Linda Martin’s book “Driving Mr. Nader, the Greens Grow Up”, is apparently the only book ever written about Ralph Nader’s 1996 presidential campaign. Although lots has been written about his runs in 2000, 2004, and 2008, the fascinating 1996 campaign seems almost forgotten. Even though Nader refused to spend more than $5,000 on his 1996 campaign, and even though he was only on 23 ballots, he placed fourth in 1996. Here is the link to the book. It has been virtually impossible to find in paper form, because fewer than 500 copies had been printed.
I’ll definitely read this. But it would be even more fascinating if there were a book abt the Green Politics Network that martin was a part of, the GPN was a cadre organization that saught to take over the Green Part in the United States.
I worked on the WA State Nader campaign in 1996. It was interesting working wit the GPN, and not able to deal directly with Mr. Nader. In WA the campaign was a coalition of progressives and Leftists, with a few Green Party members. The GPN was particularly obstreperous in their Leninist like drive to put themselves in control of the campaign and the GP. Neither of which worked out.
Didn’t GPUSA (the Leninist wing) lose out to the Association of State Green Parties for leadership of the green political movement? And the ASGP became the federally recognized national political party for the Greens?
Does Nader rank in the top 10 of repeated loser folks — along with Bryan, Stassen, etc. ???
ASGP was the organization set-up and dominated by the GPN that created the current US GP to supplant the original GPUSA. GPUSA were more anarchist than Leninist by a long mile.
Martin and John Rensenbrink, and the GPN initiated a thing they called Third Parties ’96.
http://www.ibiblio.org/spc/tp96/team.html
This is an interesting essay abt Martin, Rensenbrink, the GPN and Third Parties ’96.
http://www.populist.com/2.96.Mainstream2.html