Ralph Nader, who ran as an Independent presidential candidate, appeared on Fox News the night the nation elected its first African-American president and used the words “Uncle Tom” in reference to President-elect Barack Obama. Obama has to choose between being “Uncle Sam for the people of this country, or Uncle Tom for the giant corporations.” Nader said, according to TV Guide.
Nader also appeared on Fox News the morning after the election and was questioned about the comment by anchor Shepard Smith.
“You had a number of supporters out there,” Smith told Nader. “You were running a percentage. This year you were reduced to irrelevant and I just wonder now if that’s what you want your legacy to be: the man who on the night that the first African-American president in the history of this nation was elected, you ask if he’s going to be Uncle Sam or Uncle Tom. Stunning.”
Nader stood by his comment.