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                           PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN '96
                P. O. Box 3727, Oakland, California, 94609
                              510-44-GREEN
    
    
                             Press Release                

    
                RALPH NADER ENTERS PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARY 
    
                GREEN PARTY LAUNCHES 'PEOPLES CAMPAIGN'
    
    
    
San Francisco (11/27/95)  
    
Consumer advocate Ralph Nader issued a statement today announcing his 
entrance into the Green Party of California's presidential primary. 
    
Nader's appearance on the Green Party primary ballot is part of a 
'People's Campaign' to challenge the dominance of money in politics and 
the corporate welfare it buys, and to offer an alternative to the narrow 
agenda put forth by both 'major' parties' candidates. Citing a growing 
public demand for an alternative electoral choice and for greater 
integrity in national politics, David Brower, Medea Benjamin , Michael 
Parenti, and other labor, environmental, and social activists joined 
with Green Party members in urging Nader to run.
    
"Nader's personal integrity and lifetime of public service and advocacy 
has made him one of the most trusted public figures in the U.S," 
according to Los Angeles Green organizer Mike Feinstein, "Nader is the 
ideal catalyst for such a campaign.  This is an opportunity to organize  
disaffected voters and non-voters alike to redirect the nation's 
politics in a more fair, honest and humane direction.  Breaking away 
from the candidate-centered, personality-driven, big-money style of 
traditional campaigning, the Nader/People's Campaign is developing a new 
model for grassroots electoral democracy, run by and for the people.
    
Reaction to the announcement was enthusiastic.   "We're delighted," said 
Santa Cruz Green Party County Council member David Minton, "Nader 
represents the antithesis of  the  money-corrupted politicians in 
Washington DC.; he is an example of exactly the kind of leadership that 
we need in public office. I'm going to urge all of my friends to 
register with the Green Party so they can vote for Ralph Nader in the 
March primary."
    
While traditional political thinking has held that third party 
candidates can not win, Ross Perot's strong showing in the 1992 election 
challenged the dominance of the Republican and Democratic parties. 
Recent polls show that over 60% of voters want more choice and would 
welcome a third party or third presidential option in 1996.  Former 
Green Senatorial candidate Barbara Blong psaid: "we anticipate that 
Nader's appearance on the California primary ballot will spur grassroots 
organizing efforts accross the country.  With half the electorate not 
voting and many voters reluctantly opting for the'lesser of two evils', 
Nader and the Greens have the right message at the right time.
    
Asked about their impact on the Clinton campaign, some Greens express 
hope that Nader's candidacy will serve as a "wake-up call" with which 
they may persuade Clinton to adopt stronger positions on key issues.  
However, according to Bay Area Green Party activist Daniel Solnit, "most 
of us see that the Democratic party is controlled by most of the same 
big money interests as the Republicans. Both parties have abandoned the 
working people of America.  We cannot keep waiting and hoping for 
Clinton, Dole, or any politician to save us. For all of us who are fed 
up with politics as usual, this campaign is a wakeup call for us to take 
back our government from the wealthy special interests."
    
The Green Party of California gained ballot status in 1992, and has 
elected more than a dozen local officials to public office in 
California.  Part of an international movement, Green Parties are also 
active throughout the US and in over 75 countries around the world. 
Rejecting political labels, Greens describe themselves as "neither left 
not right, but in front." They are united by their "10 Key Values": 
nonviolence, social justice, ecological wisdom, grass-roots democracy, 
feminism, respect for diversity, decentralization, community-based 
economics, personal and global responsibility, and 
sustainability/future-focus.
    
    
    
For more info, contact: PEOPLE'S CAMPAIGN '96
    
510-44-GREEN,   P. O. Box 3727, Oakland, California, 94609
    
    
    
For more information about the Green Party of California, 
contact (310) 314-7336
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