Even Lawrence O’Donnell has openly stated in at least one interview years after the fact that Ralph Nader was always a useful scapegoat to explain away the Democratic Parties own failures and ineptitude during Bush V. Gore and the 2000 election. Trying to find the clip but to paraphrase him: its rather sad and hilarious how the DNC spent months and months insisting and asserting that he wasn’t a real candidate or a serious person they even needed to engage with or breath life into…until suddenly they needed someone who they could conveniently pin the whole thing on to avoid ever having to do any sort of self critique or analysis.