Ralph Nader's enormous testicles

You may have heard by now, but if you haven't let me proclaim far and wide that Barack Obama has been elected the 44th president of America. In a very under-reported election on Tuesday Obama leveled a massive defeat over his unusually jowled adversary John McCain, receiving a full 8,538,559 million more votes and 192 more crucial electoral votes.

While the world watched as America "made history" electing the first president who cannot deny his African genealogy (not that he would, I'm merely insinuating that human genealogy is far more homogeneous than our intuitive but glib "Golly-gosh, he don't look like me!" emphasis on skin color would have it), the real maverick of the presidential race, Ralph Nader, quietly picked up 652,811 votes or 1% of the vote. This time round, Nader was far from reprising his role as "spoiler" which he was accused of by all and sundry for supposedly enabling George W. to assume power back in 2000. Nader has for years obscurely and unpopularly labored to bring greater attention to the ongoing conflation of private economic interests and political power. For years he has been the albino rhino of American politics, offering a sober, informed and skeptical without being cynical perspective on issues which, at the public level, hardly deviate from the standard boiler-plate cliche.

This election he was practically a non-entity, with very little interest by the media or the public for what he had to say. Nevertheless, he continued to talk and a day before the election he posted an interesting open letter to Obama where he is as ever unapologetically critical and incisive, especially on the topic of Obama's position on a US-led Palestinian-Israeli settlement. He also points out that far from being a different political animal than free-market fanatic McCain, Obama received unprecedented corporate endorsement and sponsorship during his campaign. While Obama's consistently profound eloquence does raise hope for change after years of Bush's stammering cynicism, we'll have to wait and see whether he will do anything to change a system of government which has long been morphing into a facilitator to private economic interests, the idea being that it's the government's role not to provide itself but rather to ensure conditions (low taxes, loose labor laws, low environmental standards) conducive to the flourishing of private services, industry and investment. To the extent that Obama also views the government's role as such - and his victory speech hinted at this when he said "we know that government can't solve every problem" - it remains to be seen whether in this regard, he will be as profoundly different from McCain as his oratory would suggest.

Nader is 74 years old and it's highly unlikely that he'll muster the energy and resources to run again in 2012. That is why it is regrettable and even a little sad that such a transparently decent public servant has received so little thanks and so much smug criticism in this, probably his last venture into public politics. In an interview with the nauseating Shepard Smith on Fox the night of the election, Nader looked exasperated and exhausted. At issue was Nader's use of an "uncle Tom" reference he made (see above link) while discussing Obama's probable election as president. Smith was the perfect Fox talking head, filled with a righteous indignation at Nader's supposed racist comment, lizardly repeating the phrase to the titillation of all the closeted bigots (and me!) undoubtedly tuned in.

You're welcome Mr. Nader, now you know that political choice should involve nothing more complicated than flipping a coin. After half a century of toil as a public advocate and servant, you are hereby given our highest honor: An interview with smug infotainment clone Shepard Smith who denounces you as irrelevant and dispatches you to oblivion. And let that be a lessin' to ya!