"I suppose you need to make obscene comments or blatantly flaunt the law to qualify for coverage in this year's election," he recently lamented. "It's a sad commentary on the state of our political system."
It's even sadder that decent candidates like Stein, Castle and De La Fuente can't get any attention in a field where one of the three leading candidates is part of a political dynasty, another is an outright demagogue, and the third is simply a dolt.
That doesn't leave a lot of room for a decent candidate like Rocky, who has been quietly canvassing the country for more than a year.
It's hard to imagine anybody more different than the self-aggrandizing Republican nominee or the smug and arrogant former First Lady.
An entrepreneur's entrepreneur and somebody who's not afraid to take risks, politically or professionally, the little-known De La Fuente has a remarkable life story, but -- unlike the megalomaniacal Republican nominee -- is far too modest to toot his own horn. He says he's uncomfortable talking about himself and his considerable achievements, which is more than a little refreshing to hear, particularly in this era of narcissism run amok.
Despite spending more than $6.9 million as of August on his lonely quest for the presidency -- mostly out of his own pocket -- he's sort of the odd man out in an increasingly bizarre election delightfully described by country music legend Dolly Parton, America's most authentic lyricist, as "the best reality show on TV."
But for those sick and tired of America's celebrity culture and exhausted by the widespread worship of the rich and famous -- arguably this country's most disturbing disorder of all -- the low-key and modest Rocky might be your man.
Graduating magna cum laude from the Jesuit-run Instituto Patria in Mexico City with an undergraduate degree in physics and mathematics and later studying business administration and accounting at Mexico's Ana'huac University and the University of San Diego, De La Feunte went into the automotive industry in 1974 and eventually owned 28 new car dealerships. Selling cars was something of a family tradition. His grandfather sold Buicks in Mexico and his father and namesake, who amassed a fortune in auto dealerships and land development in Mexico before expanding to San Diego, owned one of the first Volkswagen dealerships in San Diego County. Rocky himself still owns a Cadillac dealership in El Cajon.
While still in his twenties, young Rocky was named chairman of the National Dealers Council for what was then the third largest automobile manufacturer in the world. He later parlayed his enormous success in the automobile industry into a real estate empire, acquiring and developing numerous properties throughout the United States. In addition to branching out into several other industries, the then-aspiring multimillionaire -- a young man "who likes to portray himself as a fast-paced street fighter ready to outdistance all comers," as the San Diego Union-Tribune once described him -- also dabbled in banking, establishing no fewer than three banks, including a national bank and two banks chartered by the state of California.
During Mexico's financial crisis of 1982 --a crisis precipitated by the inability of that country's public and private sectors to meet their foreign-debt obligations, eventually resulting in a staggering inflation rate of 159 percent -- De La Fuente opened eleven currency exchanges to help facilitate trade between that debt-ridden nation and the United States. He was only 27 at the time.
Among other things, the philanthropist and selfless humanitarian -- words this year's most interesting underdog would never use to describe himself due to his incredible sense of modesty -- also developed two living-assistance facilities for low-income residents of the ethnically-diverse, working-class community of San Pedro in Los Angeles and in Lemon Grove, California, about nine miles from the city of San Diego. De La Fuente was recently given an Honorary Doctorate from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for his tireless, behind-the-scenes work as an international business ambassador.
Like father, like son, politics has always been in De La Fuente's blood. In 1992, he became the first Hispanic American to serve as an at-large delegate from California when he attended the Democratic national convention at New York's Madison Square Garden. Then, as now, De La Fuente's mantra was "jobs, jobs, jobs." Bill Clinton's comments on the economy during his widely-watched acceptance speech, he told a reporter covering the convention, anchored his speech and vastly improved his chances of unseating George H. W. Bush. "The person that gives people the most hope for jobs will get elected," he accurately predicted.
Rocky's late father, a well-liked and generous man who reportedly enjoyed life to the fullest, routinely opened his 7,000-square-foot mansion in La Jolla Farms, overlooking the Pacific Ocean, to politicians of both parties and frequently held elaborate fundraisers for them, as well as for countless charities.
The elder De La Fuente, who was once described as "a visionary and a pioneer," strongly believed in the two-party system, but given the deeply polarized and deplorable state of American politics today, not to mention the acrimonious, "take-no-prisoners" campaigns waged by both major-party candidates this year, Roque De La Fuente, Sr., would almost certainly be bursting with pride at his son's intrepid challenge to the increasingly despised duopoly.
Married and the proud father of five children, a couple of whom may sooner or later follow in their father's political footsteps, the younger De La Fuente isn't one to give up without a fight. Like a wildflower refusing to simply wither in place, his seemingly quixotic third-party candidacy -- coming rapidly on the heels of disappointing and exceedingly difficult back-to-back setbacks in his bid for the Democratic presidential nomination and then for a seat in the U.S. Senate -- is a testament to Rocky's indefatigable and indomitable spirit, but they're qualities he's always possessed.
When the city of San Diego, for instance, refused De La Fuente's request to fly a large American flag over his Cadillac dealership, the tenacious businessman took the city to court and -- following a protracted nine-year legal battle -- won the right to display a 3,000 square-foot flag from what he claims is the tallest free standing flag pole in the United States. It was one of the happiest days of his life.
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