Conventional Democratic Party wisdom: What could be worse than Ralph Nader, that ancient, self-centered, egocentric, selfish, do-goodin’ fool entering the presidential race? Wasn’t he the spoiler last time? Didn’t he put George Bush in the White House? Won’t this just wreck everything and give the incumbent president four more years? No. No. No.
What’s a political party to do?
First, very quickly, grow some confidence. President Bush is in a slide. All of those lovely polling numbers that made him seem eternal have eroded to the point at which it’s clear to anyone with a calculator that he can be bumped.
Now, a history lesson. Four years ago, this was a different nation. We were at peace. We were still blushing from the scandalous behaviors of randy Bill Clinton, one of history’s most electable Democrats, but a multi-faceted man with some facets that were clearly adrift.
Al Gore struggled for months against his tendency to become positively oaken about everything. He slapped a big mouth kiss on his wife at the Democratic convention and was redefined as “passionate.” It probably took her a month just to get the splinters out of her lips.
He was not a great candidate by any conventional measure. He needed every vote he could get, and Nader’s presence undoubtedly dented that. But if Gore had been a better candidate, Nader wouldn’t have been an issue.
Still, Gore got the most votes. Democrats convinced themselves that Bush was the winner because Florida has many people who just don’t know how to vote, or count very well either. It was an Electoral College problem.
Now we are at war and much of the country is uncertain as to whether that was a wise course to pursue, if polling results are any indication. We are having an economic resurgence that includes lots of improved numbers but, so far, few jobs. We are awash in debate about thorny social issues that, by their very nature, separate the electorate into groups even more passionate about their disagreements.
If ever there was a time when a political party could feel confident, this is it. Instead, what we get is institutional party hand-wringing over the Nader entry, as though the Democrats have no faith in themselves and, worse, no faith in voters.
Good for Ralph Nader.
The United States is supposed to be a beacon of democracy, casting a bright light across a troubled world so all those who would join us in this magnificent experiment might find their way. Iran might handle this challenge by getting rid of anyone who hasn’t got a head full of fundamental Islamic belief, but the United States certainly shouldn’t.
Nader says he wants to pull the Democratic Party back to its roots by reminding everyone this time around it’s not just about fund-raising and corporate conflicts of interest. He should be welcomed. His arrival should have the clarity of a bugle call for the Democrats.
If they can’t believe in themselves enough to wash away the impact of a guy who didn’t top 3 percent last time out, maybe they don’t deserve to win in November.
