McALLEN - A student forum Saturday with vice presidential candidate Matt Gonzalez began calmly enough.

But the discussion at South Texas College became heated when an attendee asked if Gonzalez's campaign with Independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader was a spoiler in Democrats' efforts to retake the White House.

Gonzalez, a San Francisco area lawyer and activist, defended his campaign's right to give the nation's voters another option in a heated contest, adding that the mainstream presidential candidates' voting records prove none of them represents the force of change to which they lay claim.

"Don't vote for us if you don't want to. Vote for Barack Obama, vote for Hillary Clinton, vote for John McCain, vote for who you're comfortable voting for," the McAllen Memorial High School graduate said. "(Change is) not going to happen, because they represent the same. They are the same."

With the media coverage of the political race heavily dominated by reporting on the Democratic candidates, Wallace Johnson, a history professor at STC, wanted to give his students a chance to hear another point of view.

"I thought it'd be a great chance for my students - and the wider community - to find out about Independent candidates for office and try and get different perspectives on issues that you may not get from the Democrats and Republicans," said Johnson, who arranged Gonzalez's visit.

"I think, regardless of somebody's political views, it's good for students to see someone like them who's achieved a lot in a relatively short period of time," he said.

Gonzalez, a Stanford Law School graduate, has been on the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco since 2000 and was elected president of the board in 2002.

While the chances are slim that Nader will win the presidency, Gonzalez, 42, said the campaign keeps a positive mindset.

"I think it's a very cynical thing in politics to enter a political contest believing you can't win," he said. "I think it's better to (focus on the belief that) your ideas are better, and if they are, then you have a right to try and win the votes, and that's what we're trying to do."

Gonzalez's views struck a cord with STC student Cynthia Castillo, who said his ideas had substance, unlike those of other candidates.

"I'm not voting for Obama or Clinton, because in the long run they're not going to do what they say. They're just saying it because they want to be president," said Castillo, of La Blanca.

Though undecided in the presidential race, Castillo said if she had gone into the forum with a favorite candidate, Gonzalez's stance would have made her "stop and think about who you're voting for."

Daisey Esparza, of Mission, attended the event to receive extra credit for a history class. She said she "didn't trust" Gonzalez.

"He doesn't look sure of himself," she said, adding that she didn't plan to vote in the election.
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Sandra Gonzalez covers general assignments for The Monitor. You can reach her at (956) 683-4427.