[Marxism] "Nader took Republican money!"

[Dbachmozart@xxxxxxx]

      I was part of the Nader-Camejo contingent that marched in NYC this past 
Sunday and while  the overwhelming majority  of marchers will certainly be 
voting for Kerry, the great majority were polite and respectful towards us and 
our signs ( or they were cursing us sotto voce). There were some however who 
accused us of being paid agents -"Nader took money and petition help from the 
Republicans !" they screamed. Some of my fellow Nader supporters reacted very 
defensively  to this canard and I would hope that these arguments can stiffen 
their resolve.
      First, was there some quid pro quo involved between the Repubs and the 
Nader-Camejo campaign? In exchange for all this money ( about 4% of the 
campaign's contributions ) did Ralph promise to go easy on Bush-Cheney on the 
war, 
the Patriot Act, the tax cuts for the rich, the Sharon apartheid wall ? If so, 
then the Repubs aren't getting their money's worth as an examination of the 
campaign's literature can attest to. 
      Second, if accepting help from the Republicans is so verboten, why were 
so many Kerry supporters hoping, praying and begging a far right/ pro war/ 
anti-choice REPUBLICAN senator named McCain to be Kerry's running mate? If 
 that 
ticket ran and won and then something happened to Kerry, McCain would be 
president and they wouldn't have a leg to stand on  if and when they wanted to 
criticize his policies. How is that any less of a betrayal than Ralph taking a 
few thousand bucks with  no strings attached?
    Third, in April 1917, the German government allowed Lenin to travel from 
exile in Switzerland through German-occupied Europe to get back into Russia. 
They hoped that he and his party would organize the massive antiwar sentiment 
of the Russian people to force the Provisional Government to withdraw from the 
war and thus free Germany from fighting on two fronts.They understood who 
Lenin was and that he opposed German imperialism, but they were shortsighted ( 
or 
lacked our hindsight).They didn't expect a successful revolution much less an 
international revolutionary movement to be the result.
       Lenin  and the Bolsheviks were mercilessly slandered and villified by 
the Mensheviks ( the ABBers of the day) as German agents. His reply; he'd 
accept aid from the devil as long as there was no quid pro quo.This should be 
our 
stand- if the Republicans are so shortsighted that they are willing to help 
 finance and build a leftwing alternative to the Democrats, god bless them! 
                                          Dennis Brasky
                                                    NJ Nader-Camejo supporter
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