Robert Redford: Felicitates Joan Claybrook

Robert Redford: Felicitates Joan Claybrook

The actor and longtime environmental advocate Robert Redford went to Washington on Tuesday night in order to honor Claybrook, who recently retired as head of the watchdog group Public Citizen.

Redford honored Claybrook as a teacher, mentor and friend.

He said, "She taught me the ropes of how to lobby and how to develop patience, which is not my virtue," Redford said in an interview, adding he met Claybrook in the early 1970s when he decided to get involved in advocacy work.

"Compromise along with patience was not kind of in my vocabulary," Claybrook later told dinner guests at the event” added the actor.

One of Redford's first efforts in lobbying was trying to stop confirmation of a Cabinet nominee of President Richard Nixon. According to Redford, he had persuaded enough lawmakers to block the nomination. However they ultimately did support the Nixon appointee.

Redford also said, "I was just devastated”.

He said that Claybrook reacted by saying, in lobbying "you don't always lose."

By adding that it was Claybrook's "personal legacy" to him, he said, "That hit me hard,"

Among the Washington stars who stopped by the gathering to honor Claybrook's 27 years of leadership were House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

McCain also has said that he hoped that Claybrook would continue to be an advocate after her retirement. "I think she can be a consumer advocate in this administration, and I guarantee she would have been in mine," continued last year's Republican presidential nominee to the audience laughter.

The liberal consumer advocate formed an unlikely partnership with McCain when they worked together on issues such as campaign finance reform. McCain remarked, "If it had not been for Joan Claybrook, we would have never passed that legislation,"

Claybrook told dinner guests that Public Citizen was successful because of its determination.

He continued, "One of our operating principles is that we fight back when we're attacked, and we try to have fun doing it. If you don't have some fun, it's hard. So we're scrappy, and agile and bold and creative and determined and principled and relentless."

Claybrook told stories on her tactics against opponents, including finding their own shortcomings and dirty secrets. She told how her group helped push Chrysler to put air bags in its cars.
Claybrook, Redford and Public Citizen founder Ralph Nader dined at the same table during the 300-person event at the Sewall-Belmont House and Museum.

The efforts of Claybrook have influenced rules on auto safety standards, congressional ethics, campaign finance, drugs in the marketplace and other issues in the name of public interest.