March 17, 1999
Forbes Declares Candidacy on Internet and the Stump
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Campaigns: Steve Forbes Campaigns: White House 2000 Race Campaigns
ForumJoin a Discussion on Election 2000 By RICHARD L. BERKE
ASHINGTON -- Renouncing the traditional brass bands and patriotic bunting, Steve Forbes, the multimillionaire publisher, Tuesday became the first presidential contender to formally announce his candidacy on the Internet.
Forbes, in his second try for the Republican presidential nomination, cast himself as unconventional and future-oriented, telling viewers who clicked on his sleek yet unadorned Web page, "You and I are entering the information age -- and the Washington politicians are stuck in the Stone Age."
Although he has barely broken stride since his defeat in 1996, Forbes used his remarks Tuesday to try to reshape his image as a candidate with bucketfuls of money and a lackluster speaking style whose trademark is a flat tax. While he still champions the tax, he did not dwell on it Tuesday. Instead, he devoted his tightly written speech to his newly burnished credentials as an outspoken backer of religious conservatives and a foe of abortion -- as well as his concerns about the global economic crisis.
"Now," Forbes said, "the central questions of the year 2000 campaign clearly are these: Do you trust the establishment politicians to protect your economic security and give you more freedom and more control over your life? Do you trust them to defend your values and protect the first and most important freedom of every child -- the freedom to be born?"
"Do you trust them to confront the atrocities in China, end Saddam Hussein's reign of terror and deploy a real missile defense system to protect our children?" he continued. And, eagerly lambasting the Democrats, Forbes added, "Do you trust other politicians to clean out the corruption and sleaze of the Clinton-Gore administration?"
Despite his relentless campaign schedule, Forbes, 51, has thus far languished in the shadows of two better-known prospects: Gov. George W. Bush of Texas and Elizabeth Dole. As they did four years ago, many Republicans question whether a bland business executive who has never been elected to anything can capture the nomination.
Yet, particularly after his performance in 1996 -- when he lavished more than $35 million of his fortune on his campaign -- no one doubts Forbes' staying power in the primary season. And no one doubts his potential to shape the dialogue significantly.
Although Forbes was a fleeting sensation in 1996, registering high in the polls when he first unleashed his television blitz, he placed fourth in the pivotal Iowa caucus and New Hampshire primary. But his hard-hitting advertisements -- opponents called them mean-spirited -- came close to ravaging the candidacy of former Sen. Bob Dole, who ultimately became the Republican nominee.
As he did last time, Forbes plans to forgo federal spending limits and dig deep into his family fortune to finance most of his campaign. Bush is the only other contender who is thinking about eschewing spending limits. So even if the other candidates' money dries up, Forbes can run television advertisements until the bitter end. And his more than ample resources have helped him lure some of the party's most skilled workers, including Steve Grubbs and Nancy Streck, both Iowa operatives who had been courted aggressively by other campaigns.
In an interview, Forbes disputed that he was drawing staff members more because of his bankroll than the appeal of his candidacy.
"We compensate people according to responsibility and ability," he said. "And being of Scottish descent, I'm not going to spend a penny more than necessary. The key is having the message and getting it out to the voters. But money alone won't win it for you."
Forbes said he believes he is better positioned than he was in 1996 because then he did not enter the race until late 1995. "We did not have the opportunities, except very, very late to set up the grass-roots organizations in early states," he said. "People are going to have a better feel of what we're proposing than in the short period of '95 and '96."
Forbes has refashioned himself this time. The most striking change is that he has assiduously courted social conservatives and emphasized abortion and other social issues that he neglected four years ago. At the very least, the changed emphasis has neutralized many religious conservatives who opposed him in 1996. He has also stressed other issues this time, including allowing workers to divert part of their Social Security taxes into individual investment accounts and providing parents with vouchers for private schools.
"Do you know what astounds me?" Forbes asked in his Internet remarks. "More young people believe in UFOs than believe that they're going to collect Social Security when they retire."
By launching his "information-age campaign" on the Internet, Forbes sought to add another fresh dimension to his candidacy. While every major presidential campaign has a Web site, the Forbes organization is promising bells and whistles, including the beaming of photographs, live, from the stump with the candidate.
After his nontraditional announcement was posted, Forbes staged a traditional rally that drew about 50 people on the steps of the state Capitol in Concord, N.H., where he retreated to his mantra about a flat tax that would tax all wage income at 17 percent. He signed a pledge promising not to raise taxes -- and challenged other candidates to do the same.
Forbes' remarks were disrupted by a few hecklers, some wearing fur coats, who called themselves, "Billionaires for Forbes." But he tried to turn his fortune into a virtue, telling the crowd, "I'm the only one who is not beholden to the Washington culture of special interest lawyers, lobbyists and life-time politicians."
The message seemed convincing to Ginny Burke, a travel writer and former state legislator from Bedford, N.H., who traveled to Concord on this blustery day to show her support. "I think he's following common sense," she said. "He doesn't owe anything to anybody. He doesn't have to try to please the lobbyists to raise money and I think that, unfortunately, most candidates do."
Roger Stone, a veteran Republican strategist who is not affiliated with any campaign, dismissed Forbes' candidacy. "He's substantially less relevant than he was four years ago -- protest and reform-type candidacies tend to do a lot less well in times of economic prosperity," he said. "Secondly, his chameleon-like change into a religious right candidate is not very credible. This is a guy who was pro-choice just a few years ago."
Stone said that while Forbes "can play again the role of damaging the eventual nominee," he will ultimately realize that "he's throwing good money after bad."
Still, most Republicans -- and certainly his rivals -- are taking Forbes' much more seriously than four years ago, when his declaration of candidacy drew little attention. At the time, Dole, hardly threatened, welcomed Forbes into the race with a quip, "I think it will help the economy."
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