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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 14, 2016)
Page 4 News Ralph Nader says Americans have the potential to reclaim political clout from corporations. H e’ll visit Portland to promote his new book - and a Multnomah County campaign finance measure. Street Roots • Oct. 14-20, 2016 ■ah I I W B l BY E M ILY GREEN at the First Unitarian Church * of Portland. elentless consumer advocate and frequent Nader recently presidential candidate Ralph Nader is spoke with Street coming to Portland to discuss his new book, “Breaking Through Power: It’s Easier Roots by phone from - . Than We Think.” Washington, At 149 pages, his new release from City D.C., where he & Lights Books is a quick and captivating read that had just hosted *' seeks to enrage its audience before motivating a four-day ' nf readers toward a pragmatic solution. conference where Nader succinctly lays out the ways Americans 91 prominent civic have handed over their common properties and leaders from across the constitutional rights to corporations and corrupt nation joined him in politicians, giving way to what he says is now a giving lectures under the tiT plutocracy featuring two parties beholden to banner of “Breaking special interests, not the people. Through Power.” He also willfully weaves in instances when He said it was one of the \ * relatively small movements of committed broadest gatherings of civic «; 4’ citizens have won major victories against leaders the nation has ever seen j seemingly insurmountable corporate power. - and not one major media outlet . * I For example, he points out that the fight for a covered it. Even The Nation, an $15 minimum wage made headlines and has led event sponsor, failed to send a 1» to wage increases in some areas because fewer reporter. The independent media’s than 73,000 people spent a few hours each week failure to prop up progressive leaders, promoting the idea. To put that in perspective - the junk-filled abyss that dominates our .¿¿ x S sm KEB that’s a major victory for millions of workers, public airwaves, and his new book were resulting from the efforts of a group whose size among the topics we discussed. equates to about 3 percent of the Portland Emily G reen: In “Breaking Through metro area’s population. Nader ends “Breaking Through Power” with a Power,”you write, “Our country bipartisan-supported agenda and a blueprint for has more problems than it should how a small number of dedicated Americans tolerate and more solutions than H ie little could easily work to take back the country for it uses. ” How did we get to a measure th at could everyone. He argufes that if just 1 percent of the place where we are so population worked together to put pressure on complacent? Measure 26-84 supporters say the Congress from each district, it could make all Ralph Nader: Well, that’s Multnomah County campaign the difference. what happens when you have finance reform initiative could One example of citizens attempting to take inequality of power. ultimately be used to overturn the back power will be on the ballot in Multnomah There’s a lot of talk about Citizens United decision. Page 7 County this November, he said. inequality of wealth - greater Measure 26-184 seeks to limit campaign than any other Western country contributions in county commissioner races, but - but there’s not enough talk about inequality of because it includes a provision on independent power - power in the hands of the few deciding expenditures, its proponents say it could for the many. When you have that kind of ultimately be used to overturn the U.S. Supreme situation, then you have the few, who have Court’s notorious Citizens United decision. vested interest in fossil fuels and nuclear, Nader will be at Powell’s City of Books at thwarting for decades the onset of energy noon Saturday, Oct. 22, to discuss his new title. efficiency and renewable energy, so Later that day, he’ll deliver a speech at a even though the solutions are on fundraiser for the campaign finance reform ballot measure. The fundraiser begins at 7 p.m. See NADER, page 5 STAFF WRITER R P H O T O BY N IC K R A N D H A W A
