Nader Demands $25,000 for HLS Group

Ralph Nader has turned up the heat on the Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD) that excluded him from the podium and then from the audience at Tuesday's debate--and a Harvard Law School (HLS) organization may benefit.

Nader said Wednesday that unless the CPD apologizes to him and donates $25,000 to the Appleseed Center for Electoral Reform (ACER)--an HLS research group Nader helped found--he will take legal action against the CPD.

Nader is already using legal avenues to try to get into the debates as a candidate. The appeal of his case against the Federal Election Commission (FEC) was heard in a Boston courtroom yesterday.

And it appears the extra publicity has served as a boon to Nader's popularity. According to yesterday's Zogby national poll, 7 percent of the public supports him for president, compared to just 3 percent last week.

Yesterday he formalized his latest demands in a letter to the CPD co-chairs. According to the letter, Nader's campaign will "pursue its legal remedies" if the CPD doesn't give in to Nader's demands by Oct. 10.

The Green Party candidate claims the CPD violated his civil rights when he was refused admission to Tuesday's debate, held at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, despite having a valid ticket.

Nader did not consult with the ACER before demanding that the CPD contribute to the group.

In fact, the center's faculty director, Williams Professor of Criminal Justice Richard D. Parker, hadn't heard about the proposed donation until The Crimson mentioned it to him yesterday.

"That's creative, as always," Parker said upon hearing the news.

A self-described former "Nader's Raider," Parker said he appreciated Nader's statement, but didn't expect a check for $25,000 any time soon.

"I think it's great that Ralph thought of us," he said. "But although I would not ordinarily say anything bad about a potential contributor, I doubt the commission is going to give us anything."

Tom Adkins, a Nader campaign spokesperson, wouldn't say how he expected the CPD to respond, but he indicated that he doubted they would give in to Nader.

"The Commission on Presidential Debates has a long track record of arrogance," Adkins said.

The entire CPD staff was in Kentucky yesterday in preparation for last night's vice presidential debate, and could not be reached for comment.

According to Parker, Nader helped to found the Appleseed Foundation along with other members of his 1958 HLS class.

This national organization inspired the creation of ACER as an HLS student group in 1996 and provided the start-up money for the Appleseed Electoral Reform Project to get off the ground last year. Nader played a role in this as well, said Parker.

"He wanted there to be some kind of project set up at Harvard Law School focusing on some kind of electoral reform," Parker said.

In addition, Jamin B. Raskin '83, a law professor who has represented Nader in his legal fight to get into the CPD debates, is the director of the American University ACER.

And Nader has remained involved with the organization.

"He does work closely with the Appleseed Foundation," Adkins said, though mainly with its Washington, D.C. branch.

But Adkins dismissed the notion that Nader's ties to the group make his demand that the CPD donate $25,000 amount to extortion.

"He's not involved in the day-to-day running of the organization," Adkins said.

Parker agreed that there was no substantial conflict of interest.

"Ralph has had a role in inspiring or bringing into existence countless organizations," he said.

"[ACER] was a natural selection for a charity that an anti-democratic organization like the CPD should be forced to contribute to," Atkins said.

The research arm of ACER deals with electoral issues ranging from redistricting to selection of judges, Parker said. The group also organizes workshops and lectures. It has not yet undertaken a major research project.

Parker said ACER's budget last year was about $100,000.

As Nader threatened legal action yesterday against the CPD, a three-judge panel heard his supporters' appeal of their case against the FEC.

Nader contends that the corporate-financed CPD debates constitute illegal campaign contributions to Vice President Al Gore '69 and Texas Gov. George W. Bush. Gore and Bush are the only two candidates who are polling at least 15 percent in national polls, which is one of the CPD's criteria for entrance into the debates.

Scott Lewis, a Boston lawyer who argued the case yesterday for the Nader supporter-plaintiffs--who include Susan Sarandon and Phil Donahue--said he thought things went well.

"I thought the questions the judges asked were interesting and showed that they were taking the case seriously," he said.

Lewis said that although he requested that the court decide the matter immediately--the election is just a month away--the ruling might not be handed down for months.