Video & Multimedia
Related: About this forum"Democracy Now" Interviews Ralph Nader on TPP, Recall, Nuclear Power & Left-Right Anti-Corporatism
Ralph Nader on TPP, GM Recall, Nuclear Power & the "Unstoppable" Left-Right Anti-Corporate Movement
Published on Apr 28, 2014
For the rest of the hour, were joined by Ralph Nader, the consumer advocate, corporate critic, attorney, author, activist, former presidential candidate. For well over 40 years, Ralph has helped us drive safer cars, eat healthier food, breathe better air, drink cleaner water, work in safer environments. His devotion to political reform and citizens activism has fueled a number of critical policy victories and the creation of generations of watchdogs and activists to carry them forward.
In recent years, Ralph Naders name has become synonymous with challenging the nations two-party political system. He ran for president in 1996 and 2000 as a candidate on the Green Party ticket, again in 2004 and 2008 as an independent.
Now, hes out with a new book; it is called Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State. It highlights the common concerns shared by a wide swath of the American public, regardless of political orientation. These concerns include resisting mass surveillance, opposing nebulous free trade agreements, and punishing criminal behavior on Wall Street. Throughout, Ralph Nader argues in favor of transcending divisive partisan labels and instead working in concert to pursue shared interests, all the while offering practical solutions rooted in collective organizing.
TRANSCRIPT:
This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
We go now to Washington, D.C., where were joined by Ralph Nader. Welcome back to Democracy Now!, Ralph. So, talk about what gives you hope. When the headlines are blaring out around the country that there is a complete logjam in Washington between the Democrats and the Republicans, you say the alliance between differentthe whole political spectrum is actually coming together.
RALPH NADER: Yes. Youve got to think of politics in America now as two stratas. On the top, dominating the left-right emerging alliance, are the corporate powers and their political allies in the Congress and elsewhere. And what were seeing here is a corporate strategy of long standing that fears a combination of left-right convergence on issues that would challenge corporate power. So, they really like the idea of left-right fighting each other over the social issues. They really work to divide and rule these left-right public opinion and representatives. And so far, they have been dominant, the corporatists.
But theyre beginning to lose. And we have enough historical evidence to show that the tide is running against them. For example, on the minimum wage fight, that comes in 70, 80 percent in the polls, which means a lot of conservative Wal-Mart workers think they should get a restored minimum wage, at least to what it was 46 years ago plus inflation adjustment. That would be almost $11 an hour.
Show Full Transcript
The left-right alliance is coming through at the state legislative level on juvenile justice reform and addressing the whole problem of prisons in our country. Newt Gingrich and others have started a group called Right on Crime. And the progressive forces are working hand in glove with right and left state legislatures, and theyve gotten through some bills in over a dozen legislatures.
The third area where its breaking through, the left-right alliance, is to block the further expansion of these globalized trade agreements. The Pacific trade agreement, which is being negotiated with Asian countries by President Obama, is not going to be blocked under an opposition in the House of Representatives to fast track. In other words, Republicans and Democrats, I think, have about a majority of the House, even defying their leadership in the Democratic and Republican Party, Boehner and Pelosi. They have enough votes right now to block a fast-track, zip-through-the House trade agreement. And thats a left-right.
A little over a year ago, there was almost a majority vote in the House to block the NSA from dragnet surveillance. That was a bubbling up of public opinion, going from the grassroots all the way to the House of Representatives, in defiance of Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.
So were seeing this emerge. And if we really want to get things done in this country, long-overdue redirections, then we better pay attention to this emerging left-right alliance that I describe in detail. There are 25 areas of left-right convergence in this country, and they represent a majority. Thats why I called the book Unstoppable. And all we need now is to start the conversation level locally, have it bubble up into the mediathe media sort of likes this idea of unlikely allies, especially at the local leveland have it move into the political stream and then put it on the table, all these issues, for the electoral campaigns that are coming up.
AMY GOODMAN: Ralph Nader, I want to go to this global issue of the TPP, because over the weekend President Obama spoke to young leaders during this town hall-style meeting at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His talk was briefly disrupted by peaceful protesters holding up signs denouncing a sweeping new trade deal, the Trans-Pacific Partnershipthe TPP often referred to by critics as NAFTA on steroids, as you were talking about, establishing a free-trade zone that would stretch from Vietnam to Chile, encompass 800 million people, about a third of world trade, nearly 40 percent of the global economy. Obama defended the TPP.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: The trade agreement that were trying to create, the TPP, part of what were trying to do is to create higher standards for labor protection, higher standards for environmental protection, more consistent protection of intellectual property, because, increasingly, thats the next phase of wealth. All those things require more transparency and more accountability and more rule of law. And I think that its entirely consistent with Malaysia moving into the next phase.
AMY GOODMAN: Thats President Obama in Malaysia. Who is advising President Obama on TPP? The unions? Environmental organizations? Ralph Nader.
RALPH NADER: Well, they cant get back through the secrecy of these negotiations in these drafts. As Lori Wallach of Global Trade Watch has pointed out repeatedly, even members of Congress couldnt get the draft negotiations from the TPP, although the corporate lobbyists have access to these drafts. But its quite clear that the TPP is nothing more than an extension of NAFTA and the World Trade Organization on steroids.
And heres where we have a left-right alliance, each one with their reason. On the left, theyre opposed to these agreements because theyre bad for workers; theyre bad for the price of medicines being affordable, under the intellectual property rules that are being negotiated; theyre bad for open government; and theyre bad for the environment. On the right, they dont like these trade agreements because they shred our sovereignty. I happen to agree with that, too. All international treaties reduce sovereignties, by definition. But this one, these trade agreements are the greatest usurpers of local, state and national sovereignty in American history. And so, we have this growing alliance. And, by the way, it goes back to documents like the 2002 Texas Republican state platform, that was dead set against these trade agreements on sovereignty issues.
So, I dont think President Obama is reflecting his campaign assurances in 2008 when he said he was going to work to revise NAFTA and WTO for better environmental, labor and consumer protections. He hasnt done that for WTO or NAFTA, and hes not doing it for this trans-Pacific trade agreement.
MORE OF FULL INTERVIEW AT:
http://www.democracynow.org/2014/4/28/ralph_nader_on_tpp_gm_recall
Democracy Now!, is an independent global news hour that airs weekdays on 1,200+ TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9am ET at http://www.democracynow.org.
Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today, visit http://owl.li/ruJ5Q.
iandhr
(6,852 posts)Making the case there wasn't a substantive difference between Gore and Bush has done a lot of damage to this country.
Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)Fuck Nader.
KoKo
(84,711 posts)Drunken Irishman
(34,857 posts)KoKo
(84,711 posts)Archae
(46,261 posts)blkmusclmachine
(16,149 posts)Bush, you'll have a Nader.