Spin Cycle

Ralph Nader, not one to mince words, says this to the Rocky Mountain News:

"There's only one thing different about Barack Obama when it comes to being a Democratic presidential candidate. He's half African-American. 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? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards."

Maybe it's because he's trying to win the election, which would be a novelty for a Democrat, by spending most of his time talking about the things that the most people care most about.

Actually, Obama has talked about predatory lending, and is apparently sponsoring a lead abatement bill in the Senate.

Does the fact that Nader wants to talk about those issues mean he's trying to "talk black"??

Or do issue choices only correlate to racial put-downs for racially mixed candidates?

Update: One other amazing comment from Nader:

"I mean, first of all, the number one thing that a black American politician aspiring to the presidency should be is to candidly describe the plight of the poor, especially in the inner cities and the rural areas, and have a very detailed platform about how the poor is going to be defended by the law, is going to be protected by the law, and is going to be liberated by the law. Haven't heard a thing."

So, the white guy is lecturing the African-American guy on how black politicians should behave? Sounds a little like a guy stuck in a 1960s stereotype....