The Language of Betrayal

[Max Sawicky]

How much of this can you document?  I was/am a
Nader supporter, but I don't recall all that stuff.
I remember the following:  Nader calling Gore a
coward and corporate lackey, etc., and calling
some of his enviro supporters equally uncharitable
things.  There is his travel schedule in the final
two weeks, which could be interpreted as a design
to cause Gore's defeat.  You could say this was
bad enough, but it seems well short of the picture
and intentions you describe.

I agree that if you're going to call the Dems
slime, you should not be surprised to be slimed
in return.  If you're somewhere on the left,
however, it does seem wrong to treat a left
critique of the Democratic leadership as
parallel to the premise that the anti-Dems
have betrayed left ideals.  Nor does it
seem right to take the side of the corporate
Dem leadership vis-a-vis folks whose ideas
you basically agree with.

mbs

The entire Nader campaign was organized around the
theme of betrayal by Gore and the Democratic Party,
and if that was not enough, it was rapidly extended 
to all those who supported Gore's election. It ended
with Nader threatening to do everything he could do to
defeat the most progressive, elected Democrats, such
as Paul Wellstone, by running Greens against them. . .