Over the years, I’ve had a variety of feelings about Ralph Nader. Before 1996, I was generally appreciative of the fact that he helped get everyone seatbelts. Then he ran for president, was widely ignored, and served an inconsequential role — a minor speed bump on route to Clinton’s second term.
Like millions of others, my passive disinterest in Nader turned to near-rage in 2000, when he specifically targeted competitive swing states to undermine the Gore campaign. There’s no point in retelling the story; all of you know it already.
And now that Nader is, once again, running for president, I was prepared to feel the same emotions I did four years ago. Instead, watching Nader on Meet the Press yesterday, I’ve come to a different conclusion.
I’m going to ignore him completely.
If there’s one obvious motivation for Nader, it’s ego. Now that his reputation is destroyed and his credibility lost, Nader appears to take some narcissistic pleasure in infuriating tens of millions of left-leaning Americans. The louder the frenzy, the wider his smile. Like a six-year-old who acts up at school, Nader seems desperate for attention, whether its admiration or bitter hatred seems irrelevant.
In recent months, as the drumbeat of anti-Nader sentiment transformed from pleas to outright begging, Nader reveled in his celebrity, leading to yesterday’s anticlimactic announcement.
Sure, there’s a temptation to scream and rehash the countless reasons why Nader’s “campaign” may be a destructive force in 2004, but that keeps Nader exactly where he wants to be: at the center of attention.
And so, barring some unusual developments, I’m through with him. Like Michael to Fredo, he’s dead to me. I, for one, will not give him the satisfaction of my ire.
In fact, it is my sincere hope that others follow this example. The more Dems criticize him, the more the media covers Nader as a legitimate story. Widespread disinterest will marginalize Nader to the status currently enjoyed by other fringe party candidates (Natural Law Party, Lyndon LaRouche, Prohibition Party, etc.). Like them, Nader will enjoy no poll support and miniscule campaign contributions, offering little incentive for political reporters to treat him as a legitimate candidate for the presidency.
If it’s attention he wants, it’s indifference he’ll get.