Presidential candidate Ralph Nader is standing on a bar of soap in a political rainstorm. Midway through 2004, while his electoral base shrinks, one of the great American reformers of the 20th century is drifting out to sea.
When the Green Party’s national convention refused to endorse Mr. Nader for president a few days ago, the delegates were not rejecting his strong anti-corporate and pro-democracy politics. On the contrary, the convention was acting on the basis of such principles. Greens from every region of the country recognized that Mr. Nader — proudly unaccountable to any institution but himself — has steered his campaign into a steadily worsening tangle of contradictions.
Activists struggling to build a viable Green Party with a truly democratic process found that Mr. Nader preferred to remain aloof. Four years ago, he was the party’s presidential nominee but declined to become a member. This time, he ruled out accepting the Green nomination…
Read the full op-ed from the Baltimore Sun.