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August, 1996
Green Party nominates Nader for President Politics: Consumer Advocate Launches Crusade Against Corporate Interest in Elections and the Two-Party System
By Hector Tobar and Bill Stall, Staff Writers, Los Angeles Times
August 20, 1996
Part A; Page 3; Metro Desk, 926 words
Ralph Nader, the pioneer consumer activist who has spent a lifetime
attacking the Washington establishment, Monday accepted the Green Party's nomination for president, declaring his candidacy a crusade
against corporate interests' domination of the electoral process.
Nader, 62, said he hoped his unconventional, no-frills campaign
would galvanize opposition to the Republican and Democratic parties
and offer a "progressive alternative" to the two-party system.
"This is the first stage of the breakup of the two-party duopoly,"
he said at a midday news conference before accepting the nomination
Monday night at UCLA's MacGowan Hall. "The days of millions of
people turned off to politics and staying home and not voting
may be changing."
Ever the iconoclast, Nader made it clear he does not plan to run
on the Green Party platform, which includes support for affirmative
action and gay rights in addition to its fundamental support of
environmental protection and social justice.
"It's an excellent platform, but I'm independent and I'm not running
on any platform," he said. "I'm emphasizing the parts of the platform
that reflect my own interests."
Thus, he declined to answer a question about gay marriages (which
are supported by most Greens), saying it would detract from the
central focus of his campaign, a critique of corporate America
and what he called "a government of the Exxons, by the General
Motors and for the Du Ponts."
It is the first time the Green Party has chosen a presidential
candidate. Party officials said Nader was on the ballot in a dozen
states, including New York and California, where there are 85,000
registered members. They hope to have him on the ballot in as
many as 30 states by November. Nader and party officials said
they will meet to choose a vice presidential candidate by the
end of the month.
Nader said his would be something of an anti-candidacy, with few
of the trappings associated with national presidential campaigns.
He will travel alone, without the usual entourage of aides and
press deputies, and will spend no more than $ 5,000 of his own
money.
Asked how he planned to reach voters, Nader said he would "campaign
through the free news media and make very brief sojourns through
a number of states."
A former employee of the Department of Labor, Nader first came
to national prominence in 1965, when his book "Unsafe at Any Speed"
exposed the inadequacy of safety standards for automobiles. Since
then, his name has become synonymous with the movement for consumer
protection.
Green Party activists said Nader's candidacy would help their
fledgling party gain prominence both in California and across
the nation. The party is running candidates in state and local
elections from Alaska to Maine.
"Because Ralph Nader is such a widely recognized, respected individual,
a lot of people who didn't know about the Green Party are learning
about it," said Greg Jan, chairman of the California Committee
to Draft Ralph Nader.
Nader's hourlong news conference reflected what is sure to be
the defining characteristic of his campaign: erudite barbs aimed
at the wealthy and powerful.
The candidate did not spare either of his major party opponents
his sharp-edged wit. "President Clinton is too unprincipled ever
to lose to Sen. Dole," Nader said. "He will never let Dole turn
his right flank."
And of Clinton's Republican opponent, he added: "There are few
legislators in history who have sold out more thoroughly, more
frequently and more diversely than Senator Dole."
Nader said he felt uncomfortable with modern campaigning and its
emphasis on personality.
"I do not like to engage in flattery," he said. "I like to engage
in the urgent exhortation of the citizenry."
Green Party activist and Santa Monica City Council candidate Mike Feinstein would not estimate what the party would spend to help Nader,
suggesting a figure of "more than $ 10,000 and less than $ 1 million"
in California.
Political experts said Monday that although the effect of the
Nader candidacy is difficult to assess, he has the most potential
for eating into the vote for President Clinton. Nader votes would
be especially costly to Clinton in California, where the president
is counting on winning the state's crucial 54 electoral votes.
However, any Nader impact on the Clinton vote might be more than
offset by the presence of Reform Party candidate Ross Perot, who
is likely to cost the Republican ticket votes.
Nader "can campaign without spending a lot of money because he
is viewed as someone who is colorful and interesting to cover,"
said Darry Sragow of Los Angeles, a veteran Democratic political
consultant. "He does have credibility if not viability. He'll
be taken seriously, but his prospects may not be taken seriously."
The most logical hypothesis is that Nader would take votes from
the Democratic ticket because of his reputation as a strong environmentalist
and a consumer advocate, Sragow said.
California Democratic Party consultant Bob Mulholland, asked about
the potential impact of a Nader candidacy, answered: "None."
"The Green Party . . . peaked the day they qualified" for the
ballot, Mulholland said. "It's sort of like the Greens and Nader
need each other because neither of them is going anywhere."
In a Los Angeles Times poll conducted among California registered
voters in March, Nader was favored by 7% of those polled compared
with 12% for Perot, 31% for Dole and 47% for Clinton. That was
before the March 26 California primary.