From: Dean Myerson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: 12,000 turn out in Minneapolis Press Release September 23, 2000 12,000 PACK MINNEAPOLIS TARGET CENTER TO HEAR NADER/LADUKE Largest crowd of the presidential race demands "Let Ralph Debate!" MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA, Sept. 22 -- Green Party Presidential candidate Ralph Nader and Vice Presidential candidate Winona LaDuke packed the Target Center in Minneapolis with 12,000 cheering supporters demanding Nader's inclusion in the presidential debates. The high-energy rally included inspirational speeches by Nader supporters Granny D, filmmaker Michael Moore, and former talk show host Phil Donahue, all of whom urged citizens to vote their hopes and not their fears in November. "A vote for Nader is not a vote for Bush. A vote for Bush is a vote for Bush, and a vote for Gore is a vote for Bush. A vote for Nader is a political Molotov," said Moore to erupting audience applause. Supporters paid $7 apiece to attend the rally, which followed a paid rally in Portland, Ore., that drew 10,500 supporters last month. The Minneapolis and Portland rallies were the largest events held by any presidential candidate this year. "Across the country we have been drawing crowds in the thousands," said Nader 2000 Campaign Manager Theresa Amato. "Each event has been filled to overflow capacity, and we're gaining momentum with every stop. Our bases are solidified, our support is growing, and people are fired up when they hear Ralph Nader speak. Thousands of people paid to hear him talk last night, and millions more want to see him in the debates." Another 10,000-plus supporters are expected to turn out Saturday, Sept. 23, at a Super Rally in Seattle, Wash., to hear Nader speak. Super rallies of similar scale are also planned in Boston on Oct. 1 and Chicago on Oct. 10. In Minneapolis, Nader urged each of the 12,000 supporters in attendance to talk to friends, family, co-workers and acquaintances and garner 60 votes apiece for Nader/LaDuke to carry the state of Minnesota. "The most powerful media is word of mouth," Nader said. ---2---- [short excerpts that should be fair use] From: Ted Dooley & Kristi Holmquist <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Nader Rallies More Than 11,000 At Target Center Published on Saturday, September 23, 2000 in the Minneapolis Star Tribune Nader Rallies More Than 11,000 At Target Center by Bob von Sternberg Ralph Nader brought his longshot Green Party presidential campaign to Minneapolis Friday, headlining a rally at Target Center that drew thousands of supporters. The Nader campaign said that 11,500 showed up, leaving the turnout only slightly short of his organizers' hopes. .... Nader's Minneapolis rally was the sixth stop on a four-day campaign swing through the Midwest .... News coverage of the campaign has been picking up, with organizations as disparate as the New York Times, USA Today and Swedish Television covering the tour; the rally Friday was broadcast on C-SPAN.... During the Twin Cities stop, Nader kept up his steady rhetorical drumbeat in an attempt to be included in the three presidential debates between Democrat Gore and Republican Bush. .... [Phil] Donahue said that if Nader isn't included in the debates, "we'll have no real gutsy, so's-your-old-man political discourse that we deserve. Remember, there wasn't much resonance for Jesse Ventura's ideas until he got in the debate." � Copyright 2000 Star Tribune --fwd David Shove
