OCR Text |
Show a Thursday. January 3. 1980. THE HERALD, Provo, Utah—Page 13 Mexican-American Candidate For President Off and Running LOS ANGELES(UPI) On sunny morning in Calabasas, a suburban val. ley northwest of Los Angeles. the presidential candidate was toting bag. gage Some 3000 miles to the east. Jimmy Carter was declaring his candidacy for re-election before scores of reporters in the White House. Across the nation other presidential candidates were ducking out of private planes and television lights, shepherded by aides and Secret Service agents. In the driveway of his Spanish Colonial style home, Benjamin Fer- nandez suitcases under his arms, was reading a checklist to his retinue “Timetable? Hotel? Flight to next city? Tickets? Airline?” Theretinue is his wife, Jacqueline and one aide Ed Vela. Heaving the bagsin the trunk of his wife's 4-year-old Mercedes. Fernandez climbsinto the driver's seat and wheels downhill The Fernandez for President campaign is on the road again His campaign for the Republican presidential nomination consists of Fernandez, his wife and 51 unpaid volunteers who share Fernandez cheerful confidence that “Ben who?’ will be the next president Fernandez, the first MexicanAmerican candidate for the presidency has neverheld electedoffice, but says that bothers him not at all. Optimism is the natural com- panion of a self-made millionaire who says he was born in a boxcar. “No one’s campaigning harderthan I am,” Fernandez says. AT LEAST one movie is playing to a packed house these days whether the audience esit or not. The ‘packed house” is a San Francisco Municipal Railway trolley car equipped front and back with television sets for riders to view 45 minutesof historical and contem- porary film footage of San Francisco. Passenger reviews of the “Munimovie” have keen mixed. Passengers on this streetcar shown above are watching montage of municipal operations. (UPI Telephoto) ‘Munimovie’ ShowsTrolley Riders Old and Newof ‘Frisco’ SAN FRANCISCO (UPI) — Atleast one movieis playing to a packed house whether the audiencelikes it or not. The ‘packed house” is a San Francisco Municipal Railway trolley car equipped front and back with two television sets for riders to view 45 minutes of historical and contemporaryfilm footage of San Francisco. Passenger reviews of “Munimovie” have been mixed. “T’ve never seen anythinglike it. I'm from a small Ohio town.” said passenger Roberta Born. ‘‘i’m just fascinated.” “T like to see creative things.” offered Dan Kanagy. “It’s about time something was improved on the Muni.” Rider Judith Edgehill was less complimentary. “This is like TV,” she complained. “Something to sit transfixed and watch. It’s a way of dulling people’s minds andpacifying them. It’s making robots of us. I don’t like it.”” Thefilm was the brainchild of young filmmakers Armin. Ganz and Danos McClendon, who received private funds off streetcars Little Ben andhis friend Big John both had a chuckle over that. Fernandez says, but he intends to have the last laugh. Fernandez laughs often and easily. The campaign’s atmosphere is a blend of determination and humor. “Sure I’m goingto be president. I've been practicing. Every morning my wife hums‘hail to the Chief’ as I come out of the shower. comesfrom the back seat, where Mrs. Fernandez. who had hoped to stay home for a change, has agreed to ac- company him again. After the speech withtheir private planes and police es- corts sighs Mrs. Femandez a strik. ingly attractive former model. Our campaign is Ben and me. runn- ing for planes.” Puerto Ricois the key to my early strategy Fernandez says Everybody's always talking about New Hampshire but Puerto Rico that’s really the first primaryin the nation, on Feb. 17 “There are 14 Republican gates there and it’s winner-take-all. A guy named Fernandezstiould win in Puerto Rico because he's a guy named Fernandez — the first American of Hispanic descent to run for the presidency Front-runner Ronald Reagan has not entered the Puerto Rican primary where the elsewhere-crowded GOP field is limited to Femandez George Bush John Connally and Sen. Howard Baker. “But I'm not taking it for granted I've already madefive visits to the island. I've already spent more money there than all the other candidates combined. ‘I don't just want to win I want a landslide. Then the headlines will have to say ‘Fernandez draws first blood.” and the media will begin to take me seriously in New Hampshire and Mas- against the United States I lay the deaths of those sailors right at Jimmy Carter's door. Carter doesn't campaign there but I ds. I'm going to ask for Secret Service protection when I go back to Puerto Rico. Ben has a bullet proof vest but I can't get him to wear it” says Mrs. Fernandez. “He thinks it makes him look too chubby son of Mexican imys he was born in a boxcar as City where his father worked for a railroad. The family — there were eight children — lived in it for six months, he said I went back there to Kansas City and looked for the siding, butall that’s there now is a vacant lot. I thought of having a campaign photo taken with a boxcar there but I didn't “If I were a promoter, I'd buythat lot and sell it for $100 a squareinch. That would raise some money Spare us laughs his wite. Fernandez helped pick beets in Michiganatthe ageof five and grew up in East Chicago Ind., wherehis father worked in a steel mill. Putting himself through college working as a waiter, he became a market analyst at General Electric then formed his own management consulting firm. Although he has never run for elective office before he hasbeen activein Republicanaffairs for years. especially as a fund-raiser for Richard Nixon sachusetts, because I'll be the winner of the first primary.’ Fernandez is buoyed by a poll of Rhode Island Republican leaders, won Fernandez's confidence in his inevitable success is not shaken by his majorpolitical problems — heis an unknown andvirtually all the Hispanic byBush and Baker, in which Fernandez voters he figures are his natural con- got 6 percent — just a percentage point behind Connally, tied with former stituency are Democrats. President Gerald Ford and a point He answersthat he’s no more of an ahead of Reagan. Fernandez swings the Mercedes south down the Hollywood Freeway His almost constant smile disappears ashe talks about the ambushthatkilled two sailors on a U.S. Navy bus in Puerto Rico. “It’s all thanks to Jimmy Carter. He turned those terrorists loose, a brazen political move to capture the 42 democratic delegates from Puerto Rico.’ Heis referring to Carter's release in September of four Puerto Rican separatists imprisoned more than 25 years ago for armed attacks on Presi- unknown than Jimmy Carter was, and dent Harry Truman and Congress. “I’m not saying those persons Carter released pulled the triggers. but their release was a catalyst that leads to violencelike this. After all. they didn’t repent. They said right out they were going to go right on doing these things as for the Hispanic Democrats. he'll simply persuade them to switch parties. “Americans of Hispanic descent — note how I say that, not MexicanAmericans but AMERICANS of Hispanic descent — should be Republicans. We are a people of great individualism. We have a natural fear of big government, of the federales. And wearefiscal conservatives and have been for a long time — or we'd havestarved to death. “Well that’s the basis of the Republican Party, the cornerstone of our philosophy. “My campaign willbe the catalyst to draw millions of Hispanics to cross over into the Republican camp.” FRIDAY SATURDAY January 4 & 5 Throughout The Store ON ALL Fall & Winter Fabrics SALE 10 - 20 - 30% Off Now! 8 20% ott i’swecter and sweaters DUNKLEY MUSIC fFabrications FABRICS © PATTERNS © yan . MA 152 W. CENTER AMERICAN FORK PROVO STOREKEEPERS FOR GENTLEMEN 59 West 200 North Prove,age UNIVERSITY MALL 124 W. CENTER, PROVO 377-8409 X\ LACK OF et WORLD GLOBES Semi Annual Clearance Sale Drastic Reductions On All Maternity Items Dresses, Pant Suits, Blouses, Night gowns, Pants eyes eaeat 191 5. Main, Springville 595 S. University, Prove Arizona is going to take some fanc; timing God I envy those other candidates DOWNTOWN PROVO SPORT COAT 1847% « 225-9529 489-7469 373-2430 in Tucson Catching the plane for FABRIC SALE SAVE 33% 1.40° MERCHANDISE PIANOS & ORGANS FOR HOME & OFFICE Largest Selection in Uteh. the convention.” Fernandez, a moderate conservative. chortles as hetells how he has already offered John Connally a spotas his vice presidential candidate. A groan of good-natured agreement For some, the film is a delightful diversion from the cramped conditions that usually exist on strectcars. mS MANY OTHER GLOBES stoppable son-of-a-gun when wegetto and a $10,000 grant from the National Endowmentfor the Arts to producethe videofilm. They obtained print of 1905 footage filmed from a MarketStreetstreet car of that era and intermixed shots of the “I have been homeonly a total of samestreet 74 years later. The film. accompanied by music also has about two weeks this year. We are humorousshots of feet getting on and always onthe road.”” JANUARY Rog. $19.95 swinging into the fast lane on the freeway to downtown Los Angeles. “The strategy is working just as I planned and I am going to be one un- to a women’s group in Los Angeles they must get to a fund-raising dinner Zid 9. University, Provo — 377-9977 ; eee: 25 060%">. : MATERNITY WARDROBE 32 N. 100 E. Provo LG 2% \ |