Monbiot's Brain (Con) fused by Nader Adoration

Those who insist Nader supporters should vote Kerry are holding back US democratisation, wrote George Monbiot in the Gruniad this week...

Daniel Mittler in Berlin disagrees ...

What fuse has blown in George Monbiot's brain?

Kerry may not be the true believer in the progressive causes George Monbiot (and I) like. He is in favour of nuclear power, for example. But he surely is not "vacuous".

Kerry is experienced, intelligent, and one of the few American politicians who can coherently talk about
multilateralism. Unlike Clinton, he can actually be relied upon to deliver on working together with others
to fight common threats.

Let's assume true progressives vote Nader this time.

Will that change the choice Americans face in 2008? Only the name on the Democratic ticket will change to Clinton. Other than that, the two party system - which George is right to dislike - will be alive and well.

But the world, having suffered through "four more wars" and worse is unlikely to be. Finally, Nader himself is a good reason to vote for Kerry. Granted, Nader has founded some of the greatest NGOs in the US (such as Public Citizen) and fought some of the noblest causes, particularly against corporate power. But his election campaign is driven by nothing but vanity. "Declare your independence" the Nader website urges. But Nader himself has sold out his independence for his presidential bid. He has accepted the support of the ultra-nationalistic Reform party. And he states on his website that "Republican support is exaggerated". In other words: it is real.

I want nothing to do with someone who chooses such bedfellows. May be George should talk to the American Green party. They, too, did not endorse Nader this year (unlike in 2000) and ask voters in swing states to back Kerry over Bush - and Nader! If Nader steals the presidency from Kerry, I, for one,will no longer be able to pay any heed to articles criticising Bush's defence, climate, human rights etc. policies penned by George.

All I will say is: told you so!

- Daniel Mittler

Gus Abraham adds...

Check out George Monbiot's site here, or Ralph Nader's here.

Daniel's argument is pretty much in tune with this guy here: Progressive TBlog

"I am ideologically aligned with Ralph Nader, not John Kerry. I agree with Nader on virtually every issue, while agreeing with only about half of Kerry's positions (or what can be deciphered as Kerry's positions). Like other peace and justice activists, I am distressed that Kerry - who spoke so eloquently decades ago against a war based on racism and lies - has given support to the current war that is based on racism and lies. But I'm also distressed by the deception coming from the Nader campaign. We keep being told that Nader will draw votes away from the Evildoer-in-Chief, George W. Bush; yet poll after poll shows the Nader vote depleting Kerry and helping Bush, and tipping swing states and their electoral votes to Bush.

In my view, Kerry vs. Bush is not Coke vs. Pepsi. It's more like Coke vs. Arsenic (quite literally, in the environmental sense). The Bush/Rumsfeld/Ashcroft regime is far more dangerous than the regimes of Nixon/Kissinger/Mitchell or Reagan/Weinberger/Meese.

There can be no greater imperative for progressives this year than to Vote Bush Out. In the 17 or so competitive states, that means building the Kerry vote to defeat Bush."