Roger, Bruce, and Lori

Doug Henwood dhenwood at panix.com
Sun Jun 9 14:24:38 PDT 2002


Michael Pugliese wrote:


>http://www.ncpa.org/oped/bartlett/sep2000a.html

...and in case you didn't follow that link, the conlusion (the reference to Nader's Freeman article is his 40-year-old essay denouncing public housing, which sadly is no longer there):


>It is easy to dismiss these conservative sentiments. After all,
>Nader's campaign consists mainly of attacks on big corporations and
>he has long advocated expanded government power to protect
>consumers. Nevertheless, there is a conservative strain in Nader's
>thinking that survives to the present day. For example, in his
>acceptance to the Association of State Green Parties in June, Nader
>appealed to conservatives for support.
>
>"Don't conservatives, in contrast to corporatists, want movement
>toward a safe environment, toward ending corporate welfare and the
>commercialization of childhood? Don't they too want a voice in
>shaping a clean environment rooted in the interests of the people?
>Don't they want a fair and responsive marketplace, for their health
>needs and savings?" he asked.
>
>This is not just rhetoric. Nader really believes that his values are
>conservative. In July, he made a strenuous effort to convince David
>Brooks of the conservative Weekly Standard magazine that it should
>support his campaign. Nader even bragged to Brooks about the many
>conservative leaders he has worked with over the years, naming Bill
>Bennett, Paul Weyrich, Gary Bauer and Grover Norquist.
>
>Indeed, there is an old-fashioned, small town aspect to Nader's
>worldview that is conservative. The problem is that Nader long ago
>sold out that vision to the trial lawyers who bankroll his
>operations. And despite Nader's repeated talk about empowering
>citizens and renewing democracy, he has consistently supported the
>totally non-democratic court system in making law and policy,
>against the elected representatives of the people.
>
>This is neither liberal nor conservative, but authoritarian. As one
>of Nader's former colleagues, David Sanford, wrote about him in
>1976, "He is, I believe, an authoritarian, a man on a white horse,
>and I for one hope that he will never ride into the White House."
>That is a sentiment I second.
>
>Source: Bruce Bartlett, senior fellow, National Center for Policy
>Analysis, September 20, 2000.
>
>For Nader's Freeman article http://www.fee.org/iol/nader.html



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