Saturday, October 28, 2000

Ralph Nader visits UI

Full house turns out for Green Party hopeful

By Fred Lucas
Iowa City Press-Citizen

"The two parties have morphed together into one corporate party with two heads wearing different makeup," he told an enthusiastic crowd filled with many University of Iowa students.

More than 1,000 people attended Nader's rally inside the IMU Main Lounge. Many people spilled outside the Main Lounge doors listening to Nader's speech because of limited space.

Nader has gained a national following from many who haven't voted before and from disenchanted Democrats. In Friday's speech, he called for universal health care, a living wage, better labor laws, cutting corporate welfare, public financing of political campaigns and cutting military spending.

Nader spent much of the speech slamming Vice President Al Gore's coziness with big business and conservatism, citing Gore's support for free trade, welfare reform and a bigger military.

"Every time I hear Al Gore say, 'I'm going to fight for you against big corporations, big insurance and big oil,' I say, where were you the last eight years?" he said.

Nader's impact in the campaign is evident, though possibly not to his own advantage, as the Rev. Jesse Jackson and comedian Al Franken said earlier Friday at the IMU. Both said a vote for Nader will only help Republican candidate George W. Bush.

"These frightened progressives say I'm undermining my own legacy of reform," Nader said. "What they don't know is that the Democratic Party has already done it."

After ignoring Nader for most of the year, the attacks from Gore's campaign are welcomed by Nader supporters, said UI junior Peter Reed.

"They're very scared of us, and they should be," he said.

Reed said he realizes Nader could tilt the race in Bush's favor but said Nader's campaign is looking at building a long-term political movement.

"I'm afraid of Bush, but I'm afraid of Gore, too," he said. "I originally was going to vote for Socialist Party candidate David McReynolds. But I decided to compromise and vote for Nader. But there is a line I will have to draw, and I won't compromise and vote for Gore."

If Nader receives 2 percent of the vote in Iowa this year, the Green Party will have official party status.

Iowa City resident Phil Ecklund said he could no longer vote for a lesser of two evils.

"The Republicans and Democrats are too much alike and don't represent the common man," he said. "My wife countered my vote and voted for Gore because she said I'm wasting my vote. Realistically, he hasn't got a ghost of a chance, but I can't see voting for Gore."

Cedar Rapids resident Susan Norman said she felt the same way.

"I've been a lifelong Democrat," she said. "This is the first time I've voted outside of the Democratic Party. It's because Ralph Nader is a man of his word. The other two guys I don't trust."

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