Unsolicited Advice From the Far Left (Nader Says Moore Like A Beach Ball)

[Khephra]

Unsolicited Advice From the Far Left

By Dana Milbank
Sunday, June 27, 2004; Page A04


Tempers are hot in the capital over Michael Moore's anti-Bush production, "Fahrenheit 9/11" -- and not just in the White House. Now one of the filmmaker's old friends on the far left is accusing Moore of being . . . fat?

On Thursday, Moore was the recipient of an open letter from independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader, who seems stung that his former friend and supporter has parted ways with him and gone to the Democrats. Miffed that he was not invited to the Washington premiere of "Fahrenheit 9/11," Nader, whose 6-foot-4 frame is a lean 190 pounds, said Moore's former Naderite friends are "trim and take care of themselves. Girth they avoid. The more you let them see you, the less they will see of you."

snip.................

Still, none quite compares to his offer to help Moore with his weight. "We are more saddened than angered by this," a Moore associate said, noting the particular pathos in Nader's missing invitation to the movie premiere. "It is just sad."

But the advice continues to flow to Moore from candidate Nader. "I've been at him for years, saying 'you've got to lose weight,' " Nader said in the phone interview. "Now, he's doubled. Private exhortations aren't working. It's extremely serious. He's over 300 pounds. He's like a giant beach ball."

more...........

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A8713-2004Jun26.html

[0rganism]

1. Conversely, Nader has become an albatross around the progressive neck

The Greens, at least, have seen this and nominated someone less interested in promoting radical destruction of the government through incompetence and villainy.

[LoZoccolo]

6. Hahahaha!

:yourock:

[jamesinca]

62. It would be nice if

the biggest (no pun intended) concern we had was Michael Moore's weight? We can all tell the Farrakhan people with the bow ties. We can tell the Naderites because they are thin and we can tell Micheal Moore because of his great movie and his outspoken nature.

He made a movie, a little theatrical smack down and it is time that somebody did.

[cally]

2. Nader is a despicable human being

I can barely believe he would take this attack stance. Campaign not going so well Ralphie? I'm about to join the Greens now that they did not endorse you.

[Pale Blue Dot]

3. Wow.

That is really low, and stupid. Whatever respect I once had for Nader is now gone.

[Khephra]

13. I TOTALLY AGREE

I've (mostly...not completely) stayed out of Green/Nader threads as I know a lot of Greens and have even seen Nader in person. He's a really interesting guy--when he's not running for office and just talking about taking back the public air-waves and such....

But this action reveals just who Nader really is to me. I've been fat most of my life, so I know EXACTLY what type of person Nader is now. I've known way too many of his type in my life.

Nader is now on my mental ignore list.

[Tight_rope]

69. Me 3...I've now ranked him with Bush!

[w13rd0]

4. WTF?!?!

Ok, Nader, you can officially FUCK THE HELL OFF now.

A slight edit, as w13rd0 writes to Nader:
"But the advice continues to flow to Nader from citizen w13rd0. "I've been at him for years, saying 'you've got to lose the ego,' " w13rd0 said in the phone interview. "Now, it's tripled. Private exhortations aren't working. It's extremely serious. He's well over his 15 minutes. He's like a soul sucking black hole staring straight into the abyss."

[uhhuh]

17. Beat me by a couple seconds

great minds, eh?

[belle]

53. He passed that point (FUCK THE HELL OFF) long ago, but that's really

over them top, even for him.

"WHOOOOO'S GOT A CASE OF THE GREEN-EYED MONSTER THEN? YESSSSSS. YESSSSS."

[cybildisobedience]

64. I think you mean....

...."a case of the independent-eyed monster"

[uhhuh]

5. And I've been wishing

That Nader stop running for President for years, but he won't listen!

I'm worried about him. He ego is planet sized. Public and private exhortations aren't working.
It's extremely serious!!

Bashing Moore for his weight..hmm.

Where have I heard that before?

On edit:

Moore might have been looking out for Nader's safety. if he had been invited, after seeing the movie, there may have been a lot of people who would have thrown more than pies at him for the widely percieved(rightly or wrongly) role he played in getting the chimp in power.

[lostnfound]

7. Talking about someone's weight to a 3d party is as low class as you can go

Whatever benefit of the doubt I might have given Nader has just evaporated. That's disgusting.

[asthmaticeog]

18. But... but...

but Nader's whole thing for ten years now has been trying to LEGITIMIZE a 3rd party!

*rimshot*




*ducks thrown objects*




*flees*

[Toucano]

8. That's really wrong of Ralph.

He should know that public ridicule can't possibly help Mike with his obesity. Name-calling and taunting. That says a lot about Ralph's character and true compassion.

That said, I hope someone can help Mike. We need him around as long as possible. Richard Simmons, where are you?

[Don_G]

9. Nader Deserves Something For His Years Of Tireless Effort

Let's chip in and buy him a Corvair.

[Pachamama]

48. Buy him two Corvairs...his ego will need more than one to do the job...

I have just assumed lately that he is suffering from schizophrenia, or some other mental disorder....now I just know its delusions of grandiore, ego mania and that he is not a very nice person....

What a low-life...I had kept some respect for him despite how much I have disagreed with his running for President in this election because of its impact on the #'s, but attacking someone like Moore, especially on his weight, is just despicable. And to think that he called himself a "friend"....With friends like Nader, who needs enemies....

[Swamp Rat]

57. NHTSA says Nader is dangerous at ANY speed!

Oi Pachamama!

[sidpleasant]

81. Nader was wrong about the Corvair too

Car and Driver did an article maybe twenty years ago that established that the test track films of Corvairs flying out of control that Nader so successfully used to impugn the car were 1) provided by Ford, Chevrolet's arch - competitor and 2) faked. Frame enlargements clearly showed that the cars' Ford test drivers were intentionally throwing the Corvairs off the skid pad.

[LoZoccolo]

10. We've been at him for years, saying "you've got to stop lying".

I wonder who's problem is more serious for more people.

[Sweetpea]

11. I heard Nader was a major egomaniac...this isn't surprising.

[MidwestTransplant]

12. Nader's head is a beach ball. Stupid MF. Hopefully his backers will

now see him for who he is.

[Lindacooks]

14. Meanwhile, has Nader released his medical records?

He had to have had a stroke - look at how the left side of his face droops.

I don't think he's exactly the paragon of health.

[glitch]

22. he did have a stroke - before 2000 - he may never have fully recovered

I think the way he views the world in black/white now is an indication.

[SoCalDem]

34. Bell's Palsy... at least that's what the news reported a few years back

Most people recover fully, but he was left with some residual paralysis.

[glitch]

43. I stand corrected, thanks nt

[amazona]

73. I didn't know this...sad

A friend is going through this, how a stroke can completely change or destroy a personality. Sad. I'm sure the old Nader would not have been going around telling people they were too fat for his taste...that is just rude.

[glitch]

76. looks like I was wrong - Bell's Palsy doesn't affect brain function

The theory did seem to offer one explanation for his personality change. But you're right, it is sad, whatever the reason.

[Khephra]

15. Not only is this offensive to Moore, it's offensive to Greens too

Nader is suggesting that Greens are so shallow that they're more concerned about what a person's weight is instead of what the person has to say. I can't say that's been my experience as a fat man when I've hung out with Greens. Seems to me that they listened to me just fine, Ralphie-boy.

[U2Shark]

16. What is *with* these babies?

Nader going for the fat knock because he didn't get an invite?

Ted Rall getting straight up *pissy* on his website about Michael Moore not giving him a free ticket to F911?

Both of these jokers have lost any respect I ever had for them.

[bemildred]

19. Nader is being an asshole here, but he is hardly the "far left". nt

[sandnsea]

33. Maybe that's the disconnect

In the U.S., Nader is the far left. The only further left you can go is socialism which isn't even considered part of serious political debate in the U.S. If the far left doesn't understand they're the far left, maybe that's where the disconnect to the Democratic Party comes in.

Nader is an asshole here, which goes to show any political ideology can produce a jerk.

[bemildred]

58. Nader is not far left, and neither is socialism, and

the fact that points of view outside the Washington consensus
get no air time does not mean they do not exist or that they
are not politically active. The same situation existed in the
USSR, and the USSR is now rubble. Ideas do not go away just
because some government manages to suppress them for a while.

[daleo]

20. How do we know that any of this is true?

The article mentions an open letter. Where is it published? I wouldn't mind reading the whole thing. The rest is from a phone interview, presumably with Dana Milbank. Is this a reliable source, or might the media be trying to drive a wedge into the left?

I like Micheal Moore, and think he has done the world a great service with F911 and his earlier work - I just don't know how much I trust the press on matters like this.

[Jesse_W]

23. Here's the open letter...

I hopped it was not true. But, here's the URL for the open letter with the given quote above. On Nader's official election site. Sigh.

http://votenader.org/why_ralph/index.php?cid=83

[daleo]

37. Thanks for the link

Agreed, the letter was rather ungracious.

[mom cat]

38. Thanks for the link.

I just read his whiney letter and suggested that he apologise. I'm not holding my breath.

[AndyTiedye]

28. Nader is Driving a Wedge Into The Left

That seems to be his mission these days.
He is upset that F/911 might actually unite the left against Bush*.

[uhhuh]

21. I wonder

If he is going to have any "words of concern" for members of the Green party, now that they have rejected him as their standard bearer for the 2004 election?

something like: "I'm worried about the direction the Green Party is headed. They haven't succombed to my dictatorial desire to control their agenda. They are populated with people who don't bathe or shave frequently enough, and I'm concerned that they may be at risk for disease." Or some other rw characterization of environmentist lefties.

Or maybe:

There is no difference between the Democrats, the Republicans, or the Green Party.

[Jesse_W]

24. You mean a letter like this?

It's not too crazy, but it is titled "A Few Thoughts for the Green Party from Ralph Nader". I just thought I ought to toss it in here.

http://votenader.org/why_ralph/index.php?cid=84

[dad]

50. I don't believe Nader actually said/wrote that

I checked out the link, and it mentions nothing about Moore's weight.
http://votenader.org/why_ralph/index.php?cid=83

You anti-Nader people are just making shit up. Reminds me of what the Repukes did with Bill Clinton.

[uhhuh]

51. look again

at the last paragraph:

They are also trim and take care of themselves. Girth they avoid. The more you let them see you, the less they will see of you. That could be their greatest gift to Moore the Second—the gift of health. What say you?

Best wishes,

Ralph Nader


It has his signature. It's on his website.

Here it is again:

"They are also trim and take care of themselves. Girth they avoid. The more you let them see you, the less they will see of you. That could be their greatest gift to Moore the Second—the gift of health."

If you could give any other explanation, I'd like to hear it.

[dad]

70. .

All right, I have to admit that somehow I missed that last paragraph there. I don't know what Ralph was thinking. NOT cool... we all know people who are overweight. If Ralph personally had a conversation with MM about it that is one thing, but bashing him in a public letter like that is just bizarre. Anyhow, I do believe that Ralph is just looking out for MM's health, but have no idea why he put his thoughts out there in the manner he did.

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

72. Trim and Girth mean what? From the letter...

As they helped you years ago, they can help you now. They are also trim and take care of themselves. Girth they avoid.

[John_H]

25. LOL! Nader's megalomania has officially become a cartoon of itself and

Naderites continue their dim-bulb zomby march to helping the GOP provide America with 4/5 of a decade of the Chimp.

Last week Ralph "me me ME!" Nader wanted to pick Kerry's VP, then he granted progressives permission to "feel free" to vote for Kerry. Now he's Moore's personal trainer.

And Naderites continue to say, "duh....me...duh...me...duh..."

[The Zanti Regent]

26. You're a HAS-BEEN, Ralph!

Oh, there isn't a day that goes by that makes this human dog turd even more disgusting

[kskiska]

27. Isn't Nader older than Reagan was

when he ran for president? – and Reagan is the oldest person ever to run for president.

[Rose Siding]

29. Playground politics

Cheney: FU!:grr:

Nadar: You're FAT! :bounce:



*Honor and dignity not included.

[senseandsensibility]

30. And, as disgusting and horrible

as this is, it's just as bad that he's working in cahoots with DICK ARMEY, one of the biggest repuke dicks of all time, to get himself on the ballot. The guy is out of control.

[agincourt]

31. One would think,

He might have a comment about the film, rather than how rotund Michael Moore is. Guess not.

[WillyT]

32. At Least The Greens Were Smart Enough To Drop 190 lbs. Of Ralph !!!

:puke::puke::puke::puke::puke::puke:

The last vestiges of respect are :nuke: !!!

See ya Ralphie-Boy!!!

:grr::nuke::mad:

[Democat]

35. Major league asshole

What's wrong with Nader - the man is obviously trying to undermine the left.

[FredScuttle]

36. The Ego Has Landed (Again)

I guess St. Ralph wasn't content to let Moore have his parade without pissing on it.

What a fucking miserable, insufferable prick...as much as I'm disgusted by how far St. Ralph has fallen, I really have to question the sanity of anyone who would vote for this egomaniac.

[seg4527]

39. It's definitely jerkish

But it made me chuckle.

[cosmicone]

40. Shows Nader is losing it ...

Obvious signs of uncontrollable rage and ad hominum attacks.

What Moore is saying is "Hey Micahel Moore, you are ruining my chances of being a spoiler once again and BushCo won't deposit funds in my swiss bank accounts if I cannot be a spoiler."

What next? Is he going to accuse the greens of being red?

hahahahaha

[truthisfreedom]

41. certainly he could have passed his obervations to Mr. Moore privately

if he was really concerned.

[TexasBushwhacker]

54. I agree - discretion is more appropriate

As a middle aged person struggling with my weight, you get to a point where you realize that you have to lose it now, or pay the price later. I would like to see Moore live a long time so he can piss off lots more people. He's much more likely to do that if he loses the weight. He turned 50 in April. It's now or never.

[Chovexani]

42. WTF is wrong with Ralph Nader?

Seriously, I mean, just...:wtf:

[dArKeR]

44. If you want to help people help them but don't make fun of them. I have

no more respect for Nader anymore!

[Borgnine]

45. Has Nader fucking lost his mind?

Seriously, what has become of this once great activist? After the elections are over and (God-willing) Kerry is elected, I forsee Nader in the padded room right next to Bush.

[checks-n-balances]

46. I didn't realize Ralph had such a flair for patronizing people

Especially the ones who don't do everything he expects or demands, and who would dare to question the accountability of his greatest benefactors. (you know, the ones who invested to him in order to to receive the greatest dividends/benefits of all.)

Now he can drop the pretense and remove the sheep's clothing, since resorting to politics of personal destruction is the mark of a true hard-core rethug. And shedding all that heavy wool costume will allow him to be even more prideful about not having a weight problem. While some may be guilty of enjoying their food a little too much, at least he holds out for the pleasures of feasting on the carcasses of political destruction.

So you made it, Ralph. You hung around with your "support group" long enough to know how to stoop to their level - by feigning concern for someone while managing to attack them at the same time. (On a grander scale, it's called "compassionate conservatism".)

Now for some advice from some "concerned" voters. Please be careful not to choke on those low-fat sour grapes that keep you so trim. But in case you do, you can always wash them down with all that leftover Naderade that people won't be drinking this time around.

Hey, and even though you missed that first showing of the movie, at least you got some good photo-ops standing next to that tall (and not-fat!) other candidate recently - although even he could look fat next to someone as trim as yourself! Anyway, I bet somebody would be nice enough to give you a ride to the theater if you promised not to comment on their personal appearance.

Oh, and as a parting gift, here's a campaign slogan for your next time around:

Ralph Nader: At least He's not Green, Fat, or a Democrat!

[T Bone]

47. I hope Moore's next documentary is about that POS Nader

Nader has plenty of skeletons in his closet. Not least of which is all the Republicans who fund his campaign.

[Pachamama]

49. Just read the "letter" on Nader's website...how bizarre....

...It's worse than I thought...He attacks Moore, even reminding him of how "when he was fired at one time from Mother Jones" how he had stood by Moore and then accusing him of turning on his "buddies"...

Huh? And then the ending of his letter:

"Your old friends remain committed to blazing paths for a just society and world. As they helped you years ago, they can help you now. They are also trim and take care of themselves. Girth they avoid. The more you let them see you, the less they will see of you. That could be their greatest gift to Moore the Second—the gift of health. What say you? "

Best wishes,

Ralph Nader

BIZARRE!!!! :wtf: :freak:

[BuffaloMatt]

52. Ralph Nader's head is a bit too fat

Well, that makes me mad. To think I threw away my vote on that egomaniac last time makes me ill. It won't happen again.

Personally, I think Ralph Nader's head is a bit too fat.

[Sugarbleus]

55. Glad you said it first...lol

I never really gave him much attention until the election was lost in 2000. Then it wasn't an issue until he came back to run this time.

I took a good hard look at the guy. I saw what you are saying here.

Nader is about NADER. He has made speeches about issues that held water in the past. But for him to run a presidential race and do so the way he's doing it--coming in towards the end of primaries with his over inflated ego then spouting this kind of clap trap....well it just makes it clear that he is a control freak. He's old, he's either egomaniacle or senile. He is simply unfit for leading a country. If the man can't figure that out for himself, that's telling also.

For a viable third party to work, it has to start at the local level and work it's way up. There has to be candidates of the third party in every sector working it's way to a higher office and making good decisions and making itself known. You can't just come from studio 4, with a wad of cash, half baked and think you can jump into the white house just like that.
If I were Cameo, I'd be embarrassed.
Nader's just a wee bit nuts. IMHO

[Piperay]

56. Nader is as fucking nuts as

chimp & cheney, they are all going down and they can't handle it. It won't be long before all three of them are wandering the hallways talking to portraits. :silly: :freak:

[Octafish]

59. That's not a progressive thing to say. In fact, it's ILLIBERAL!

What's with Ralphie? Doesn't he know enough not to judge a book by its cover or people by their appearance? Gee. Prejudice makes Nader sound very conservative.

[w4rma]

60. All you folks who are supporting Nader are the ones keeping this bullcrap

in the news. Well... you and his hoards of Republican backers who are only interested in Nader as a spoiler.

[Neecy]

61. freakish, really freakish

Ralph must not have gotten enough press over the weekend, so he leeches onto Moore knowing that any association with him - even a nutty letter - will get attention.

"Girth they avoid"? Who in the hell talks like that?

[republicansareevil]

63. I think this deserves a...

:kick:


Nader has simply lost his mind.

[Beacho]

65. Looks like Nader Thinks He's The Rev. Moon For The Left

If he starts starting his sentences with. 'Father, thinks this.." or, "Father thinks that", then we better start worrying about Ralphie's sanity.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

66. my, how "progressive" of Ralph

:puke:

[RememberTheCoup]

67. Nader is an ass.

What does anyone see in this windbag? It's quite a revealing quote -- it really says a lot about his character, doesn't it? And the phrasing is indeed very odd and awkward.

(On a side note -- why doesn't the original article link to the statement? Why do I have to rely on DUers to do the work of journalists? I hate reading reporters' paraphrases of speeches and statements. I'd rather read the whole thing for myself and decide what is important than have to rely on selected quotes and reporters' interpretations.)

[iamjoy]

68. But Nader Has A Point

Michael Moore probably should lose weight, that can't be healthy.
Still, it is innappropriate for Nader to bring it up in the context he did, I mean, what was the point, he was just being mean.

yeah, Nader, maybe Moore is overweight, but see you're mean and MM can always go on a diet!

[Politicub]

71. My impression of Nader

"Wah!! look at me... Wahhhhhhhh! Stop looking at him! I'm supposed to get ALL the attention!! Wahhhh! I have nothing of substance to say, so I'll just say Moore is fat! Then, all of you will LOVE me!!"

"... I said stop looking at him, dammit, and look at MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!"

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

74. Just shows what a hypocrite he is... no free tickets or party, so

bam... straight for the insults.

nader, you are a fucking millionaire, BUY your own damn tickets and see the movie with real people.

[Deja Q]

75. "far left"? "fart right" describes Nader better.

In 2000, he spoke the right words.

But his actions, then or now, prove he's far more a repuke than a leftie. Or at least he's not as sincere as he pretends to be.

[David Zephyr]

77. Argggggggggggggggh.

I have been one of a tiny handful who have defended Nader here for nearly 3 1/2 years, in spite of the fact that I was miffed at his refusing to help Gore the last Weeks in 2000.

Everyone here that has been around since those early days knows this.

Now, however, Ralph really gives credence to his left wing critics. Nader's childish personal attack on Michael Moore is pathetic.

Is Ralph jealous of Michael Moore?

If Ralph will do this to Moore...as he did to Gore, then he will do it to John Kerry.

Sorry, Ralph. This guy will not defend you again.

[nightperson]

78. I thought this letter

to Altercation was interesting. (R)alph would surely complain that my politics have always been way "gonadal" :P .

Name: Andrew Cohen
Hometown: Syracuse, NY
Dear Eric--
People should also be careful not to cede Nader the progressive ground he claims. As anyone who has worked for Ralph can tell you (I'm a Public Citizen alum, 1991), Ralph simply has no interest in cultural issues that represent a major portion of the modern Democratic Party platform. This includes matters of gender, sexuality, race, religion, expression, and that have for thirty years drawn new voters to the party. His position stems from his age and origins. Nader is a sixty-something year-old man raised in a household that trained him to revile the decadent pleasures that most of us enjoy.

The most famous story is that Ralph's mother refused to serve him a frosted cake for his birthday, believing it unhealthy. After years of begging, Mrs. Nader agreed to bake the children such a delight. She constructed a beautiful cake, let the children see it, then removed all the frosting before allowing them to eat it. Parents take note: this is how to raise a bitter, twisted child.

There are many examples of Ralph's contempt for culture. However justified his war against the automakers, Nader's disdain for beautiful design runs throughout "Unsafe at Any Speed." Any Naderite will tell you that Ralph opposes his D.C. employees forming softball teams, viewing sports as an incomprehensible waste of time (he lost that battle). Ralph apparently eats the same thing for lunch every day (tuna on lightly toasted wheat, skim milk), demonstrating a lack of interest in cuisine. Ralph, of course, has not been married, and his social life remains a mystery. There's nothing wrong with that, but it demonstrates his broader alienation from the lives of most Americans, for whom gender and sexuality are crucial concerns.

Some people may agree with Ralph that it's sad that issues of class and poverty have had declining importance in American politics since 1968. But one cannot simply assert that those issues are more authentically progressive than gay marriage, the right to safe abortion, equal opportunity in employment, civil liberties, and the separation of church and state. It's a matter for debate, not a fact to be ceded. Even taken at face value, Ralph campaigns not for progressivism per se, but for a version of progressivism that denies the legitimacy of much of what we value.

[chimpy the poopthrower]

79. That's an interesting letter

Thanks for sharing it!

[Logansquare]

83. Terrific letter--reveals puritanism that drives Nader

and alienates him from the concerns of most Americans.

[Tripmann]

80. Some nerve

Michael Moores health is his own business, Nader damages the health of a nation every time he runs for president.

What a D1ckhead

Tripmann

[gatlingforme]

82. Is that all Nader is concerned about???? jeeez.

[vetwife]

84. One can lose weight..Not much you can do about stupid !