Anonymous Comrade submits:

"Camejo, Huffington Form Unorthodox Alliance"

By Lee Romney, Los Angeles Times , August 13, 2003

SAN FRANCISCO - Green Party gubernatorial candidate Peter Camejo
announced Tuesday that he and nonpartisan Arianna Huffington will
jointly campaign for issues in the coming months, then decide
together near the end of the race which candidate is better prepared
to sprint to the finish line.
Camejo made the announcement of the unorthodox partnership -- which
Huffington's campaign confirmed is in the planning stages -- as
consumer advocate Ralph Nader sat by Camejo's side to endorse him in
the race.

Nader -- widely criticized by Democrats as a spoiler for drawing
liberal votes away from former Vice President Al Gore in the 2000
presidential election -- lauded Camejo's analysis of the state's
budget mess, saying it was one that "voters will not hear from any
other candidate, except for Arianna Huffington."

Then, in keeping with the burlesque and unpredictable atmosphere of
the state's first gubernatorial recall, Nader was slammed in the face
with a pie as the news conference wound to a close.

While Camejo had urged a civil campaign against his foes, the
finger-pointing wasn't far behind.

As Nader, 67, was ushered into a back room at the Green Party's
headquarters to clean the pie filling from his face, Camejo responded
angrily to reporters' questions about the incident.

"I'm quite sure this attack came from a Democrat," said Camejo, who
garnered 5% of the statewide vote in the gubernatorial election last
fall, but polled in the double digits in nine Democratic Northern
California counties. "What that person just did physically is what
the Democrats have been doing to Nader ideologically I think it's
sick."

The perpetrator, who had blended in with the crowd of media
representatives before pulling the pie from a bag, escaped in the
city's South of Market district. Ross Mirkarimi, spokesman for the
state Green Party, was more measured than Camejo, saying: "We don't
know who did this. Nobody was hurt."

But the gloves had already come off.

"Another absolute lie by Camejo," California Democratic Party
campaign advisor Bob Mulholland said of Camejo's accusation. "I would
predict it was one of the other Green Party candidates on the ballot
or one could speculate it was an inside job, for press attention."

San Francisco is famous for its renegade band of pie-throwers. A
group known as the Biotic Baking Brigade has pied Mayor Willie Brown,
Chevron Chief Executive Ken Derr and others. But a reporter's e-mail
to a contact described on the group's Web site as "Agent Apple" went
unreturned Tuesday.

At the news conference, Camejo discussed his "fair tax" proposal,
which would tax the wealthy at higher rates to relieve pressure on
lower-income working families that, he says, carry an unfair burden.
He assailed Arnold Schwarzenegger for supporting the
anti-illegal-immigration Proposition 187, calling him "dead meat" in
the eyes of Latino voters statewide.

Most notably, he discussed his willingness to embrace Huffington's
campaign in an effort to get shared ideas before voters. For example,
both candidates support instant runoff voting, a system that would
give minor party candidates a boost by allowing voters to rank their
three top choices.

What the partnership "means is that we work hard to get our message
out and near the end, if the Green Party agrees to make a shift and
support Arianna, we'll do that" and vice versa, Camejo said.

Huffington's campaign was less firm. Camejo and Huffington are
meeting in San Francisco today to discuss the partnership, but
whether Huffington would be willing to jump out of the race to throw
her support to Camejo is an issue that has not yet been broached,
said press secretary Parker Blackman.

"It's in the early stages of the partnership," he said. "Given the
wild nature of this whole thing, who knows who's going to stay in or
get out?"

Huffington's Web site touts the union this way: "These two prominent
progressives have forged a unique and powerful partnership. They have
agreed to work together toward a common goal -- making sure that a
progressive sits in the governor's office after October 7."

And Van Jones, Huffington's Northern California political director,
said joint appearances, joint announcements and linked Web sites are
in the works.

"The Democrats are fighting among themselves, the Republicans are
fighting among themselves," Jones said. "Meanwhile, the independents
and progressives are working together. Peter and Arianna realize
there will be one winner or loser on Oct. 7 -- the people of
California. Rather than running against each other, they're going to
be running with each other."

With roughly 150 candidates likely to be in the mix, concerns over
splitting the vote have become almost meaningless.

Nader balked at the suggestion that his campaign spoiled the 2000
presidential race for Gore, claiming that Florida fraud and Gore's
own "lackluster campaign" were responsible for his defeat. In this
race, Nader said, with myriad candidates on the ballot and no runoff,
the issue is moot.

"This is a different mix here," he said. "The vote is split a much
larger number of ways. The winner could win with 12% of the vote."

California's Green Party has not yet formally endorsed Camejo.

Party affiliates will decide the issue in a teleconference Thursday,
said Mirkarimi, although he said Camejo is "the most high profile"
Green candidate running and is expected to win the endorsement.