Nader/Gonzalez Campaign Files for Minnesota Ballot Line, Criticizes Excessive Use of Force in St. Paul
Media Advisory
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: (Washington) Chris Driscoll, 202-360-3273, chris@votenader.org;
(MN) Danene Provencher 952-994-3085, danene@votenader.org
NADER/GONZALEZ CAMPAIGN FILES FOR MINNESOTA BALLOT LINE, CRITICIZES EXCESSIVE USE OF FORCE IN ST. PAUL
The Nader/Gonzalez presidential campaign will submit petitions to the Minnesota Secretary of State's Office Tues., September 9, to place Ralph Nader and running-mate Matt Gonzalez on the state's November 2008 election ballot.
To qualify to appear on Minnesota's ballot, state law requires submission of the signatures of 2,000 registered voters. The Nader/Gonzalez Campaign will submit around 4,000 signatures.
Danene Provencher, Nader/Gonzalez Minnesota coordinator, will host a news conference at 2 p.m. Tuesday, September 9, at the Office of the Secretary of State, Room 181, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Saint Paul, MN 55155.
The preemptive actions of police to chill free speech and dissent outside the Republican National Convention in Saint Paul represent a governmental crackdown on First Amendment rights. Citizens should be free to express their views in a democratic country, and journalists and protesters should not be jailed for peacefully assembling or broadcasting the news. The Saint Paul police force and the FBI teams who assisted in arresting 238 citizens and journalists acted inappropriately and excessively. The right to free speech and assembly is a cornerstone of our democracy and necessary to maintain a free and open society.
The Nader/Gonzalez Campaign strongly opposes the uncalled for arrest and home invasions of numerous citizens, and the excessive use of force and tactics of intimidation, including rubber bullets and tear gas, against lawful protesters.
An August poll by Minnesota Public Radio found that 77 percent of the state's likely voters say they would consider voting for an independent or third-party candidate. The Nader/Gonzalez Campaign will now be able to offer those voters choices they would not have on election day with only two candidates on the ballot.
For example, in Minnesota, 454,000 persons did not have health insurance in 2006-2007. While Obama offers a plan that relies on the same private health insurance companies that have caused the problem and McCain offers only 'business as usual', the Nader/Gonzalez Campaign offers single payer public health insurance with free choice of doctor and hospital for all.
WHO: the Minnesota Nader/Gonzalez 2008 Campaign
WHAT: News Conference and nominating petitions submission
WHEN: 2:00 p.m., Tues. Sept. 9, 2008
WHERE: Office of the Secretary of State, Room 181, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Saint Paul, MN 55155
About Ralph Nader
Attorney, author, and consumer advocate Ralph Nader has been named by Time Magazine one of the "100 Most Influential Americans in the 20th Century." For more than four decades he has exposed problems and organized millions of citizens into more than 100 public interest groups advocating solutions. He led the movement to establish the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Consumer Product Safety Commission, and was instrumental in enacting the Safe Drinking Water Act, the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and countless other pieces of important consumer legislation. Because of Ralph Nader we drive safer cars, eat healthier food, breathe better air, drink cleaner water, and work in safer environments. Nader graduated from Princeton University and received an LL.B from Harvard Law School.
About Matt Gonzalez
Matt Gonzalez was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors in 2000 representing San Francisco's fifth council district. From 2003 to 2005, he served as Board of Supervisors President. A former public defender, Gonzalez is managing partner of Gonzalez & Leigh, a 7-attorney practice in San Francisco that represents individuals and organizations in mediation, arbitration, and administrative proceedings before state and federal regulatory bodies. Gonzalez graduated from Columbia University and received a JD from Stanford Law School.
About the Nader/Gonzalez Campaign
According to a CNN-Opinion Research Corp. poll conducted from July 27-29, Ralph Nader is at 6 percent nationally (equivalent to about 10 million eligible voters), higher than his highest major poll numbers during the same time period in 2000 and approaching the 10 percent threshold required for eligibility to participate in "America's Presidential Debate in New Orleans," a Google-sponsored event scheduled for September 18. In the key swing state of Michigan -- whose Democratic voters were partially disenfranchised by the Democratic National Committee -- an EPIC-MRA poll found Nader at 8-10 percent.
For more information on the Nader/Gonzalez campaign, visit: votenader.org.
