Crashing the Party, by Ralph Nader: on War & Peace


Noam Chomsky: Opposed Vietnam War, but TV only covered sound bites

Major-party candidates can speak in short paragraphs of conclusions because what they are saying people have heard again and again within the retread regions of political rhetoric. I recall MIT professor Noam Chomsky, when asked why he would not go on television during the Vietnam War to convey his pronounced views on that conflict. Sound bites favor the status quo, he said. A pro-Vietnam person can simply say, "Peace through strength." In contrast, Chomsky would have to lay down some predicates to explain his antiwar position. Time allotted would be less than 10 seconds on an evening news program, and even a 3-minute segment of question-and-answer would not suffice.
Source: Crashing the Party, by Ralph Nader, p.148 Oct 14, 2002

  • The above quotations are from Crashing the Party:
    How to Tell the Truth and Still Run for President
    Taking on Corporate Governance in an Age of Surrender    , by Ralph Nader.
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2012 Presidential contenders on War & Peace:
Republicans:
Rep.Newt Gingrich(GA)
Rep.Ron Paul(TX)
Gov.Mitt Romney(MA)
Sen.Rick Santorum(PA) 		Democrats:
Pres.Barack Obama(IL)
V.P.Joe Biden(DE) 		Third Parties:
Green: Gov.Gary Johnson(NM)
AmericansElect: Gov.Buddy Roemer(LA)
>Libertarian: Jill Stein(MA)
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Page last updated: Jul 04, 2012