Reform Party hopeful tries to calm the waters

Greg Risling

NEWPORT BEACH -- What a week it has been for the Reform Party.

First, billionaire developer Donald Trump bowed out of the presidential

race. Then, Jesse Ventura -- the flamboyant wrestler-turned-governor of

Minnesota -- said the party wasn’t worthy of his support and labeled it

hopelessly dysfunctional.

The day after Ventura’s announcement, party leaders shouted and argued

with each other at a meeting in Nashville, Tenn., proving to the nation

it must make great political strides before one of their candidates can

win the presidential ticket.

The party’s nomination is still up for grabs and candidate Robert Bowman

believes he can garner enough support between now and the March 7 primary

for an executive bid.

“We have a long road before the party nomination,” said Bowman, who spoke

to about 20 residents in Newport Beach on Tuesday night. “Once we get

past that point, beating [George W.] Bush and [Al] Gore will be the easy

part. If I am involved in a debate with those two, I’ll clean their

clock.”

The 65-year-old rocket scientist, who grew up in California, has been

spreading his message across the nation for the past several months.

Traveling with his wife in the family motor home, Bowman has been

building steam with virtually no advertising or national media coverage.

“We don’t want Pat Buchanan trumpeting his ideas for this party,” said

Allan Beek, who invited Bowman to speak in Newport Beach. “Dr. Bowman is

a reasonable person with reasonable ideas. I have three hot-button issues

and he pushes all of them.”

Bowman must fend off challenges from party rivals Pat Buchanan, a staunch

conservative, and John Anderson, a former congressman.

One Florida newspaper called Bowman the longest of longshots, but with

the defections of Trump and Ventura, Bowman has emerged as one of the

party’s leading candidates.

With Buchanan omitted from the March 7 California primary election,

Bowman -- who bested his opponent in the Iowa primary last month -- could

keep gaining ground.

The victory may prove vital to his campaign. The candidate who wins the

nomination will receive the party’s $12.6 million in federal funds that

can be used for the presidential run.

Bowman said the party’s two factions -- neither of which he supports --

has produced undue friction may have caused irreparable damage.

“I don’t know if this will break up the party or keep it together,” he

said. “But I’d like to bring both sides together and then create a broad

coalition of third parties.”

Bowman is surely ambitious. Not only is he seeking the Reform Party

nomination, but also the Green, Pacifist and Labor bids as well.

His platform aims to dissuade corporate fat cats from national and

foreign politics. He said, if elected, he will let the people wield the

power.

The ideas come from a man who wants to see the FBI and the CIA

controlled, rid the country of “useless” nuclear weapons and issue

pardons to Leonard Peltier and Mumia Abu Jamal, among other things.

“One thing I have never been is a politician and I won’t start now,” he

said. “The only reason I want to go to Washington, D.C. is to give the

power back to the people.”