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[Originally posted at Dailykos.com]
Maybe I'm living in fantasyland, but I think it would be great to give Mike Gravel the 10 PM slot that's open on MSNBC. He is currently trying to get a TV show going - just look at http://www.globalperspectives.tv He wasn't a great presidential candidate, but you've got to admit that the man was entertaining. This isn't as long as I like my diaries to be, but I'm just trying to make a simple pitch here: fill the 10 PM (or 11 PM, I'm not picky) slot with former Democratic US Senator and presidential candidate Mike Gravel. Why would we do that? I'll tell you why... The man is a hero. When he was in the Senate in the 1970s, he single-handedly filibustered the renewal of the draft and released the Pentagon Papers into the public record. He also was instrumental in stopping nuclear bomb testing in the North Pacific, and he even made it to Nixon's enemies list. He was an important figure in ending the Vietnam War and was probably the most outspoken and progressive Senator of the time. He was also an innovator campaigner in his day. Along with Begich, he is one of only two Democrats to ever represent Alaska in the Senate. By respecting and paying attention to Alaska's natives, he was able to become Alaska's Speaker of the House and a Senator in a very short period of time. As he put it,It's like going into the Senate. You know, the first time you get there, you're all excited, "My God, how did I ever get here?" Then, about six months later, you say, "How the hell did the rest of them get here?"Unfortunately, this great man was no great campaigner in the 2008 presidential election. To most people, he became little more than an entertainer. And that's exactly what he should be. Mike Gravel is a proud liberal voice, and he is not afraid to speak up to the powers that be. In fact, he's made his career doing that! Some of you, however, might be saying that Gravel is too angry to be a good host. That's not the case. When he needs to be angry, he is. At the early debates, it temporarily made him the most interesting candidate in the field. When he needs to be calm, charming, or anything else, though, he can be just that. Watch: And before I get flamed, there is an few issues some people might have with him: He switched his affiliation to a Libertarian. That's true, but he's not really loyal to any single party. He didn't get the Libertarian nomination and said he was happy about that. He voted for Obama. When he was actually in power, he was a Democrat. This man is honest, funny, and liberal no matter what people call him. With the help of some MSNBC producer to spice him up a bit, I think Gravel would be a hit. He was a hit in the debates, but I just think people (rightly) didn't feel comfortable with him as a presidential candidate. He would be much better as a TV host. What do you think? Update/Correction: First of all, this was linked to by the Anchorage Daily News in a roundup of Alaska-related news that they have online. Second, someone alerted me to the fact that Gravel was not one of two Democrats to represent Alaska in the Senate, but one of four. It was a dumb mistake and I actually knew that, so I'm not sure why I wrote on of two. He was just the last Democrat to represent them in the Senate until Begich.
