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June 26, 2008, 07:56 AM ET
Nader Goes After Obama ...
I totally missed it (and had to get a heads-up late last night from other bloggers ), but Ralph Nader hasn’t been mincing words when it comes to his take on Barack Obama.
Some of his recent comments have caused a bit more of a stir than usual, mostly because he accused Obama of pandering to special interests (per the advice of his handlers) and even of trying to “talk white.”
Nader’s invocation of talking white seems to split the difference between (i) a critique of Obama’s policies and campaign priorities (i.e., not adamantly going after the issues that plague poor black communities, such as payday lending) and (ii) a take on the very way in which Obama carries himself (his walk, his talk, etc.), something that pivots upon popular and academic discussions of “acting white,” the notion that people of color can be delegimatized for not behaving in conspicuously (read: stereotypically) “black” ways.
I do think Nader wanted to emphasize the former interpretation over the latter one. However, looking at him make the comment, he did seem to leave a space ajar for the latter reading, too.
And of course, folks have pounced on that alternative with abandon.
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