Independent presidential hopeful Ralph Nader is pressing the case that presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama is another corporate candidate who won't really change Washington - a claim Nader has made about every presidential candidate in all of bids for the presidency in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008.

Nader - the longtime consumer advocate told the Rocky Mountain News that Obama is trying to "talk white" and to appeal to "white guilt."


Said Nader, "There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American."

Demonstrating a remarkable lack of self-awareness, he blathered on. "Whether that will make any difference, I don't know. I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos. Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white?"

In one fell swoop, Nader lost the black vote, the white vote, the KKK vote, and the conservative vote - none of which make up his constituency.

Unabated by his own remarks, Nader added: "I mean, first of all, the number one thing that a black American politician aspiring to the presidency should be [doing] is to candidly describe the plight of the poor, especially in the inner cities and the rural areas. . . . Haven't heard a thing. As a presidential candidate for the democratic party, Obama is obligated to talk exclusively to black issues."

"He wants to show that he is not . . . another politically threatening African-American politician," Nader said, sneeringly. "We need a politically threatening African-American politician!"

Now, on a roll, Nader continued, frothing at the mouth. "He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as, 'black is beautiful, black is powerful.' Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up. Just like they ate up Eminem!"

Asked at a news conference in Chicago yesterday about Nader's comments, Obama said he has been addressing the issues that Nader raised.

"Ralph's trying to get attention," Obama added. "He's become a perennial political candidate - and a very bad one at that. It's a shame, because if you look at his legacy in terms of consumer protections, it's an extraordinary one."

Obama paused, the continued.

"Perhaps I should say this in a way in which Mr. Nader would approve. Home boy got game. Whitey ain't g'wan brin' down da black man no mo'."

The Yeetle Box