush, man. That’s blaspheme.
I agree with everyone, not much for argument I can see all points. My parents became lawyers, one corporate one civil rights…I’m “Caught in the middle with you”.
I think all generations can take over now, finally.
What did happen after the sixties?
The gen before the boomers sat around in shock and the boomers moved on. Very few stayed in that peace, love and understanding mode when profit came their way. Those who talk most should at least be able to finish their speech, they didn’t finish it, that is why people blame them.
Yeah, I really can’t be too happy with Nader.
Look at the timing:
NYT puts out the story about McCain and within a week, Nader is putting his hat into the ring.
The Conservatives may rally around McCain because of that wacked way of presenting “facts.” AND Nader can be just enough of an upsetter to get votes away from Obama…
(As Hillary is back to “trying to fight” - instead of just accepting the defeat humanly, and possibly, getting a VP shot.)
It should be fun…
Actually, your generation gives up anytime there’s a new trend - or there’s a neato gadget to be owned. Why give up when odds are it’s just as easy to buy off a whole generation that’s lived its entire existance as nothing more than a string of pop culture fancies created by viral marketing gurus?
Lol, chica, guess I’m just way too cynical these days about the fate of our nation. Getting old and crotchety.
john: You get around more than I do these days.
amoeba: thanks you I hope we fare better too.
joe: hope is good b ut wht happens when it doesn’t work out? Do you just say fuck it?
kait: Fairly old though he doesn’t look that bad for his age.
pia: Someone shuld have gien gen x something to do.
Oh,pia I care.
sk: you exhaust me.
g: you have a point in that everyone has a point.
Jason P: I don’t watch any of it anymore though I will watch the debates and did last week. I’ve allocated my free time to “The Wire” instead of to pundit news.
Jason zp: Yea well I guess you my be hanging around the wrong pieces of my generation, though I won’t argue their are plenty of them like that there are more of the others yet the world concentrates on the cultures cliquers.
I didn’t even know I had a online reputation to defend. Hmmm.
I was about to write something along these lines actually. But then again Hillary is providing plenty of fuel, so I’ll be ok.
As for our generation… you do not accurately represent it. I would like to say that I don’t either, nor do the people that we generally associate with. There may be hope for us, but really what we ought to be saying is that we will be notorious and relentless in our refusal to give up and that there will be others who follow the example
interesting links Cooper …
just learnt that Turn on, tune in, drop out came about because someone wanted something snappy to promote the benefits of LSD…. :)
….do people really pay to have their reputations defended ??
Hi Cooper,
The video is priceless … I don’t think he could have planned the follow up to his point any better than the insipid bit of Vegas-like infotainment.
As to Nader, he doesn’t understand that the very folks that the Green Party was appealing to back in 2000 are now being brought into the process by Obama again, so he is completely irrelevant. Plus he has no party or movement behind him … just a waning cult of personality.
I’m beginning to see some really nasty hate-speech floating around the right wing propaganda machine regarding Obama, and we could be in for a really ugly campaign.
Do you mean -http://www.thewire.co.uk/ or http://www.the-wire.com/ or the TV show “The Wire”. I assume nothing.
Pundits and wonks have their uses, like men. ;)
Debates are generally what i watch.
Anywho, just count the days until someone else is saying, “I do solemnly swear…”
I don’t know much about Nader, I saw a clip of him last night on some show and really I couldn’t make sense of half of what he was saying.
That video was priceless.
Those other links are interesting - Reputation Defender????
inkspot not a bad idea, but I can see all sorts of people yucking around with it.
mojo: I’m glad you know now.
EW: Maybe it’s wishful thinking but I have hope for our generation. I see more and more humanitarian and civic action from people my age daily, and I also see them researching the issues.
laketrees: I don’t know I haven’t had cause to check it out …..yet. ;)
Francis: You are right, Nader is missing that very point, which means he disregards their pov or doesn’t know about it - neither makes him look good.
Glad yuo enjoyed the video.
JasonP: The Wire - HBO usa
casey: I could see it being a yucker for sure.
Hi Cooper,
Me again … I’ve just tagged you with a meme. If you have some free time to spend on it (I know you’re busy), it might be worth a look. Details are here.
Nader might make Senator Obama a better candidate. I would feel a lot better if something would.
But, Doug, Obama’s a great candidate! Look at all these young people following him around.
er, what was that about a flute player in motley …?
;)
hi cooper,
i’m glad you lean to the left. at the risk of getting tomatoes (or worse) thrown at me, i will venture to say that the people i know on the right are more apt to say “don’t bother me with other sources. i know where i stand.”
i once placed to the left of the Dalai Lama on a personality test which, though i take it only half seriously, i’m sure holds some truth.
i’m linking to you. thanks for having the courage to make political statements!
Ralph Nader is an ego maniac.
Doug:
Well you will have two choices from the main menu, but then there is that sub menu, and of course the “write in” .
I say knock yourself out.
amoeba: You have the same menu options as Doug, we all do. To assume mine are any less thought out because I’m twenty two is quite frankly insulting.
Obvious to anyone is the fact that all political candidates want to get elected, most would do anything to do so, some may appear pied piper-ish, which indeed would frighten those of you who lived through all that…yet most people I know do not get their information via television, they know where to go to look up senate record, state senate records, which lobbyist’s work for which candidate currently, who exactly contributes to the campaigns,…and on and on.
Most people are looking beyond the words.
lydia: I believe I am in that Dali Lama corner as well, if I remember correctly. I’m coming your way as soon as I relax with a left leaning glass of tea and a salad.
Yobachi: I think there is a touch of that, yes.
Cooper, you think carefully, you’ve shown that throughout your posting life here. I daresay those in your immediate vicinity think carefully. Does that apply to everyone wearing an Obama button? I wonder.
After all, if we were truly listening to what the world is telling us right now, there wouldn’t be a car on the roads.
amoeba:
As many as are thinking about any other candidate so I guess it makes it even in some way.
If there weren’t a car on the road I’m afraid most people would be without work making it hard to house and feed themselves. Again I hate to go back to the past but it could have been planned much differently maybe even legislated, though we know people love small government. It’s not like they weren’t aware of this in the seventies, they were.
wow, you made me feel sorry for Ralphie.
Zydeco: That’s unfortunate.
Great post. Although I don’t really feel sorry for the Ralphie. In some sick way he’s connected to why we’ve had nearly 8 years of Bush, although he wouldn’t admit it.
I don’t think we have anything to worry about this year. I loved the point that Obama made about Nader - to paraphrase - that Ralph is someone who feels if you don’t hold his exact views you’re not committed enough.
BTW - it’s great to be reading your posts again.
Spacemonk: Where have you been? I hope you are posting again.