With Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain dominating the news, it may seem Democrats and Republicans are the only choices. However, Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader presents another option to the American voter.
Nader, along with vice presidential candidate Matthew Gonzalez, will hold a news conference at 1:30 p.m. Sunday and a campaign rally at 2 p.m. at the University Hilton.
Nader and Gonzalez will hold the rally to bring supporters together and recruit new, voters and will address national issues such as healthcare, energy dependence and the war in Iraq, contrasting them with Obama’s and McCain’s stances. After their statements, they will hold a question-and-answer forum with no prior screening.
"We encourage everyone to come," campaign advisor Chris Driscoll said. "People will be surprised by the depth of the discussion."
Nader, on his fifth campaign for president, is an attorney, author, lecturer and Princeton and Harvard University alumnus. Aside from being the first Arab-American presidential candidate in U.S. history, he has been named one of the "100 Most Influential Americans in the 20th Century," by Time Magazine and his organizations have helped establish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. They have also helped enact the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act and the Freedom of Information Act. Nader has written, co-authored and edited many pieces of literature, including his book Unsafe at Any Speed, ranked 38th among the top 100 pieces of journalism of the 20th century.
Gonzalez, one of the first Green Party candidates elected to public office in the San Francisco Bay Area, is a native Texan born in McAllen, and Columbia and Stanford University alumnus. Elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2000 representing San Francisco’s fifth council district, Gonzalez also served as the San Francisco Board of Supervisors President from 2003 to 2005. Gonzalez is also the managing partner of Gonzalez ‘ Leigh, a seven-attorney practice in San Francisco representing individuals and organizations in mediation, arbitration and administrative proceedings before state and federal regulatory bodies.
With a $10 general or $5 student contribution, supporters or voters who wish to learn about another candidate will have a chance to attend the rally.
"We found that the University of Houston is an easy location for our supporters to find and also that the University is a big one (in terms of population,)" Driscoll said. "The young voter is an important group for the Nader/Gonzalez census."
