I just saw Nader speak 30 min ago. Question for liberals and moderates?

Question

Ok, so i go to Johns Hopkins University, and just 30 minutes ago, i got to see Ralph Nader speak.
He had a lot of important things to say about our country: mass poverty, coporate criminals, global warming, war in Iraq, etc.

However, I think there's a major problem with the methods we liberals to gain political power: We are entirely negative.

Liberals have a very negative, complaining view of the world, which is rightly justified. However, i feel that US liberals really need a positive liberal movement.

Instead of wasting time whining at the Bush administration, lets provide logical alternatives to Bush's war on terror, his tax cuts to the rich, and his cutting of funding to impoverished nations.

What do you think about this? Wouldnt a POSITIVE liberal stance be far more successful?

Answer 1

If any individual in this country has had a "positive", proactive liberal stance in the last 40 years, it's Ralph Nader. I can't speak to whatever it was he said at your university because I wasn't there, but I will respond to what you say about it. I call Ralph Nader's work "positive" and "proactive" because I prefer to judge him based on his actions and all the things he's successfully accomplished for Americans (see below--sorry for the length of the source but I think it's important). Ralph Nader is interested in getting results and if you look at the position statements on votenader.org or the statements on nader.org, you'll see that almost all (if not all) of them are about providing logical alternatives, about informing people about already existent solutions to our problems and trying to get them implemented.

The problem is that there's no way to just go about doing positive work but ignore the Bush administration. You might call it "whining", but you can't ignore the barriers they've created to accomplishing those positive things, complaining and speaking up is part (not the only part, but still part) of doing something about them. And, of course, you can't convince most people that the solutions are a good idea if they don't understand what the problem is, or even that there is a problem, in the first place.

However, I would agree with what you say about the methods of liberals for gaining political power are very negative, if by "liberals" you mean "the Democratic Party", which has become spineless and fails to take much real positive action and would never get into office if so many voters weren't so afraid of how much worse the Republican Party can be. That's what those voters get for voting their fears--they get representatives who don't represent their interests in the least and keep getting worse over time, but are always just a little less bad than the worst.

Answer 2

Maybe you just took it that way?

Nader is extremely articulate and precise. Anyone on the Left needs to acheive that first because unlike our counterparts on the Right wing who rule by brute doctrine we prefer facts. Facts do matter and so does truth.

I agree that a more strengths based approach is wise and a less deficit approach would help.

But Liberals are not the answer, we need radical change not liberal reform, the system Ralph discusses is inherently flawed and needs a complete re-assessment of values, institutions and structure. It is not individuals or doctrines that is driving things as much as systemic flaws that we overlook so often. Capitalism itself sets up the bi-polar nature of society - the haves and the have nots. It is thins system that must be replaced not just a few corporate Republicans for a trade off of a few Corporate Democrats.

good question.

Answer 3

Well sometimes the best ideas are negative for example:

1. I don't think we need to give corporations tax breaks to ship jobs overseas.

2. I think we need to stop illegals from working here.

3. I think torture is bad

etc. Now that's not to say I don't have positive ideas. I absolutely do. For instance:

1. I think run-off elections would greatly increase the quality of our leadership by allowing less affiliated thinkers into the political process.

2. Tax breaks for companies that produce U.S. jobs? You got it!

3. Fund alternative fuels to the max.

I really don't think liberals and democrats have any more negative ideas than anyone else just look at this board.

Answer 4

Liberal is a word for most people...most are sheep who sit around coffee house plugged in with their laptops reading blogs and talking about the same old dribble...

Most Democrat and Republican politicians - including Clinton, Gore, Kerry and Bush - hold similar positions on major issues - and that's why we need a real choice at the polls: a party that gives power to "We the People" instead of powerful corporations.

If you look at where the candidates and parties stand on the issues you can see that the Democrat and Republican parties are in basic agreement on most issues OR they agree to ignore important issues.

Answer 5

Liberal. Under 30.

Answer 6

I think a positive platform would increase the Democrats hopes for winning incredibly. The constant blaming, takes away from the plans for the future, which is ultimately all anyone can control.

Answer 7

Sure! A most rational alternative to Bush's war is to impeach him

Start clean with a rational president who does not carry on his daddy's grudges, imposing the consequences on the people

Answer 8

Liberals are the progressive thinkers that have made this nation move forward.

I like Nader, but his harshness is his downfall.

Answer 9

yes and I try as often as I can even here...but the audience here is...uh...different than a John Hopkins crowd