Ralph Nader: The Movie

There is a new film on the life and work of Ralph Nader -- An Unreasonable Man.  I've seen it and can tell you that not only is it a compelling piece of history, it also is highly entertaining.  As you probably know, this "Unreasonable Man" founded Public Citizen.  While Nader is no longer involved in our operations, his work continues to inspire us. 

But however inspirational, this film does not sugar-coat the Nader legacy - it's all there - Nader the hero and the spoiler, too.

The movie opens in cities around the country over the next couple months.  To find out where you can catch it and to read more about it, go to the movie's website.

Comments

[Zal Moxis]

I was aware that he founded Public Citizen. I'm confused as to what you mean by his low point being a "spoiler." Surely you don't mean that he prevented the wonderful Democrats from being elected & instead got the naughty Republicans elected? You know, those wonderful Democrats who enabled, aided & abetted everything the fraudulent president has done, from his illegal war to his blatant trashing of the Constitution. Except for Barbara Lee & Russel Feingold. As I recall, wonderful Democrat Albert Gore was elected president in 2000, & wonderful Democrat John Kerry was elected president in 2004, & both were too chickensh*t [pardon me] to take office. Instead they took orders ... from their corporate masters, to conspire in the theft of the presidency. If this is how Nader became a spoiler, it is because he spoiled the loyal opposition tendency among enough liberals so that they regained a tiny bit of courage & integrity, & voted their
conscience instead of what's good for what Pam Africa calls "this rotten-ass system." In any event we will try to see the movie. I said recently that as much as I admired him thru the years, I voted for him because he ran with Winona La Duke. Now he's become who he always was. He went from being a Democrat to being a democrat. Thank you for carrying on his work.

[Art Hanson]

I strongly disagree with Ralph Nadar. Pres. Bush has been MUCH WORSE than a Pres. Gore would have been.

[L. Eleanor Finney]

Ralph Nader has made so many positive impacts on our society that we will be owing him for a long time. Many people, I'm sure, have no idea just how many ways he has improved our lives and how many young and old activists he has trained and in other ways started on the path of activism.

I look forward to seeing the movie. I have great appreciation for Ralph Nader as a human being.

[Gerry Gras]

I was already planning to see the movie, before I received
the email.

I also STRONGLY disagree with the idea that Nader was a "spoiler".
1) We can never know who would have won the election if Nader had
not run.
2) Several newspapers did a recount of the Florida vote, and it
turned out Gore did in fact win Florida (and the U.S.). The
Democrats could have fought harder, but did not.
3) One can not assume that a vote for Nader would have been a
vote for Gore if it weren't for Nader. In the 2000 campaign,
I met several people who said they normally voted Republican,
but were voting for Nader that time.
4) The number of Democrats who voted for Bush was many times
the total number of people who voted for Nader.
5) I could make a number of other points as well, but my past
experience has shown that most people who believe that Nader
was a spoiler are just not willing to listen to arguments
contrary to their views. So enough said for now.

In short, I think people should stop saying that Nader was
a spoiler. If people really strongly believe that he was a
spoiler, I hope they can recognize that the case has not been
proven, and therefore the most that can be said is "alleged
spoiler" or something to that effect.

Frankly, the continuing labeling of Nader as spoiler does
Nader and the U.S. a disservice.