Nader: Will Obama Be an ‘Uncle Tom for the Giant Corporations’?
Not entirely sure how to unpack what exactly is going on in this startling exchange between Fox News' Shep Smith and third-party avenger Ralph Nader, but here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling.Not entirely sure how to unpack what exactly is going on in this startling exchange between Fox News’ Shepard Smith and third-party avenger Ralph Nader, but here are a few ideas to get the ball rolling.
It’s from election night, and an indignant (!) Smith appears to be attempting to school Nader (?!) on the unseemliness of invoking racially charged literary allusions when referring to America’s first black president-elect — especially, Smith suggests, when Nader is about to fade into obscurity.
Nader, meanwhile, maintains that it was perfectly valid for him to question, as he had earlier, whether Obama will be “Uncle Sam for the people of his country, or Uncle Tom for the giant corporations.” Just as Nader is about to further elaborate, Smith makes it clear that he has entered a nuance-free zone, and thus Nader’s final attempt to explain his statement is cut short.
Nader thinks Smith is a bully. Smith thinks Nader is kaput. We think it’s weird to bring race into a discussion about politicians capitulating to big corporations (and people’s potential reactions to the term Uncle Tom in particular may make it difficult to take in the bigger argument here). After all, history would suggest that elected officials from a wide array of backgrounds are perfectly capable of that sort of thing.
Editor’s note: Modified for clarification.
YouTube:
Wait, before you go…If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.
Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.
Support Truthdig
With his nonstop barrage of lies, the president has degraded our electoral system to the point that any result will feel illegitimate.
The class war that gave rise to his campaign is the fault of a long line of corporate Democrats like Joe Biden, and voters know it.
A revealing new study finds the Justice Department charged just 359 such criminals in January—a decline of 25% from five years ago.
A closer look at the Trump administration's agreement with the Taliban reveals all the president's concerned with is bragging rights.
After nearly two decades, America's longest-running conflict appears to be coming to an end. Even a flawed peace deal is worth celebrating.
Since his acquittal, the president has only doubled down on his impeachable offenses, subverting both the republic and its Constitution.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.