How Consumer-Advocate Ralph Nader Pre-Saged the 2016 Election, Notes from Renting “The Unreasonable Man” on Amazon

Ralph Nader was ahead of his time. Way ahead. He saw it coming: the growing discontent of what has come to be known as the “99 percent.”  Bernie Sanders and the Trump phenomena appear almost to arise from the silent ether, all until one hears (or remembers) the clarion call Ralph Nader trumpeted forever ago (cue trumpet): the Reagan revolution, and banking /corporate America’s concerted bid to dis-empower the common consumer citizen is well on its way to success. We need to shake up the two-party system and set our own citizen pit bulls to watch the government watch dogs, according to Nader.

Had that been done 10 years ago, by, say, establishing the current Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) enacted only after the home-mortgage meltdown, we could have avoided the meltdown instead of just collecting the financial industries’ campaign dollars. Remember the Consumer Protection Agency he proposed for civilian oversight of the government and big business in the 80’s? Killed by the Reagan Revolution.
For those who are desperately seeking an “outsider” candidate who seeks to undo the stranglehold corporate America and moneyed-interests have on our economy and two-party system, welcome to the story of Ralph Nader and Nader’s Raiders. Watch “The Unreasonable Man” documentary (available for rent on Amazon), and you will see an uncanny prediction of the 2016 Election where many lament the choice between only an autocratic demagogue and corporate figure-head (Trump) and an establishment politician lavishly funded by the finance industry.  You will also see how his attempt at change was belittled, mangled, and left behind the dumpster.
Inspiring as I find Nader — and, yes, I did vote for him the first time he ran.  (Sorry, Al.) There remains one aspect of Nader’s crystal ball that remains very murky to me, however.  The elections of Obama (and possibly Clinton) and agency activity like that of the CFPB and NHTSA. Had Romney won (or if Trump were elected), gone would be the CFPB. Have you seen NHTSA go after the car industry lately — amazingly, yes! Have you seen the CFPB attempt to take down corporate America’s Trojan Horse of forced arbitration? Yes again! Without the “lesser of two evils” choice (not my words), we did not “still chose evil.” We chose a real ATTEMPT at important accountability for big business and the government’s sleepy watchdogs. We have Elizabeth Warren emboldened with possible power to fight Nader’s Raider’s fight. But here is where it gets cloudy: despite those elections, income inequality continues to spike to levels unseen since the lead up to the Great Depression. Have we won some battles, but lost the war? Is the two-party system only throwing us crumbs, while corporate and financial America feasts? Stay tuned.
Oh, and get informed and involved in Congressional and local politics — not just a presidential election every four years. Be a member of the fighting civilians that Nader rekindled and our Founding Fathers started. Start, perhaps, by watching “The Unreasonable Man.”