The Nadernaut Rolls On!

Ralph Nader's received a fraction of the attention he craved from this, his fifth presidential bid. The most coverage he's gotten since announcing came at the Ron Paul third party presser. But he's hitting swing states like New Hampshire with a stirring message worthy of Eugene V. Debs:

Nader noted that fewer than 10 of the approximately 40 audience members appeared to be Dartmouth students. He criticized the "sterile political debate at Dartmouth," adding that the College is known as the most conservative school in the Ivy League.

Who's paying for this? Well, you are. In July Nader hauled $411,187.85 in matching funds, paid for by voluntary donations to the public financing fund, distributed by the FEC. That's roughly a quarter of Nader's overall fundraising. No matter what damage Barack Obama wreaks, if he actually succeeds in blowing up the public finance system, he'll have done us all a favor.

Five years ago Radley Balko had some more examples of Nader living off of political welfare.

Comments

[cunnivore]

I'm not financing this. I'd sooner slit my wrist than check that box.

[ondigo]

Holy crap! That asshole has raised $3M?!??!!
Even Bob Barr could attract some attention with money like that.

[Matthew]

David,

"received", not "recieved".

[Ironic]

I hope that the combination of votes for third party and Indy presidential candidates is larger than the difference between JM and BO. We need to send a strong anti-bailout message this November. Do not forget that both JM and BO voted for the bailout. And if your Congresscritter voted for the dammed thing vote them out regardless of party affiliation.

[MJ]

So if a university is not a hot bed of raving leftists fawning over people like Nader, it's a politically sterile enviroment? Got it.

What an ass.

[An Honest Question]

MJ, I have to ask, does your handle have to do with one of the pseudonyms of a certain radio personality from Florida? Or does it have to do with something else?

[Handsome Dan]

Who's paying for this? Well, you are. In July Nader hauled $411,187.85 in matching funds, paid for by voluntary donations to the public financing fund, distributed by the FEC.

First off, I'm not paying for squat, since I never check that box. But since these contributions are, as noted, by choice, what's the problem?

Or do I misunderstand some important aspect of this process?

[Mr. Nice Guy]

"paid for by voluntary donations"

Nothing to see here, move along.

[cunnivore]

Well, since checking the box doesn't raise your tax at all, doesn't that mean that there's that much less money available for general federal spending? So we all pay for the campaign financing indirectly because it requires the govt to borrow more.

[ALF]

Ah, he sees it. The illusive loin of Pork the most prized catch in the refridgidary jungle.

[prolefeed]

First off, I'm not paying for squat, since I never check that box. But since these contributions are, as noted, by choice, what's the problem?

This "donations" aren't coming out of the pocket of the person checking off the box -- you don't pay more in taxes if you check off these boxes. And there's no proviso to cut any other gov't spending to counterbalance this program. And all gov't spending gets paid for, one way or the other. Thus, those people checking off the box are creating new gov't spending that other people will be required to pay for.

The short version -- you don't have a "choice" about paying for other people checking off these boxes. You do it, or else.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

So when you check the box it is essentially saying "three of my dollars I have to pay to you have to be spent under this program." If you don't check the box it goes into the general "yay, other people's money to play with" fund.

[John C jackson]

What's really sad is, Nader is possibly the most libertarian candidate on a significant number of ballots.

[the wolf]

Nader's biggest problem is that there is already a raving leftist running, only this time he's at the top of the Democrat ticket.

[cunnivore]

They're going to play with the same amount of money whether you check the box or not, MNG. The only difference is whether the play money is borrowed or taken out of taxes.

Of course, it's an insignificant fraction of the federal budget we're talking about here. But the principle remains.

[matt]

On it's surface, this campaign-finance-funded junket is awful, but Nader's opposition to the Military-Industrial complex means that if he were to win, this would be taxpayer money well spent.

[Gabe]

As long as we are gonna be a in alesser of two evils framework, I'd rather the money be spent on Nader publicity than more tasers.

[Ironic]

"What's really sad is, Nader is possibly the most libertarian candidate on a significant number of ballots."

Sad indeed. This is like saying the healthiest thing on the menu is out of date raw pork. But when your only other options are arsenic and hemlock it may well be.

[cunnivore]

I'd rather spend money on Barney Frank getting full-body massages from Chippendales than on more tanks for police. That doesn't mean I have to be happy paying for either one.

And this isn't an either-or scenario, anyway. Ralph Nader getting money doesn't reduce the amount of money available for more nefarious purposes. This is govt, the traditional rules of budgeting don't apply.

[MAX HATS]

Who's paying for this? Well, you are. In July Nader hauled $411,187.85 in matching funds, paid for by voluntary donations to the public financing fund, distributed by the FEC.

Your argument is broken.

[matt]

Arriving late, are we?

[brotherben]

cunnivore, jesus man, I just ate! Stop with the unsolicited mental pics.

Aaaaaacccckkkkkk

[Lefiti]

To his credit, Nader has never published a racist newsletter or put anybody to sleep droning on about the gold standard like one wingnut politico I can think of.

[cunnivore]

brotherben, I'd rather have you lose your lunch thinking about Barney moaning with pleasure than pay for tear gas cannisters.

See, does that make any sense? No? My point exactly.

[MJ]

They're my initials, no other special meaning.

[MJ]

"...or put anybody to sleep droning on about the gold standard like one wingnut politico I can think of."

No, he puts people to sleep droning on about the evils of corporations.

[Robert A. Heinlein]

The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.

[Orange Line Special]

The good thing about this is that we'll soon have something closely approaching a one party system in the U.S. But, don't worry: MattW is going to throw us all a big party with his book earnings!

I kid! MattW isn't going to throw a party.

~~ in other news ~~

^ ACORNofOhio worked with the ObamaCampaign... earlier this year

^ Here's a new-to-me JeremiahWright quote. Even RollingStone said BHO came from a "radical" background.

^ Did I make Time print a correction?

[ACUTS]

Wel let's see, Nader is on the right side of some of the most important issues we face...a history of standing p for the little guy..sometimes he gets a bit too left, but frankly, he is an anti empire, cut wasteful budgets, pro civil liberty, anti war, anti corporate crime(he wants to actualy look into the fed reserve and possible eliminate it)..

on the other hand

you have an ex CIA guy who voted for the PATRIOT ACT, both wars, pro drug war, candidate who only changed his mind when it become politically convenient.

Interesting...

Now I see where Reason readers have their priorities.

[David T]

Compare Nader to Debs? Ha! Debs in January 1918 on Theodore Roosevelt (John McCain's hero):

"This political pet of the plutocrats, this bogus reformer, this shreiking charlatan, this raving mountebank, this crazy-horse of Oyster Bay ranch, this blood and thunder prophet, this opera bouffe ghostdancer, this blatant quack hero, this freak of froth and foam and buncombe, this nauseating moralizer, this dysenteric scold, this chattering midwife and meddler and all-around nuisance has buncoed the people long enough and they at last know him for what he is, at least those of them who have mentality above a shell-fish, and who can tell a jibbering fraud after he has exhibited himself to them daily for a score of years."

http://www.thevalve.org/go/valve/article/ferocious_goat_or_the_decline_of_political_invective/

Let's see Nader say something one tenth as good as that...

[Sparky]

"Did I make Time print a correction?"

Without wasting precious seconds of my life clicking on the virtual diarrhea that is your blog, I'm going to go OutOnALimb and guess no, you DelusionalHalfwitShitbag.

[BakedPenguin]

David T, that was awesome.

[steve conn]

Ralph Nader is spending public money and private donations very carefully to deliver fresh ideas about the direction of the country. If everyone spent money like Nader there would be no national debt. Trust me on this.

[Famous Mortimer]

"No, he puts people to sleep droning on about the evils of corporations."

Yeah, just like the Stock Market.

[Lefiti]

When Christopher Buckley, a novelist and former speechwriter for George H.W. Bush, announced last week that he would vote for Obama (his first vote ever for a Democrat), he referred to words once spoken to him by his late father. "You know," the conservative hero William F. Buckley Jr. said, "I've spent my entire lifetime separating the right from the kooks."

If Buckley did his work here, Reason would disappear. Donate now!

[Peter Orvetti]

Nader just likes running for president. He's like Alan Keyes, only pedantic instead of manic.

[Soda]

That may be. But at the same time that is not saying much. The faculty is overwhelmingly liberal as is the administration.

[Soda]

My post above was supposed to quote this:

the College is known as the most conservative school in the Ivy League.

That's not saying much... etc.

[ACUTS]

Trust me, Nader does not like running for President, In fact if the country wised up and started created more community movements, voted third party, and realized their potential as consumers and citizens, then he wuld not have to run. As an advocate for the people he feels he has no choice. Yeah, Nader likes to be ridiculed and be on the road non stop......

That was ridiculous.

[Chuck]

That Debs speech is 100% win. *Mountebank* is a great word, one which should be used much more often than it currently is, especially in this election.

[larry sullivan]

Really?? You're complaining about a few hundred thousand dollars going to help the campaign of one of the honest politicians running for president? What about the millions going to Obama and McCain? And who gives a crap about a few million anyways? There are much larger amounts of waste in this corrupt government. Jackass!!

[Episiarch]

Nader spoke at my former high school a few days ago. My aunt and a friend of mine attended. It was the usual Nader spiel, they said.

[Mark]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but IF we had a Balanced Budget Amendment then the $3 voluntary checkbox would actually take money away from other forms of government spending, right?

[Rick C]

"Nader is on the right side of some of the most important issues we face[...]he is an anti empire,"

I don't think that word (empire) means what you think it means.

[emily divine]

Nader is, hands down, the most qualified presidential candidate. The two senatorial whores just threw 700 billion at wall street crooks and somebody has the balls to kvetch about the sterling widsom of Ralph Nader? Get a life. Ralph is the man

[ACUTS]

I know exactly what it means.

The U.S is an empire.

you disagree?

And to those who want to say it is his ego..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BS1c5Ei0eIg

emily you are correct, he has a lot more experience building coalitions, making things happen, and getting citizens involved in their communities. That is called leadership... I would also point to the any leaders inspired by him.