Ralph Nader's democracy crusade.

• Author: Conniff, Ruth
• Position: Book review

Fifty years ago, Ralph Nader published Unsafe at Any Speed, the book that exposed General Motors, changed the government's approach to auto safety, and launched a thousand public-interest crusades.

Smart college grads who could have made big bucks on Wall Street or in corporate law firms were inspired, instead, to become Nader's Raiders, going to work ferreting out corporate abuse and government failure, sparking Congressional hearings, lawsuits, and major changes in national policy.

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A progressive activist I once interviewed in Vermont described how working for one of Nader's public interest research groups when he was in his twenties changed his life. He walked into the office thinking he'd volunteer to do drudge work. Instead, they sat him down at a phone and had him call a big corporation. He went up the chain of command until he was talking to an executive and saying, "You are in violation of the law and, if you don't stop what you're doing, we are going to sue you." He laughed with delight remembering how empowering that experience was.

Persuading people that they can face down power, grab the levers of democracy, and make change is still Nader's cause.

To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of his groundbreaking book, Nader has organized a four-day "Breaking Through Power" conference of public interest advocates, experts, and citizens at Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., in the hopes of kick-starting a movement to revitalize civic life. The event runs May 23 through 26, and will be streamed online.

A tumultuous election season, the outpouring from young people inspired by the Bernie Sanders campaign, Fight for $15, #BlackLivesMatter, and a renaissance of student activism of all kinds makes it a propitious moment for the kind of bottom-up politics Nader has spent his life advocating.

I covered Nader's presidential campaign in 2000, and watched him generate the same kind of enthusiasm among young people and progressives that Bernie Sanders has galvanized this year. Many people still have not forgiven Nader for the outcome of the 2000 race. Had he not run, the country might not have elected George W. Bush. That's one reason Sanders elected to run in the Democratic primary, instead of mounting a challenge that might siphon votes from the Democrats in the general election.

But whatever you think of the wisdom of Nader's third-party bid, or how much blame for the 2000 result can be laid at his feet (as opposed to...