No, Nader, No!

Is Nader really going to run again? Don't we have enough trouble? Aren't we in this trouble precisely because Nader ran the last time?

Here's a great post from Larry Lessig's blog:

I realized today just how angry I remain at Ralph Nader, former hero of mine, while listening to him on NPR today. Apparently, Mr. Nader is considering another run for president. When pressed quite effectively by Melissa Block to respond to the many many many who are begging him not to run, including the Nation, Mr. Nader responded that such a request was "censorship."

This man is truly outrageous. The only thing a Nader candidacy would do is increase the chance that Bush will be reelected. This man has become unsafe - to himself, and to the nation. If he has friends, they should be his friend and stop him from this.

Which got me thinking: If you believe that but for Nader's not withdrawing in the last moments before the 2000 election, Bush would not have been elected (which is true), and you believe that a Bush presidency has caused great harm - to the nation, to the environment, and to the families of soldiers lost in Iraq (which is also true), then which has been more harmful to society: The Corvair or its enemy?

And what would we say of a car company that released a Corvair again?

And oh, by the way, is it "censorship" to say you should not run, Mr. Nader? No, it is not. It is asking you to do what you have asked corporate America to do for your whole life - take responsibility for the consequences of your actions. When I hear you explain why you did not cause the election of George Bush, you sound like a tobacco executive. And when you increase the risk of a second term for President Bush, you are behaving worse than an auto executive from the 1960s - the harm will be the same, but at least profit is taxed."