THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, October 1, 1996 TAG: 9610010273
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBERT LITTLE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: WILLIAMSBURG LENGTH: 80 lines
Pat Choate had no entourage, no network following, no security sweeps by the Secret Service. He had simply a scheduling guy, a car phone and a lock on what he kept calling the most critical issue facing the nation today.
The fundamental goal of his and Ross Perot's bid for the White House: Changing the way political campaigns are financed, Choate said over and over during a distinctly low-budget tour Monday through the Peninsula.
Not balancing the budget. Not improving education, ending crime or ensuring economic stability. Strip wealthy businessmen and corporate conglomerates of their influence over American politics, and lawmakers will be free to finally resolve those matters, said Choate, Perot's vice presidential pick.
America's system of campaign finance is an issue the traditional parties won't address because they're beholden to the political gift-givers it affects, he said.
But it's also his and Perot's primary obstacle to political legitimacy, and it's an issue third-party organizers hope will energize the not-like-them theme of the Reform Party's very existence.
``Campaign finance reform goes to the core of everything else in politics. It illustrates the arrogance and corruption of our system and shows why that system is incapable of addressing the matters of most importance to people,'' the 55-year-old economist said.
``It is at the heart of the central issue of our time: Do you like Washington the way it is or not?''
Cutting corporate sponsorship out of American political campaigns seems like an easy promise for a candidate with Perot's multibillions at the ready. Even a group of Hampton Roads Academy high schoolers pointed that out to him.
In fact, Choate doesn't deny that Perot's wealth - which afforded him high visibility in the 1992 presidential race - has given his campaign a viability it would not otherwise enjoy. Now, since Perot is taking federal matching funds, he's limited to how much personal money he can invest in the campaign.
``Money decides who runs, money decides who wins, money decides what they do once they get in office,'' Choate said. ``But once we win by their rules, we can change the rules. And with the corruption lifted, the president and the Congress can start dealing with the issues that are important to us, not just their contributors.''
A Washington economist and radio broadcaster, Choate made about six stops Monday on the Peninsula, opening a new Perot for President office in Newport News before visiting high schoolers and a modest crowd at the College of William and Mary. He plans to travel around the country between now and the Nov. 5 election.
With polls showing Perot's campaign trailing - well below his 1992 performance of 19 percent of the vote and behind Democrat Bill Clinton and Republican Bob Dole - Choate said he is focused on the first presidential debate this Sunday, ``when this year's campaign really begins.''
A federal judge in Washington is expected to rule today whether the commission organizing this year's presidential debates must allow Perot to participate.
Choate calls Perot's possible stiffing at the debates, and the unwillingness of the major TV networks to sell his campaign prime-time advertising slots, further evidence of the election system's built-in unfairness.
The Reform Party campaign has about $25 million available for advertising and expenses in the election's final weeks, much of it federal funds for which Perot qualified because of his 19 percent showing against Clinton and George Bush in 1992. Perot has said he will not use any more of his personal fortune to run for office.
A secondary goal of the campaign - Choate maintains he's in it to win, despite the polls - is for the Reform Party to achieve equal status with the Democrats and Republicans in 2000 by making a respectable showing in November.
``What third parties traditionally do is bring agendas to the public that the established parties can't or won't,'' Choate said, pointing to typical third-party issues like environmental protection, women's rights and federal spending control.
``At the very least, there will be a viable third party when we're through.'' ILLUSTRATION: Color Photo by ASSOCIATED PRESS
Pat Choate, Reform Party candidate for vice president, visted the
Peninsula Monday.
KEYWORDS: REFORM PARTY CANDIDATE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION < by CNB