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Journalism of Courage
The odd thing about Ralph Nader is how a man who has been in and out of the public eye for so long 8212; making headlines since Lyndon Johnson was president 8212; can remain an enigma. Even people who8217;ve known and worked with him for years don8217;t know much about him beyond his prodigious capacity for work.
For decades, media accounts have depicted Nader as an ascetic policy wonk, a man married to his many crusades. For the most part, that seems accurate. Michael Richardson, who has worked on Nader8217;s campaigns, says Nader works 8220;12 to 14 hours a day, seven days a week, 52 weeks a year.8221; Nader says he occasionally sees a movie a recent selection, 8220;Michael Clayton,8221; is about a compromised corporate lawyer and likes watching sports. But he8217;s rarely is seen at social events or anything unrelated to his work.
Even close associates were surprised in 2000 when Nader filed financial disclosure forms revealing that he conservatively estimated his net worth at 3.9 million, thanks primarily to savvy investments in tech stocks. He also disclosed that he had made 512,000 in speaking fees during the preceding 16 months.
Nader deflects questions about his finances today by saying he donates much of his income to advocacy groups and charities. He says he receives speaking fees 8212; charging 1,000 to 15,000, depending on the group 8212; although he adds that the invitations don8217;t come 8220;all that often anymore.8221;
Matthew Zawisky, a campaign aide who has travelled with Nader since 2001, says he8217;s never seen him drive a car or use a computer aides print out relevant documents for him. 8220;He8217;s purely an Underwood typewriter guy,8221; says Zawisky, a bit amused. Nader makes copies of his work using carbon paper. 8220;I think he foresaw the computer revolution and stocked up on it,8221; Zawisky says.
Joan Claybrook, who has known Nader since 1966 and worked with him on his pioneering auto-safety crusade against General Motors, says he reads 10 books a week and speaks seven languages Chinese, Portuguese, Italian and Arabic among them well enough to converse with native speakers.
8220;Ralph is really a charming guy,8221; says Claybrook, who heads the advocacy group Public Citizen. 8220;He has a great sense of humour. If the public knew him really well, they would be enthralled with him.8221;
