Nader Vilifies Cox During Speech to Senior Citizens

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader told an overflow crowd of mostly senior citizens Thursday that their congressman, U.S. Rep. Christopher Cox, has one of Capitol Hill’s most consistent records of supporting laws that hurt the elderly.

Nader’s speech at Leisure World in Laguna Hills was meant to challenge older Americans to become the “rebuilders of our democracy” by increasing their activism.

But in the hourlong talk, which drew a standing-room-only crowd of more than 800 people, Nader repeatedly bashed Cox, a Newport Beach Republican who is championing controversial Medicare and tort reform in Washington.

The GOP Medicare plan, which aims to save $270 billion by 2002, will result in higher costs and fewer health-care services for seniors, Nader said, while the legal reform efforts are crafted to limit the liability of the medical industry when it comes to malpractice.

“Christopher Cox and his cohorts voted to restrict the rights of medical malpractice victims,” Nader said.

“He is the epitome of so many of the members of Congress who have lost their connection to the folks at home,” he later added.

Cox has contended that Medicare reform efforts would maintain high-quality health care. He has said his tort reform efforts would curb frivolous litigation. On Thursday, his spokesman said that it is Nader who is doing the bidding of special-interest groups.

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“It’s not surprising a ‘60s leftist like Ralph Nader, who thinks more lawsuits are a good thing, would attack common-sense legal reform,” said Vincent Sollitto, Cox’s press secretary. Sollitto challenged Nader to reveal his funding from trial attorneys.

Nader said after his speech that he is not financially supported by trial lawyers. Contrary to some beliefs that the country is “lawsuit happy,” Nader said, American citizens file fewer lawsuits now than in years past.

“There’s nothing shameful about suing,” he said. “That’s how we get justice.”

Cox’s office has received thousands of postcards from seniors who oppose the Medicare reform plan, and he has been the target of critics who formed the Chris Cox Cruelty Society because, they say, his tort reform efforts ignore their pain and suffering.

It was a theme that Nader returned to again and again.

“His cruelty is aggressive; it’s shameless,” Nader said, calling Cox one of the nation’s five worst congressmen when it comes to consumer issues.

Nader said Congress should busy itself with fighting Medicare fraud instead of restricting services.

The purpose of Nader’s speech was to gather support for the Thousand Oaks Project, which hopes to organize 1,000 people throughout the state to create a watchdog network that looks out for the interests of consumers, taxpayers and voters.

J. Edward Burn, 68, of Oceanside was among the more than 120 people who lined up for information about the organization.

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“We want to find out what we can do to help bring about more democracy,” he said.

“I like what he had to say,” Burn said of Nader.

Mary Weiss of Leisure World said she liked the fact that Nader believes senior citizens can lead the way to a better country.

“It’s true. We have the experience to do it,” Weiss said.