Speaking of former Nader allies jumping ship, a group of the advocates, actors, writers, and politicos who endorsed Ralph in 2000 will be unveiling an initiative on Friday called The Unity Campaign, which will urge Nader supporters to pull their heads out of their asses and “vote strategically, vote Kerry.” The group — including enviros Wendell Berry, Ben Cohen, Paul Hawken, and Randy Hayes, well as other lefty luminaries like Noam Chomsky, Howard Zinn, and Barbara Ehrenreich — plans to run a series of ads in swing states where the Nader contingent could make a difference. (Some personal Nader bile below the drop.)You know, I went to see Michael Moore speak last night to a crowd of 10,000 in Seattle’s Key Arena. The crowd was seriously fired up. Then, during the section of Moore’s schtick where he begged people not to vote for Nader, three diehard Naderites stood up in the bleachers and starting screaming, heckling, and waving their dumbass signs. I thought to myself: Here’s a huge auditorium filled with the people on the planet most likely to agree with you jackasses, and you chose them to yell at — mainly because the other side doesn’t give a damn what you think. You come to this place, of all places, and claim your moral superiority by, in effect, chastising the crowd for not letting Bush win. It defies belief. I’m not a violent guy, but I wouldn’t have shed a tear if some lefty had defied the wimpy stereotype and put some boots up some self-absorbed, deluded, stinky hippie asses. Whew. I feel better!
