Do Third-Party Candidates Make a Difference? - Matt Gonzalez

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/2008/05/14/Meet_the_Candidate_Matt_Gonzalez

Independent Vice Presidential candidate Matt Gonzalez discusses the history of third parties in America, arguing that these groups have been instrumental in promoting social change.

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As president of San Francisco's Board of Supervisors, Gonzalez helped to install rank-choice voting and raise the San Francisco minimum wage.

In 2003, he ran for San Francisco mayor in a controversial election, just barely losing to Gavin Newsom - The Commonwealth Club of California

Matt Gonzalez was born in McAllen, Texas in 1965. He received a BA degree from Columbia College, Columbia University, 1987, and a JD from Stanford Law School in 1990. He worked as a deputy public defender in San Francisco from 1991-2000. In 2000 he was elected to the 11-member San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which supervises a city with a budget of $6 billion.

He is best known for having led the effort to implement Instant Run-off Voting, also known as Rank Choice Voting, in San Francisco, where it has been successfully implemented to obtain a majority outcome without the need for costly run-off elections. Matt Gonzalez is a 2008 Vice Presidential Candidate running with Ralph Nader.

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[copana2002]

The more I see of Matt Gonzalez the more I am impressed with his intelligence and reason.

[kimber1901]

The only issue I have with that argument, is that there are not that many differences between McCain and Obama. In fact, I would like you to show me how he is significantly different. Voting for Obama so that Republicans don't win doesn't make sense, if he's the other side of the same coin. If you really want change, everybody vote third party, and do it for the rest of your life. Eventually, one of them might win, and then we will be heard!

[ILeaveMyLoveWithYou]

JOYCE DANELEN FOR PRESIDENT.

JOYCE DANELEN MS. U.S.A.

JOYCE DANELEN IS BEAUTIFUL

[page3fashion]

bene

[xBLOODBAFx]

man...i want to get down to the truth.... whats happening to people...

i'm 19 and could vote for a while but i never quite trusted the media or especially conservatives... . now i dont know much about politics so votes from people like me could mess things up. and 3rd party seems not to be....full of shit.

is there any way i can watch 3rd party media online?

[bisherashisher]

there is an online petition urging ralph nader to run for senate this year urge your friends and family to sign it

[bisherashisher]

you seem to support third parties there is an online petition urging ralph nader to run for senate please urge your friends and others to sign it

[ThirdPartyRevolution]

Third party candidates would make more of a difference if they got elected, so why don't people just do it?

[spmandmtgr]

disagree with him on the popular vote thing I think the way its is now forget what its called its late here is way better besaces if we did it the popular way then only the BIG BIG BIG Elate states would win like new york or California and other states would be left out of the vote like texas Follada Mississippi north Callean and other states..

[Dannynelsonstinks]

Let me answer this quickly.

No.

[ColumbusSpainEurope]

Gonzalez is pronounced gonTHaleTH.

Get it right.

[votePEACEvoteNADER]

Instant Runoff Voting.

Proportional representation.

Sell our prime time TV and radio airwaves to finance true public programming - PBS is corporately underwritten.

2000 citizens in each congressional district watching and instructing our elected representatives.

Imagine the effect.