Obama: Meet with Ralph Nader!
As President-Elect Barack Obama's team of advisers begins to coalesce, and as he begins to chart the course that the United States will pursue in the first year of his Administration, it is critically important that he hear from representatives of a broad swath of American political opinion. We can tell already that centrists, financiers, and other representatives of the status quo will be well-represented. It is not so clear that progressives will be heard, their analyses considered, or their advice heeded.
If Obama is serious about bringing Americans together from across the political spectrum and creating a new and more inclusive politics, he has to reach out to the progressive voices that have been marginalized for too long - such as Ralph Nader. Few others on the political scene today can speak with as much knowledge or authority on the causes, effects, and remedies of our current social, economic, and political ills.
And so we call on President-Elect Obama to meet with Ralph as soon as possible, and to establish an ongoing dialog with Ralph and other progressive leaders.
Dear President-Elect Obama:
We the undersigned are concerned that as you formulate your policies and chart a new course for America, the voices of economic and social progressives may be drowned out by the representatives of the status quo. We call on you to meet with Ralph Nader as soon as possible, and to listen to his perspectives and ideas, as well as those of other progressive leaders. Few others on the political scene today can speak with as much knowledge or authority as Nader on the causes, effects, and potential remedies of our current social, economic, and political ills. We further call on you to establish a meaningful and ongoing dialog with Nader and other progressive leaders.
We believe that you are serious about bringing Americans together from across the political spectrum and creating a new and more inclusive politics. But to do that, you must reach out to the progressive voices that have been marginalized for far too long. Thank you.
