Lamm Accuses Perot of Politicking With Loaded Deck

Reform Party presidential contender Richard D. Lamm on Monday accused Ross Perot of skewing the party’s nominating process in his own favor and argued that the political movement started by the Texas billionaire needs to replace him if it is to thrive.

Campaigning in Northern California with his newly chosen running mate, former U.S. Rep. Ed Zschau of Los Altos, Lamm said he does not think Perot is trying “to steal this election.” But the former Colorado governor added: “I did expect an even playing field and I have not gotten that.”

Lamm entered the race about a month ago, hoping that Perot would decide not to seek the nomination of the party he founded and financed. But the next day Perot made clear his intention to run, and since then Lamm has clashed with party leaders hired by Perot over their refusal to give him a list of party members. Lamm also has questioned the fairness of the party’s electoral mechanisms and been thwarted in his bid to engage Perot in a debate.

Party leaders have insisted Lamm has been treated fairly and that any glitches in the party’s operation were unintentional.

During an appearance with Zschau on CNN’s “Larry King Live” television program Monday night, Lamm sounded a more conciliatory note. Asked by King about his complaints, Lamm said: “This last week here, let’s all stick together.”

In his earlier campaigning Monday, Lamm said his strategy going into the Reform Party’s convention Sunday in Long Beach--the first part of a bifurcated nominating process--is to convince party members that “they really need a new face--that you can’t build a new party top-down.”

Nodding toward Zschau, a longtime Silicon Valley entrepreneur, Lamm added: “This team right here can build the party much better than Ross Perot.”

Zschau, who represented the San Jose area as a moderate Republican for two House terms before suffering a razor-thin defeat in a 1986 Senate race against then-incumbent Democrat Alan Cranston, was somewhat harsher on Perot. During a short speech at the Tech Museum of Innovation, which Zschau helped found in downtown San Jose, he said: “I would suggest that any political party controlled by one man for his own personal ambitions--regardless of how noble those ambitions are and regardless how noble he is--cannot long endure.”

On Sunday, both Perot and Lamm are scheduled to address the party’s gathering in Long Beach. During the following week, party members can vote by mail, fax or computer for the party’s nominee. The winner is to be announced at a party conference at Valley Forge, Pa., on Aug. 18.

Lamm previously complained about the first stage of the party’s selection process, when its members were asked to pick those who would compete for the nomination.

Only about half of the party’s members received ballots, Lamm said. Those who did tended to be concentrated in areas where Perot is strong, such as Texas. Many of those who did not get ballots included residents of states where Lamm had counted on strong support, such as California.

On Monday, Lamm blamed “massive administrative problems” for the fact that only about 5% of the Reform Party’s membership participated in the initial selection process. Asked what he would consider a threshold of legitimacy in the final balloting, Lamm said at least 10% of the membership.

In the first round of balloting, Perot collected about 65% of the vote, Lamm 28%, making them the only two presidential contenders.

Lamm said his campaign aides are negotiating the format of Sunday’s convention with Reform Party leaders. Each candidate is expected to have about one hour to speak. One of Lamm’s goals is to allow Zschau to share part of his time. Perot has not named a vice presidential candidate.

Zschau said he changed his registration from Republican to the Reform Party last week after Lamm asked him to be his vice presidential candidate. Asked why he left the GOP, Zschau said: “I didn’t. The Republican Party left me some time ago.”

Lamm remains a Democrat because the Reform Party has not yet been established in Colorado.