So is Ralph Nader really an unreasonable man? Few prominent Americans have gone from respect to the gutter as fast as the famed consumer advocate without a major crime or sex scandal. A liberal hero throughout most of his adult life, in November 2000 he became one of the most hated of all public figures by Democrats when his Green Party presidential campaign cost Al Gore the election. It is hard to overestimate just how much Democrats despise Nader, even though most admit that they support many of his policy positions. One of my fellow liberals told me unironically that she hopes he "burns in hell".
One of the benefits of this documentary is that it is not a standard rise and fall of an American icon, nor a cloying piece of agitprop. Most of the first hour is spent on Nader's achievements in the 60's and 70's, and if the film praises them, well, they deserve to be praised. After a former classmate was paralyzed by a car accident, Nader began to small grassroots campaign (mostly on his own) to petition the government to regulate the auto industry. Nothing much happened until it was revealed in a Senate hearing that he was being harassed by General Motors, which gave his effort legitimacy and ultimately success. The film quotes a study that says that Nader's safety requirements saved about 190,000 lives over a twenty five year period. The consumer advocate spent most of the 70's working (often successfully) on other issues, including food and water safety, as well air pollution. Although he lost momentum in the Reagan revolution, he never stopped fighting and one some occasional victories, mostly on the local level.
At this point, Nader looks like a saint. The apparently asexual man never married and had no children, claiming that his advocacy is his life. A biographer in the movie claims that he dug and dug, and found no evidence that Nader had any sort of romantic relationship with anyone. Nader turned down repeated bribes from corporations as well as a chance for the Vice-Presidency on the 1972 Democratic ticket. The movie says that before 2000, his name was virtually synonymous with integrity.
And then the 2000 controversy starts. Was Nader correct that the differences between Gore and Bush were so small that they were insignificant? Of course not. Although he is correct in stating that big business has far too big a sway over both parties, it is ridiculous to think the current Iraq situation would have existed under a Gore administration. And although his supporters are correct in saying that Nader was of course not the only factor in Bush's victory (Gore's overly calculated and impersonal campaign hurt far more than anything a third party candidate ever could) the facts are clear. In Florida, Nader received 90,000 votes, and Gore lost the state by only 537. It inconceivable to think that, had Nader withdrawn from the campaign, all of his voters would have stayed home or voted for Bush by a margin greater than 537. Regardless, of what he or his supporters say, Ralph Nader swung the election to George W. Bush.
The directors interview a large number of people when it comes to this issue, and all feel passionately about it. Nader's supporters say (correctly) that he did not set out to put a Republican in office, and really did not care much who won. His detractors argue that his intentions don't make any difference, as the effects of his action were catastrophic, and his run irresponsible at best an delusional at worst. It is also interesting to note, how many prominent liberals (Michael Moore most notably) who had argued Nader's "not a dime worth of difference" repeatedly in 2000 changed their tune by 2004, when they realized just how bad a Republican worse then Reagan can be. When Nader ran that year, the insults flew, and they were vicious, and I think appropratley so.
Ralph Nader has undoubtedly done many great things, but whatever caused the 2000 candidacy (arrogance? naiveté?) cost more than anything that might be gained by his political statement. I wonder which ultimately be greater- the 190,000 lives he saved through the auto regulation, or the amount of people who will have died in Iraq, Katrina and maybe Iran.
An Unreasonable Man (2005)