Nader Facing Flak Over a Flirtation With Fulani

[Freddie Stubbs]

By E.J. Kessler

Consumer activist and independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader is facing increasing criticism over what detractors describe as his campaign's flirtation with organizations and individuals associated with Lenora Fulani, the New York-based radical activist with a long record of alleged anti-Jewish extremism.

Nader, whose 2000 Green Party candidacy widely is credited with costing Democrat Al Gore the presidency, gave an hour-long address in January at a conference in New Hampshire on the "Choosing an Independent President 2004 Campaign." The conference was convened by Fulani and her longtime associate Fred Newman, a Marxist psychologist and proponent of "social therapy," and sponsored by her organization, the Committee for a Unified Independent Party. Fulani, who was trained by Newman, is also a psychologist.

Former followers who have broken with Newman's social therapy movement have alleged that the Committee for a Unified Independent Party is "related" to what they describe as a cult led by Newman. A Web site, ex-IWP.org, contains testimony from some defectors alleging instances of "deceit," "manipulation" and "control."

Fulani, the two-time presidential candidate and erstwhile leader of the now-defunct New Alliance Party, styles herself as the voice of a national movement of independent voters and has been described in the press as controlling at least the downstate faction of New York's Independence Party, of which she is a state committee member. She endorsed Nader in an interview with a writer for the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard and spoke of her desire to "nominate" him as her party's candidate and to have a "dialogue" with him about "helping the campaign."

more: http://www.forward.com/main/article.php?ref=kessler20040324928

[lazarus]

1. well

bonus points for alliteration in the headline.

[rinsd]

2. Beat me to it....(nt)

[Name removed]

3. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

9. Deleted message

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[LisaM]

4. Not a surprise to me

I have thought (and said places, including here) for a long time that Nader was anti-Semitic, which makes his run for the Presidency on the ticket of a liberal and inclusive party like the Greens all the more strange to me.

[Freddie Stubbs]

5. Although I admit that I dspise Nader,

I have never heard anything about him being anti-Semetic. Cann anyone elborate on this?

[blondeatlast]

8. Poster doesn't say Nadir is alleged to be, she says that

SHE personally believes Nadir may be anti-Semitic. Subtle, but very important difference.

I have heard no allegations along those lines. I'm in vocal opposition to Nadir;s candidacy, but I won't go this far.

He does seem to have some very odd, even suspect, bedfellows, though.

Won't sign up to read the entire article, so I can't comment on it's specifics.

Edit: Kudos for the alliteration, though. It's hard to make me smile at this time of the morning!

[WitchWay]

15. Suspect Bedfellows

One of the reasons that Nader has odd bedfellows is that he is often involved in forming organizations that really do touch all the way across the poltical spectrum. I even think Dean asked Nader to assist in starting his organization, but I don't think that makes Dean suspect for being inadvertantly connected to Fulani (through Nader), does it?

I think, also, because he has had such an impossible time getting access to Capitol Hill in the last few decades in order to effect change...he has been forced to have strange bedfellows in order to create common causes on specific issues that can be pushed forward.

This sort of thing happens alot. Who sued Cheney about his energy papers? The Sierra Club AND Judicial Watchdog, I believe. Sometimes strange bedfellows do have to work together.

One thing that Nader, for instance, has been involved in is a complaint against the Commision on Presidential Debates, and setting up a citizen's debate commision. See this organization, who has many disparate members:
http://www.opendebates.org
This sort of thing involves folks from all parts of the poltical spectrum. I am sure Nader has worked, and is working on many projects such projects.

[IndianaGreen]

7. Anyone that doesn't kiss Sharon's ass is labeled as anti-Semitic

Nader's sin is that he is of Lebanese descent and that, unlike most politicians, he doesn't parrot the Likud line to get campaign contributions from you who.

[WitchWay]

14. Please Elaborate

Could you substantiate why your claim that Nader is anti-semitic?
Do you have anything about things he said, or policies he promoted which you find anti-semitic? What is it about him that leds you to believe this?

(besides the Fulani article...Nader is involved with people setting up organizations such as the Open Debates Commission, for instance, which is an organization that is non-partisan and has people from all over the political spectrum involved in it.)

[hippiechick]

18. He is running as an Indie

He never was a member of the Green Party, BTW.

:hippie:

[IndianaGreen]

6. Brought to you by the same people that savaged Cynthia McKinney

and we know who "they" are...

[WitchWay]

10. Who are "they"?

No, I don't know who "they" are. Could you please elaborate?

[IndianaGreen]

11. To elaborate would put this thread in the I/P forum

and that's one place I don't plan to visit.

[WitchWay]

12. Okay

Okay. I am sorry...what is the I/P forum? I really don't know...

[IndianaGreen]

13. The Israel/Palestinian Affairs forum

which is a subset of the Foreign Affairs forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=124

Go there at your own peril.

[blondeatlast]

16. Israel/Palestine. Put on your flameproof duds before you go there.

Not for the faint of heart. If you thought GD Crunchy was bad before we had a presumptive nominee, you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Basically pure, unadulterated intolerance on both sides.

[WitchWay]

17. Thanks

But no thank you. That sounds a little too crazy.