Duck! Black helicopter landing pad...
Ralph exhibits a driven secrecy and paranoia reminiscent of no one so much as Richard Nixon, his old enemy. The man who said "information is the currency of democracy; its denial must always be suspect" routinely refuses to release even basic information about himself or his organizations. Granted, he has enemies, but this trait goes back to when no one knew of him. In the mid-1960s, before "Unsafe At Any Speed" made him famous, Nader wrote for the New Republic Magazine and often gave the secretary there a false name (Mr. Wilson) when he called or visited. Even then, he made some of his phone calls in whispers or in code to thwart possible wiretappers.
Another Nixonian trait of Nader's is a tendency to cover-up. When pressed or challenged, he has lied, shunted responsibility onto his staff members, made them reconstruct documents, hidden his control over his own organizations, attacked the press or critics involved, or simply refused to release information with lame excuses.
There are many examples:
-- Ralph refuses to release his tax returns (as Clinton and Dole have)
-- He even says he will spend less than $5,000 in this presidential campaign so he won't have to file the minimal financial disclosure all other candidates have filed.
-- Two of his top aides even refused to give the address of Nader's office to two Congressman who requested it at a Congressional Hearing.
-- His main group, Public Citizen, has actively fought disclosure laws that would inform the public of the role that special interest groups -- such as his -- play in lobbying on legislation. (e.g. H.R. 81 in the 96th Congress)
-- Public Citizen refused to give information to the Better Business Bureau or the similar NIB when requested.
-- He runs a network of organizations, which he claims are independent -- but his brother, sister and cousins hold major leadership positions with several, Nader heads advisory boards for others, and he is the only or major financial donor to 3 groups. Many other groups are funded in whole or in part by other groups in the network that Ralph does directly control.
-- Ralph even incorporated one of his groups -- the Public Safety Research Institute -- in Delaware, because of its notoriously lax corporate laws,
-- As of 1982, his groups disregarded the charitable solicitation laws of 25 by not filing legally required registrations. At least 1 state (New York) had to pursue Public Citizen, Inc. and the Center for the Study of Responsive Law (Nader's 2 biggest groups) legally to try and force them to obey the law.
-- After the first attacks on him for being owned by trial lawyers, he distorted facts, attacked the press and forced am employee to create a false history to cover up the scandal. The employee, Lowell Dodge, later fell out with Nader and revealed this cover-up.
...That's what's wrong with his statement Rick! Smell the coffee...Wake up!