Lamm Challenges Perot for Reform Party’s Nomination

Former Colorado Gov. Richard D. Lamm challenged Texas billionaire Ross Perot for the leadership of Perot’s Reform Party on Tuesday by announcing his candidacy for the party’s presidential nomination and promising a crusade for “reform and renewal” in America.

If Lamm, 60, were to gain the party’s nomination--a difficult task since Perot has offered no indication so far that he is prepared to give it away--he would inject a significantly new note into the 1996 campaign.

His “no BS agenda,” as he called it, is centered on an argument that Americans must reduce the costs of Social Security and Medicare so they will not heap massive debt on the country when the baby boom generation begins to retire.

To achieve that goal, Lamm advocates a program that would, among other things, raise the retirement age to 70, reduce annual cost-of-living adjustments, cut off benefits for upper-income retirees and reduce veterans’ benefits.

“I think it will require taking the American Experiment to the next step,” Lamm said in his press conference at the University of Denver, where he teaches and has been executive director of the school’s Center for Public Policy and Contemporary Issues.

“It will make obsolete many of our favorite social programs. It will be politically traumatic. . . . America has to ask itself not what it wants, but what it can afford.”

So far, neither President Clinton nor his likely Republican opponent, Bob Dole, have shown any desire to discuss changes in Social Security, although both parties have quietly explored ideas for replacing a large part of the current system with private retirement accounts.

As for Medicare, Republicans suffered mightily last year as Democrats attacked congressional plans to change the system. Dole has avoided the issue since then.

Perot, for his part, has frequently warned of the dangers of the deficit, but has generally avoided stressing specific solutions, instead simply declaring, in his clipped Texas twang, that the solutions are simple if leaders will only have the will to implement them.

Both Lamm and Perot argue that it is critical for the nation to halt deficit spending and overhaul a discredited two-party political system.

But the two differ on some major issues as well. Lamm, for example, has generally supported free trade. Perot made opposition to international trade agreements a major focus of his attention in the past several years. Lamm also favors stricter enforcement of environmental laws and favors abortion rights--issues Perot has generally avoided.

In his 15-minute announcement speech, Lamm did not criticize Perot personally, but he repeatedly talked about the staggering problems and difficult choices Americans face if the nation is to avoid “social and fiscal breakdown.”

His detailed message of trial and sacrifice--particularly his calls to reduce health spending on the elderly--earned him the label “Gov. Gloom” during the three terms he served as Colorado’s chief executive, 1975-87.

Lamm seemed to take note of his past image Tuesday when he said, “Voters will have to decide for themselves whether our message is one of gloom or of hope. I firmly believe it is one of hope.

“My parents’ generation survived a Depression and won a world war,” he added, his 88-year-old father, Arnold Lamm, sitting nearby. “Our challenges are less dramatic, but I truly believe they are equally urgent.”

Lamm begins his quest with virtually no money and only limited name recognition. To the extent that he has a base within the Reform Party membership, it seems to be largely in California, where he has attracted support among figures connected with the high-technology industry.

An aide to Lamm, for example, cited former Rep. Ed Zschau of Palo Alto as among the political figures preparing to back Lamm. Another prominent backer is former San Jose Mayor Thomas McEnery. Lamm plans to open his campaign today with appearances in San Jose.

Despite his financial and organizational handicaps, Lamm said he is in the race to stay, whether or not Perot decides to become a candidate.

“I respect Ross Perot, but I think Ross Perot, better than anybody here, recognizes that this party has to declare some degree of independence from Ross Perot,” Lamm said.

Lamm said he advised Perot on Monday that he had decided to run but got no signal from the Texan whether he would become a candidate as well.

“I will respect whatever decision he makes,” Lamm added. “But I do think that he has said that he is looking for someone else, and I’m trying very hard to meet that bill.”

Perot’s signal may finally come this evening, when Perot is scheduled to appear on CNN’s “Larry King Live” program. The King show has served as the vehicle for past Perot announcements.

Lamm’s challenge is substantial, if not overwhelming, within a political organization that was personally created and financed by Perot. Lamm has just over a week in which to convince at least 10% of the party’s estimated 1.3 million members to write his name on the ballots they have begun receiving from the party. If he crosses that threshold by July 20, he will be able to speak to the party convention in Long Beach on Aug. 11.

In the week after that convention, party members will vote by mail, telephone and computer to choose the party’s nominee, to be announced at Valley Forge, Pa., on Aug. 18.

Lamm said he was inspired to run partly by the reception he got at the first California conference of the Reform Party in Los Angeles on June 1.

“Looking out at the audience that day, I really saw a new gathering of Americans who represented precisely what I think has been missing from the politics as usual.”

“I went to make a speech and came back a potential candidate,” he said.

While in Los Angeles, Lamm had said he might consider seeking the Reform Party presidential nomination, but only if he was assured of adequate financial support and that Perot would not be running.

In the end, he decided to run without either of those conditions fulfilled.

In response to questions, Lamm said he would not run as Perot’s vice presidential candidate, nor has he thought about a running mate of his own. He said he has asked Mark Sturdevant of La Habra, vice chairman of the Reform Party in California, to form a committee to screen potential running mates.

As Lamm spoke, a card in front of him promoted his new campaign’s toll-free telephone number, which volunteers can call to offer help or money.

The phone number, he noted, would not be up and working until later in the day. Asked how much money he had, Lamm said $5,000. Someone in the audience of about 200 family members, friends and supporters, called out, “Six.”

“This will be a grass-roots campaign,” he said. “Initially, it will be disorganized. I guarantee you it will be disorganized.”

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Profile: Richard D. Lamm

Here is background on Reform Party presidential candidate Richard D. Lamm:

* Age: 60

* Education: Bachelor’s degree from University of Wisconsin; law degree from UC Berkeley. Certified public accountant.

* Family: Wife, Dottie. Two grown children, Scott and Heather.

* Career: Army, first lieutenant, 1957-58. Colorado state representative, 1966-1974. Colorado governor, 1975-1987. Unsuccessful candidate for Colorado’s Democratic Senate nomination in 1992. Executive director of University of Denver’s Center for Public Policy and Contemporary Issues, 1987 to present.

Source: Associated Press