This one comes from Brad DeLong. He linked to Eric Alterman’s latest blasting of Nader for costing Gore the election. Alterman has a lot of (justified) anger at how self-serving Nader has become, and I have to agree. I managed to survive my five months working at PIRG, but just barely. I had tons of issues with Nader’s demeanor back then, but at the most basic level, I couldn’t handle the way the PIRG folks refered to him as “Saint Ralph,” and I couldn’t believe he did nothing to dissuade them. I remember, at the time, thinking that it was so obvious that Nader lives for the applause moment. Once I made that connection, his actions often seem pretty crass.

Clearly Alterman isn’t crazy about him, either.