Nader Launches Second TV Commercial

<br>WASHINGTON (AP) _ Ralph Nader launched his second TV commercial for his Green Party presidential campaign on Tuesday, as he came under mounting pressure from Democratic leaders to drop out of the race

Tuesday, October 31st 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

WASHINGTON (AP) _ Ralph Nader launched his second TV commercial for his Green Party presidential campaign on Tuesday, as he came under mounting pressure from Democratic leaders to drop out of the race and back Al Gore.

The new 30-second spot, a parody like his first, will ``run in up to 30 markets across the country,'' said its creator Bill Hillsman. He wouldn't say which ones.

The ad is based on a spot by the employment website Monster.com featuring a series of children talking about ``when I grow up.'' It asks voters to support Nader if they ``want something better for yourself and the next generation.''

Nader averages about 5 percent in national polls, but comes in considerably higher in at least a half-dozen traditionally Democratic states that are tossups between Gore and Republican George W. Bush.

Nader's potential for taking votes away from Gore has prompted a vigorous campaign by Democrats who argue that voting for him will only help Bush win the election.

Nader's campaign manager, Theresa Amato, dismissed the chance that Nader would endorse Gore in swing states: ``Absolutely not. We're going for every single vote across the country.''

Like his first television spot, a parody of a MasterCard commercial that got Nader slapped with a lawsuit, the new ad plays off a popular commercial.

It features children speaking directly into the camera, one at a time:

``When I grow up I want the government to have the same problems it has today.

``I want to vote for the lesser of two evils.

``I want to be lied to.

``I want to be apathetic.

``I want tax breaks for the very rich. ...

``When I grow up I want politicians to ignore me.''

It ends with an announcer asking, ``Is this what you want from your government? Or do you want something better for yourself and the next generation?''

Hillsman, the Minneapolis-based adman who made both TV commercials and Nader's radio spots, said he didn't want to tip off the competition to where the new ads were running. ``They're trying to attack us in any way possible,'' he said.