William Newton Ryerson III, March 9, 1945 (Pennsylvania) -
VP candidate for Independent (2012)
Running mate with nominee: Robert William Dietz
Popular vote: 1 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
Rob Dietz filed as a write-in candidate for President with the Maryland State Board of Elections on Aug. 23, 2012.
Dietz's biography on Amazon accompanies the listing of the book he co-wrote with Daniel W. O'Neill, Enough Is Enough: Building a Sustainable Economy in a World of Finite Resources--
Rob Dietz grew up in the suburbs of Atlanta during the 1970s and 80s, immersed in the culture of consumerism. By the time he finished college, he knew that he'd have trouble following the rules of this culture (buy, buy, buy, work, work, work). His career has consequently taken some unusual turns. He started out as an economist, trying (and failing) to use economic tools to solve environmental problems. He reinvented himself as a scientist and geographer, working for the U.S. government to support the conservation of wildlife and habitat. He then switched to activism, serving as the first director of steadystate.org, a nonprofit organization with an aim of advancing a sustainable economic agenda.
During his meandering career, Rob has been compelled to write about big-picture topics at the interface of society and nature, such as how nations can align their economic practices with ecological realities. He is currently the editor of the Daly News, an online publication named in honor of the visionary economist Herman Daly. Rob is married, has one daughter, and lives at [Note: PNW Trivia Alert!!!] CoHo Ecovillage in Corvallis, Oregon, where he occasionally shuts down the computer and ventures into the great outdoors (despite the uncooperative weather).
Dietz's running-mate was Bill Ryerson of Shelburne, Vt., who had education in biology and had founded the Population Media Center, an educational media company, in 1998.
The Dietz/Ryerson campaign webpage offered this summation of their effort--
Vote for a Sustainable Economy
If you’re frustrated by the complete refusal of both the Democratic and Republican Presidential candidates to address the fact that our current economic system is unsustainable or the fact that a finite planet cannot support infinite growth, then please read on.
This coming November 2012 election, you have a real choice. There IS a candidate focused on transitioning our economy to one that is sustainable and fair. An economy in which government protects the commons without spending beyond its means.
This candidate is not affiliated with any political party and has no money for campaigning or advertising. This campaign is fueled by the support of average citizens and the power of the internet. There is NO danger that this candidate will be beholden to ANY deep-pocketed, campaign donors.
The central focus of this candidate is to transition the United States to a steady-state economy as soon as possible. A steady-state economy is an economy in which the nationwide population and consumption of natural resources is stable (or mildly fluctuating). If and only if an economy is (1) in a steady-state and (2) does not exceed ecological limits, is the economy sustainable; all other economies are NOT sustainable. Go to www.SteadyState.org for more information about steady-state economies.
This candidate for President of the United States is Robert William Dietz of Corvallis, Oregon ...
Rob also has a Vice Presidential running mate. His full name is William Newton Ryerson III of Shelburne, VT ...
Rob Dietz and Bill Ryerson know that they have no chance of winning this election. Rather, they are running in response to the frustration of many voters who otherwise have no choice or voice in an election wherein the major parties completely ignore the most important imperative of our time – the need to transition to a steady-state economy as soon as possible. In fact, it is the idea of a sustainable, steady-state economy that is running and that will continue to run in each election until it wins. Consistent with this truth, if another candidate would do a better job than Mr. Dietz of publicizing this need, then Rob will gladly step aside and let that person be our candidate.
In addition, Mr. Dietz has no intention of being a Nader/Perot-like spoiler. If polls indicate that his candidacy would swing election results from what would otherwise be expected within a particular state, supporters in that state will be encouraged NOT to vote for Mr. Dietz. Paradoxically, making such an announcement is precisely what Rob hopes to accomplish as it would demonstrate to major political parties and the media that they need to pay attention to sustainable, steady-state economics in future elections.
Here’s what you can do for this write-in campaign…
Plan to cast a write-in vote for Robert William Dietz of Corvallis, Oregon for President on your election ballot. However, before the election, check this website to see whether Mr. Dietz does NOT want you to cast a write-in vote in your state.
Plan to cast a write-in vote for William Newton Ryerson III of Shelburne, VT for Vice President on your election ballot. However, before the election, check this website to see whether Mr. Ryerson does NOT want you to cast a write-in vote in your state ...
Encourage everyone you know to cast write-in votes for Mr. Dietz, and publicize his candidacy among all the organizations and social networks in which you participate.
Contact us and volunteer to help. Many states require write-in candidates to register with the state election board/commission. We need volunteers in every state to find out what the rules are.
The concept of using a third party to impact the election only in selected states would probably have proved exhausting had this campaign caught fire, but as it was the Dietz/Ryerson ticket received only a single vote in the State of Maryland on Election Day.
Election history: none
Other occupations: Founder and President of Population Media Center, Chair and CEO of The Population Institute, Development Director of Planned Parenthood Southeastern Pennsylvania, Associate Director of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England
Notes:
B.A. in Biology (Magna Cum Laude) from Amherst College and an M.Phil. in Biology from Yale University (with specialization in Ecology and Evolution).
As a native of the Pacific Northwest, I find Dietz's description of our weather as "uncooperative" to be charmingly amusing. On the other hand, I once had a job driving a taxicab in Burlington. Vt. at the same time Ryerson was living just a bit south in Shelburne and found it truly "uncooperative" in the cold months.
