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Peter Camejo on Principles & Values
2004 former Reform Party nominee for Vice President; previously Candidate for CA Governor
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Avocado Declaration: Dems & GOP work together to favor rich
In January, 2004 Peter Camejo initiated the Avocado Education Project that issued a statement known as the Avocado Declaration. The Avocado Declaration described how the Democratic Party and the Republican Party hinder social progress by working together
to largely benefit a small wealthy constituency. It further advocated for a fiercely independent Green Party that would be capable of attracting nonvoters and disillusioned mainstream party supporters.
Source: WordIQ.com candidate definition
Aug 17, 2004
Confront the major parties, rather than build Greens locally
The central debate within the Green Party prior to its 2004 Presidential Nomination was about whether to follow Camejo's advice of pursuing a confrontational campaign strategy promulgated in The Avocado Declaration or to tend the party at the state and
local levels and assist a Democratic Party victory in the fall. While Camejo and others advocated for attracting new party members by sharply defining campaign issues, some feared a backlash against the party if it was perceived to help re-elect Bush.
Source: WordIQ.com candidate definition
Aug 17, 2004
Competed in 1960 Olympics in yachting
Peter Camejo competed in the 1960 Games in Italy. "My dad and I represented Venezuela in yachting. He steered, I was crewing. They were Star Class, 22' boats, and made only for racing. You hang from the boat continuously-they're very uncomfortable!
You had to be in very good shape. You control the shape of the mast; you get a curve on it to maximize speed.""Everyone who goes to the Olympics gets a participatory medal. As a 20-year-old student at M.I.T.,
it was very effective to wear my Olympic medal and jacket as far as dating girls! I remember strutting around Harvard, too. Of course, I never said I was in sailing, because that just sounded so uncool;
I would say, 'I'm a long distance runner!' The only sad thing is my medal was stolen from me."
"It was an incredible experience to be at the Olympics and to be present with all those people from around the world."
Source: Nader-Camejo Campaign News Release
Aug 15, 2004
Republicans funding Nader/Camejo as well as Bush
In Michigan, after Nader volunteers had collected only 5,000 of the 30,000 signatures necessary to get on the ballot, Michigan's Republican Party came to the rescue with 43,000 Nader signatures. In Oregon, another swing state, Republicans recruited
rightwingers to sign Nader's ballot petition. Besides activists, Republicans are deploying money behind Nader. When the San Francisco Chronicle reported that 1 of 10 big Nader donors had also donated to Bush, Nader's vice presidential running-mate
Peter Camejo said that the campaign would consider returning money from Republicans hoping to help Bush against Kerry: "We don't want that money." Days later, Camejo told the same reporter: "It is conceivable that pro-Bush, pro-Republicans believe
we have a right to be on the ballot. We will not establish lie detector tests for people who give us money." Camejo's new line was in keeping with Nader's laissez-faire attitude on accepting GOP cash: "Republicans are human beings too," he argued.
Source: Jeff Cohen, "AlterNet" blog
Jul 20, 2004
Davis sells legislation; decisions are based on money
Q: Name specific items that you would have handled differently as governor than Gray Davis did. CAMEJO: The governor appoints people to commissions based on who gave him money. He sells legislation. He told the head of the teacher's union when they
asked for education, give me $1 million. There is something really deeply wrong that Gray Davis epitomizes what is wrong with the system, where decisions are based on money. The energy disaster, he gave the people coming to rob us $43 billion.
Source: Recall debate in Walnut Creek
Sep 3, 2003
His candidacy broadened the debate and gave people choices
Q: What is your single proudest achievement that qualifies you to be Governor?A: I'm proud that in this campaign I've broadened the debate so that people understand issues better and have more choices -
real choices, not just the Republicans and the Democrats which are kind of the same thing.. This is the kind of attitude a governor should have, promoting the free flow of ideas.
Source: Eastern Groups Publications, CA Gov. Q&A, with Raul Vasquez
Nov 2, 2002