I’m a huge fan of Brian Lamb’s ‘Q & A’ on C-Span. Listening to Ralph Nader speak to Lamb last night about Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State, Nader’s new book, was typical of the broadcast’s educational brilliance. The discussion, or rather the story as Nader told it, of Nader’s “upbringing and the experiences that have shaped his career in consumer protection, humanitarianism, environmentalism, and politics” was also typical: not just enlightening but invigorating, and what I found not so typical of Nader, staggeringly optimistic. I can’t recommend ‘Q & A’ highly enough, the Nader interview in particular.
Mr. Nader talked about his early work in automobile safety activism and his 1965 book, Unsafe at Any Speed, in which he critiques the safety records of American automobile manufacturers and, in particular, the Chevrolet Corvair. Mr. Nader also discussed some of the themes of his new book, including strategies to help create a left-right alliance to battle wasteful government spending and other issues. He gave tips for those who aspired to be the next Ralph Nader and talked about the experiences and lessons he learned from his third-party presidential campaigns. He also talked about how he lives without a cell phone, credit card, car, computer, or a working television.
