An Unreasonable Man

USA / Henriette Mantel & Steve Skrovan / 122 or 2x 60 mins

In 2009 Senator Barack Obama was sworn in as the first African American President of the United States, signifying a watershed moment in American political history. This historic vote has been viewed as a ‘win’ for American democracy, but is democracy truly alive and well in America? One polarising figure in this debate is Ralph Nader, the 2008 Independent Presidential candidate. Nader has been heralded as a hero of the American Consumer Movement but he has also been infamously tagged as the man who gave the world George W. Bush.

In 1966, General Motors, the most powerful corporation in the world, sent private investigators to smear an obscure thirty-two year old public interest lawyer , who had written a book critical of one of their cars, the Corvair. The scandal that ensued launched Ralph Nader into national prominence. Over the next thirty years and without ever holding public office, Nader built a legislative record that is the rival of any contemporary American president. Many things we take for granted including seat belts, airbags, product labeling, no nukes, even the free ticket you get after being bumped from an overbooked flight are largely due to the efforts of Nader and his citizen groups. Yet today, when most people hear the name "Ralph Nader," they think “ego maniac spoiler.” Nader's entry into politics later in life however met with controversy. Running as the third party candidate in the 2000 elections, the close recount in Florida which resulted in Bush's win some argued, ended up costing Democratic nominee Al Gore crucial votes.

Consequently Nader became a pariah even among friends and allies. But despite the intense objection and vitriol that was leveled at him, Nader continued to run again in 2004 and in 2008. Why did he do this? Without financial support,popular backing and a legacy any reasonable person would have been proud to look back on, it would have been so much easier to quit. Is Nader a selfish narcissist or is he simply a man of principle who believes that a healthy and functioning democracy includes equal access for all in the election and voting process? Through rare archival footage and in-depth interviews with Nader, his friends and his detractors argue that he is all this and more. An Unreasonable Man dissects the hype and in the context presents over forty years of American social and political history from a critical angle not covered in the mainstream media before.