SFist: Ralph Nader Slams Obama as an "Uncle Tom," Manages to Shock Fox News

DJBurrito

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 19:49:56 -0800

@georgetatevosyan join gothamist. Run in Albany,New York again and get more than 3 percent of the vote and lastly take your own advice quit being a part of a ahmm..."disfunctional (edit:dysfunctional) cult of self-censoring, serial propaganda repeaters." http://blogs.courant.com/on_background/2008/07/nader-mad-hes-not-invited-to-a.html and "tweak, the arrogant know-it-all contempt" http://www.cmonitor.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070721/REPOSITORY/707210333/1029/OPINION03 love, me and yes i would have accepted that in this context but my feminist friends might have taken offense in using the word bitch and instead preferred sell-out as my initial recommendation.

GeorgeTatevosyan

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 15:49:10 -0800

Obama deserves to be called 'Corporate Uncle Tom' - already, because he rolled over for Paulson's $700B+ bankster's bailout. This is how it starts and you obsessive Nader bashers can't wait to bitch about it. Maybe, 'banksters bitch' would be slightly less politically incorrect?

Aventinus

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 12:26:38 -0800

Basically, Nader just Imussed himself. At least Imus had the intelligence to apologize.

SFX

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 11:18:22 -0800

i honestly thought jessie or al would be the first to call BO an uncle tom...

Brock Keeling

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 10:42:51 -0800

it's the same shit that's been going on for some time, especially with our progressive brethren, who assume shit like this is OK in its boldness, since they're often under the false impression that they're doing god's work. take, for example, the snide comments jews and gays (now and then receive from local progressives, ever since the two groups started occasionally veering toward the right. comments, like the one nader feels smug enough to express, are going to get more rampant as the days more on, targeted at the black community.

bluecanary

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:38:35 -0800

I have to wonder if perhaps Nader is suffering from a mild form of dementia, and I'm being serious. I just can't believe he's willingly throwing his legacy down the toilet by behaving in this manner. I get the "Uncle Tom" analogy, but he would have never analogized the situation that way if Obama had been white. There is no way Nader did not know the racial connotations of that phrase. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt and just assume that this is age-related. I know when my grandmother got alzheimer's she came out with some wildly crazy shit she'd have never said/done had she not had that disease.

sfbs

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 09:35:49 -0800

I saw Gonzalez driving down Divis yesterday morning. Guess he wasn't with Nader at campaign headquarters. Do you think that Matt and Nader even spoke on election night? Any "Well, good campaign, maybe next time..." Or did they just watch it on the news? Wouldn't be surprised if Gonzalez voted for Obama.

huffybike

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:57:16 -0800

Classy!

sfrealist

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:20:46 -0800

zippy: "Obama makes a nice moderate GOP candidate." Really? What on earth is your definition of GOP? You're entitled to your opinion, but you are way out of touch with reality.

Aventinus

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:49:33 -0800

"this is clearly the most blatantly racist comment that anybody has made in the campaign." I disagree. That prize goes to Rep. Westmoreland when he called Obama "uppity" and then pretended not to know the racist connotations. I agree that Nader didn't call Obama Uncle Tom, he asked if Obama would end up being Uncle Tom, but the sobriquet is still known as as a pejorative for a black person and it's still offensive and it's still racially charged. Nader knew this and he went ahead and used it anyway. Instead of people talking about Nader's question -- Will Obama be for the country or for the corporations -- they're talking about the offensive choice of words. And that's completely Nader's fault. I don't know if he's racist or just blindly, stupidly insensitive, and I don't really care, because either way, I have lost what little respect I had for him.

overeduc8ed

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 04:28:23 -0800

I support both Obama and Nader (I know, OMG!!!), and have voted for Nader in the past, but Obama earned my vote this time. Nader used to avoid soundbites, and just as well because he's not good at them. Unfortunately, it seems he's changed his policy. I think he came up with this believing it would be a catchy soundbite, but it's bit him in the ass. No, it does not make him racist in a real sense, but it does make him insensitive/ignorant to the emotional reaction that some words can provoke. I agree with what he was trying to say, but, man, that was a dumb way to say it. Nader's message is even more relevant in the face of the economic crisis. It is painfully clear that these corporations and the politicians they have in their pocket are fully responsible. These people are about getting themselves rich[er], even at the expense of the middle-class and poor, and many do not even pretend that their goals are any more noble than that. To people who think Nader is ego-driven -- why is it egotistical for him to seek a platform to spread that message? Compared to the people he is criticizing, you think HE's the egotistical one? Take a good look at the CEOs of mega-conglomerates, their lobbyists, and the politicians who support them, and get back to us.

pantsgolem

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:49:03 -0800

Protip: When registering to comment on a site for a single purpose, putting it in your username is a tipoff that you have nothing to contribute except for your vendetta. For anybody who's keeping score, Nader did, in fact, call Obama "Uncle Tom" and no amount of weaseling about wording it as an either/or will get around that. This whole campaign Nader has been harping on his point that Obama is a corporate shill, i.e. not a hero or "Uncle Sam". Abra kadabra! Disjunctive syllogism! Nader is a racist asshole!

what

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:50:15 -0800

Yeah. It's our fault that Nader's intentionally inflammatory attention-getter turned out to be inflammatory and attention-getting. I've had plenty of conversations about undue corporate influence on American politics, and let me count... hold on... zero of them contained the phrase "Uncle Tom". Should I go back and double-check my math?

MannyOrtez

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:40:23 -0800

nader was right on. but instead of 'hmm maybe he's right, maybe B.H.O. II is a corporate shill just like the rest of them' we get 'LOOK AT MEAN OLD MAN MEAN OLD MAN SAY MEAN WORD BOO MEAN OLD MAN' fuckin typical. impossible to have a substantive debate.

DidsfistBlowItOutOfProportion

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:39:30 -0800

I don't agree with Nader's choice of words, but the headline and summary are way too misleading, inflammatory even. Nader didn't actually label Obama that. But maybe just saying the phrase is a mark of racism. I have a hard time seeing it though. Do people really find it racist? I set up a little poll. I am also surprised at the generally positive tone towards the interviewer. His outrage seemed phony to me, but I don't watch his show, so he might look smug all the time.

Christopher Rogers

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 01:27:02 -0800

@pancake Does anyone know Matt Gonzalez and have an idea what the hell he was thinking when he joined that sinking ship? That part upsets me. Gonzales could have been part of a counterpoint to the centrist Dem party stuff in SF, but instead of any other possible path, now his career is tainted by association with Nader (even before this latest comment). As for Nader, it's time to be remanded to an assisted care facility for this former American hero. Once he was a groundbreaker and great man fighting the good fight, yet sometime before/around 1999 something went sour in his aim. Now it seems to be more about self-aggrandizement than policy change. Now he's... this. It's disappointing.

SamSez

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 23:07:32 -0800

Oh crap. I voted for Nadar some years ago. This Uncle Tom thing is embarrassing as hell. I wish he could find a graceful way to do that thing he does when he holds people accountable and tells truth to power. I really wish he would stop running for president. If he wanted to he could probably find a vulnerable congressional seat somewhere and become a congressman in 2 years. That would be a good use of his brain. The president thing is played out.

zippy_monster

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:28:49 -0800

realist: congrats. I'm not. I don't like separate but equal (Obama does). I think the $700,000,000,000.00+ bailout was irresponsible (Obama doesn't). I think the PATRIOT Act was a bad idea (Obama doesn't). I think that due process is important (Obama doesn't). I think single payer health care is important (Obama doesn't). Obama makes a nice moderate GOP candidate. Not a democratic savior.

SFBurke

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 22:06:16 -0800

Whether or not you believe Nader is a "racist", this is clearly the most blatantly racist comment that anybody has made in the campaign. Clinton, McCain, Palin etc. were all harshly criticized when they said even the most oblique things that someone could (mis)construe as being racially tinged in some manner. There is nothing oblique about this comment. Oh well, Nader went off the deep end a long time ago, it is just suprising that he has so lost his bearings that he doesn't even understand how offensive his statement was.

sfrealist

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:36:54 -0800

zippy, I'm pretty damned happy with the Democratic candidate who just won.

T.E. Lawrence

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 21:22:28 -0800

I saw that last night, crazy :D. Speaking of crazy... did you know Sarah Palin didn't know what countries were members of NAFTA? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWZHTJsR4Bc

pancakebreakfast

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 20:27:43 -0800

Does anyone know Matt Gonzalez and have an idea what the hell he was thinking when he joined that sinking ship?

Brock Keeling

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:18:31 -0800

oh.

zippy_monster

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:16:25 -0800

Wow. Did you even bother to WATCH the interview Brock? Aside from the fact that Obama IS an Uncle Tom, that's not what Nader said. Bitter much over putting craptastic democratic candidates up for election the past twelve years? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uncle_Tom "In an interview with Fox News' Shepard Smith, Ralph Nader challenged Barack Obama saying, "To put it very simply, he is our first African-American president. And we wish him well. But his choice, basically, is whether he is going to be Uncle Sam for this country, or Uncle Tom for the giant corporations" How's that gay marriage going thing going? It's gotta be going well what with Obama having your back and all... Oh.

pantsgolem

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:12:29 -0800

@DJBurrito: Bingo. And that's all Shep was asking him to do.

Shibi

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 19:06:55 -0800

Wow, I usually guffaw at Shep but Ralphie really surprised me with that gem and attempt at defending himself. And, WTF is up with that crazy eye?? All due respect to Bells-Palsy sufferers, does Ralph have a glass eye or WHAT?

DJBurrito

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:54:50 -0800

He doesn't regret using the word or the connotation. That is embarrassing and racism disguised as making a valid point. I think he should have used another word that didn't have such a charged racial implication and the fact that he didn't apologize shows his lack of empathy towards the racial subject at had. Sell-out would have had the same affect.

sfrealist

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:40:11 -0800

Matt Gonzalez is not a racist. He should come out strongly against this.

pantsgolem

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:39:22 -0800

Um, no. The validity of his criticism is not at issue. He chose the words "Uncle Tom" specifically because they had a racial connotation, and when offered the chance to recant those words (those words, not his entire statement), he repeatedly refused. Does this mean Nader hates black people? Maybe not. Does it mean he's willing to spout off racist bullshit to get a few more seconds of attention? Hell fucking yes.

largo01

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:32:00 -0800

pantsgolem: exactly. because you know he isn't a racist. his comment was not meant in a derisive manner, and he was making a valid criticism.

spysea

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:26:39 -0800

Come on guys NADER OBAMA and MC CAIN are all POLITICIAN which = Complete Kooks!

pantsgolem

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:22:51 -0800

Stripping away his initial comment... If you leave out the totally fucking racist thing he said, it isn't racist!

pantsgolem

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:16:55 -0800

Ok, seriously, did Shep Smith recently get a visit from the ghosts of newscasters past, present, ant future? First he calls out Joe the Douchebag on being a total moron, now this. Also, hooray for total fail in the Goodman's comments section.

largo01

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:16:52 -0800

Whatever. Nader is just trying to raise eyebrows. He definitely isn't racist, and for a white dude on Fox News to insinuate that he is seems just a tad bit ironic to me. Stripping away his initial comment, his criticism seems valid. It isn't a reason to vote for a third-party candidate. But it is a valid criticism of Obama, and I hope Obama can do something about it. I especially hope he turns on his home state and takes away subsidies from corn producers. I'm tired of them making Americans fat.

Greg

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:14:37 -0800

Resisting the urge to write a long list of expletives aimed at the irrelevant bitter Nader and his lame, do-nothing sidekick Magical Matt.

wchase

Wed, 05 Nov 2008 18:05:05 -0800

"really." might just be one of the best interview questions ever.