Some Advice for Ralph Nader

I can’t help thinking about what might happen during the Ralph Nader 2008 campaign, and the advice I’d give if I were involved as an advisor. So here are some observations. Keep in mind I’ve never worked on a campaign, so I have no expertise to call upon; on the other hand, I can see how this looks from the outside, so maybe these are useful:

1. Nader is perceived as garrulous and difficult to work with. Unwilling to listen to advice, unwilling to work with others, unwilling to compromise – all the negatives ascribed to Jimmy Carter, who was arguably one of the best presidents of the last half of the 20th century. To appeal more broadly, these perceptions need to be reversed. Instead of the campaign appearing like “Ralph against the world”, Nader should consider promoting or even just mentioning Congressional candidates with platforms similar to his. They of course will run as far and as fast away as they can, but Nader can at least help his supporters/voters come out and elect a progressive Congress, and, if lightning strikes and Nader is actually elected, he will have a track record which will make it easier for him to push his agenda through Congress.
2. Attacks on Democratic candidates overuse generalizations. The points Nader makes about the Democratic candidates (never mind the Republican) being influenced (“bought”?) by corporate dollars are certainly true to their extent. However, by being unwilling to point out real differences between the candidates, Nader alienates possible supporters with his oversimplification of their commonalities. It may be true that the differences between Obama and McCain are matters of degree and not principle; however, in many cases even these subtle differences are important.
   Take for example the topic of health care. None of the presidential candidates promote a single-payer system. However, Barack Obama at least recommends having a Medicare-like option in competition with private insurers; over time, if that option proves efficient and reliable, one could expect the majority of Americans to choose what would effectively turn into a single-payer provider. Yes, it’s not market change by fiat. But keep in mind, we’re voting for a President here; and this sort of change is not by Executive Order, but by an act of Congress.
3. Focus on the ballots and debates. One of the most important accomplishments Nader can achieve in an election cycle is exposing the lock that the two parties have on the electoral system, and working to make it ever easier for alternate candidates to run for President. In this, he should seriously consider joining forces with other former third party candidates to bring attention to the issue. Unfortunately, ballot signatures are a zero-sum game, so there’s no benefit to working with current third party candidates; they’re both (all?) trying to spend their resources in an attempt to collect what signatures and certifications they need to be on the ballots in as many states as possible.

If Ralph Nader is going to spend the time and effort to talk people into spending their time and money on his campaign, then he really owes it to his supporters to make the best effort he can to be elected. I can’t help thinking of the advice you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.