CHICAGO
- October 6 - Building on the momentum of the super rallies that
have drawn tens of thousands of people nationwide, a line-up of
celebrities and social activists will join Green Party presidential
candidate Ralph Nader Oct. 10 at the University of Illinois, Chicago.
The Chicago event is the fifth in a series of high-energy political
rallies that are packing in crowds of supporters to hear Nader speak and
demand that he be included in the presidential debates. More than 12,000
people turned out at the Fleet Center in Boston Oct. 1, and similar
crowds of 10,000-12,000 have packed super rallies in Minneapolis,
Seattle, and Portland, Ore.
“These rallies reflect our campaign’s energy and momentum as we move
toward November,” said Nader campaign manager Theresa Amato. “People are
fired up when they hear Nader speak; they’re telling their friends,
donating to the campaign and volunteering in record numbers. Ralph Nader
is striking a chord with the millions of people who are fed up with
cash-register politics as usual.”
The Chicago super rally will celebrate the hard-fought victory in the
Illinois “battle for the ballot” -- an effort that involved a lawsuit
and more than 150 volunteers working tirelessly for weeks to defend
signatures turned in on Nader petitions. The all-out challenge to ballot
access mounted by the Democrats was defeated Oct. 5, when the state
agreed to officially place Nader on the Illinois ballot.
Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder will perform a song at the Chicago super rally,
which will also include speeches by renowned broadcaster and author
Studs Terkel, filmmaker Michael Moore, former Independent presidential
candidate John Anderson. Former talk show host Phil Donahue will be the
evening’s master of ceremonies.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and speakers start at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10,
at the University of Illinois, Chicago Pavilion. Minimum donation is $7.
To order tickets, call (312) 588-0974. Tickets are also available at the
Nader 2000 Office: 59 E. Van Buren, 14th Floor.
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