The Devolution of Ralph Nader

I can't believe Ralph Nader has become such an an annoying prick. Since Matt and he have such a bromance that gives me two reasons for putting up the post.

Apparently, Ralph Nader is still talking, though in a way that certainly inspires a deep desire to go to Tumblr to find as many “shut up” gifs as one can find. Over the weekend, Nader published a nonsensical piece at the Huffington Post complaining that “humble savers” are getting screwed by the Federal Reserve’s unwillingness to raise the interest rate, which Nader seems to think is an elaborate plot to help the rich banks at the expense of working people.

As Jordan Weissmann at Slate points out, the entire argument doesn’t make a lot of sense, as “relatively few households actually survive on interest income.” Most ordinary people would benefit a lot more from a robust economy than a higher interest rate on their savings account, but Nader seems to assume a nation of people living on investments rather than on paychecks, which really undermines his spokesman-for-the-working-class schtick.

But this weird piece is notable not just because of its Old Man Simpson half-baked economic crankery, but because he offers a solid dose of sexism to go with it: “Chairwoman Yellen, I think you should sit down with your Nobel Prize winning husband, economist George Akerlof, who is known to be consumer-sensitive,” Nader lectures. Yes, clearly interest rates are low because we live in a madcap world where women are not only allowed to run the Federal Reserve, but they are too willful to listen to the wise counsel of their husbands.

Condescension must rank high in the Green Party platform. 

I know Matt is not appealing to Dems or Reps in the race for Congress. We're both evil, don'tcha know. With Ralph as his BFF, he's probably not gonna appeal to women either. Hope Nader shows up to campaign again. Maybe get a chance to ask him a question. I'm a Questioner you see.