What do actress Susan Sarandon, academic Cornel West, documentarian Michael Moore, musician Ani DiFranco, country singer Willie Nelson, and ice cream maker Ben Cohen (the Ben of Ben & Jerry's) have in common? In the 2000 election, they endorsed Green Party candidate Ralph Nader. In 2016, they're all backing Bernie Sanders.
But the shared celebrity endorsements aren't the only similarities between Nader 2000 and Sanders 2016. Though Sanders is currently running as a Democrat, both candidates are best known for working outside the two-party system. They agree on key issues, like opposing the 2003 invasion of Iraq and supporting universal health care. And Sanders and Nader have both been cast as left-wing spoilers for the Democratic Party's presumed nominee — in 2000, Al Gore, and in 2016, Hillary Clinton.
Intriguingly, Sanders himself enthusiastically backed Nader in 2000, but turned against him in 2004. "[O]ur main task right now is to defeat Bush," Sanders said at the time to explain his decision, "and I think Nader’s effort could have some impact in dividing up that vote and that’s a negative thing."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Eel-egal trade: the world’s most lucrative wildlife crime?Under the Radar Trafficking of juvenile ‘glass’ eels from Europe to Asia generates up to €3bn a year but the species is on the brink of extinction
-
Political cartoons for November 2Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the 22nd amendment, homeless camps, and more
-
The dazzling coral gardens of Raja AmpatThe Week Recommends Region of Indonesia is home to perhaps the planet’s most photogenic archipelago.
-
Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax
-
Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch
-
Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff
-
Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy
-
NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges
-
Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction
-
Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters
-
Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations
