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Tag(s): Military; Money; Party Machine Democratic; Party Machine Republican; Party Platforms DNC; Party Platforms GOP RNC; Party Politics Democratic; Party Politics Republican; Pentagon; Republican
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October 18, 2007 at 14:12:14

The Curmudgeon Party

by Carol V. Hamilton Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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The Curmudgeon Party

Former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel has added a great deal to the Democratic debates— outspokenness, an uncalculated honesty, and a fierce spirit of reproof. He served in the Senate from 1969-1981. Although, he says he spent the last thirty years “under a rock,” he’s emerged reinvigorated. Back in the day he helped put an end to the Vietnam draft and he exposed the Pentagon Papers to Congress. These days he tends to be assigned a podium at the edge of the debate where he stands waiting, “like a potted plant,” to be asked a question. He does manage the occasional spontaneous intervention: “Shame on you, Hillary!” he said in reference to Senator Clinton’s vote in favor of designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guard as terrorists. When Tim Russert asked Gravel how he would bring the Iraq War to an end, he said, in effect: stop campaigning and hunker down in the Congress; send Bush a bill to end the war, and when he vetoes it, send it again and again. Get the American people on board, he said, and the war would be over in 40 days.

Representative Ron Paul of Texas has made similar interventions into the predictable party-line arguments of the Republican Party. The rest of the field ritually chants its litany of lower taxes, an indefinite stay in Iraq, and an eternal war on terror, all of this accompanied by much competition for the role of Alpha Wolf. Like Gravel’s, Paul’s interventions are surprising and refreshing. During a recent debate he objected, “That’s war propaganda!” Representative Paul opposes not only the Iraq war but also U.S. bases overseas, particularly in Europe, which has now more than recovered from the ravages of World War II. He considers himself a strict constitutionalist; therefore, he deplores the current Republican belief that the executive branch can go to war without consulting the legislature. “That’s against the Constitution!” he reminds his fellow candidates. Ron Paul has a mixed constituency of libertarians, second amendment freaks, anti-abortion zealots, opponents of the war, anti-tax people, and entrepreneurial types. Due to his voting record in Congress, Paul is known as Doctor No.

Here’s my suggestion: that Gravel and Paul run together on a third-party ticket. They could call themselves the Mavericks, the Odd Squad or the Curmudgeon Party

If, in past decades, it was college students who spoke truth to power, now it’s a couple of smart, opinionated, crochety, older dudes. Although Gravel is a Democrat and Paul is a Republican, the two men agree on some important issues: ending the Iraq war, restoring habeas corpus, and abandoning the war on drugs. Their stance on the war, and on military intervention in general, makes them particularly valuable on the political scene.

Unlike all their rivals, they’re unscripted, spontaneous, and fearless of alienating some micro-constituency. It would be a shame if they just vanished after the party conventions. Together, Gravel and Paul could serve as gadflies not just to candidates from their own parties but also to the general population of voters and the timid media. They could give us an October surprise about every three weeks. We should all send them some money.

Carol V. Hamilton has a Ph.D. in English from Berkeley and teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. She also writes for History News Network (hnn.us) and CommonDreams.org.

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9 comments

Is a 34 year retired educator with a Masters Degree in Counseling - a free-lance writer with articles in Spanish and English Guideposts, Mothering, Oklahoma Observer, Oklahoma Gazette, Westview, Oklahoma Reader, The Lookout, Christian Standard ... . The author has the largest number of published "letters" in the history of Time magazine and NEA Today. Just had an LTTE in NEWSWEEK in December, 2007. Dale W. Hill is married with 5 children, 4 grand-children, one foster child, and 4 foster grandchi...

to see more of bio, click on member name
Dale HillIs a 34 year retired educator with a Masters Degree in Counseling - a free-lance writer with articles in Spanish and English Guideposts, Mothering, Oklahoma Observer, Oklahoma Gazette, Westview, Oklahoma Reader, The Lookout, Christian Standard ... . The author has the largest number of published "letters" in the history of Time magazine and NEA Today. Just had an LTTE in NEWSWEEK in December, 2007. Dale W. Hill is married with 5 children, 4 grand-children, one foster child, and 4 foster grandchi...

to see more of bio, click on member name

Good Idea!

It really is a good idea, and it would insure that Hillary would be the hands-down winner. You gotta' love those third parties. If New York's Republican's choice wins on the Republican side, believe me, there will be seriously considerations for a Republican third party because of his liberal abortion record.

by Dale Hill (58 articles, 0 quicklinks, 100 diaries, 347 comments) on Thursday, October 18, 2007 at 3:04:45 PM

Carol V. Hamilton has a Ph.D. in English from Berkeley and teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. She also writes for History News Network (hnn.us) and CommonDreams.org.
Carol V. HamiltonCarol V. Hamilton has a Ph.D. in English from Berkeley and teaches at the University of Pittsburgh. She also writes for History News Network (hnn.us) and CommonDreams.org.

Really?

I don't think that a Gravel/Paul, or Paul/Gravel, ticket would get enough votes to throw the race to anyone. But I do think they would stir things up.

by Carol V. Hamilton (15 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 28 comments) on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 11:59:01 PM

SW Texas ultra-liberal
john riggsSW Texas ultra-liberal

Wont work

We must vote for Paul in the primary. Ron Paul and Alan Keyes is the ticket for change. Third party wont work until we overhaul the system and institute elections without an electoral college and without the press announcing the outcome.

by john riggs (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 395 comments) on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 1:08:17 PM

Alan Keyes?!!

God, no!

by Carol V. Hamilton (15 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 28 comments) on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 4:20:58 PM

Slang explanation

"Freak" is hippie slang for "fan" or "admirer." For example, I was at a concert once when the bandleader said, "This is for all you Zimmerman freaks," meaning Dylan fans.

by Carol V. Hamilton (15 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 28 comments) on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 4:53:07 PM

I'm a 29 year old male.
TyI'm a 29 year old male.

Paul and Gravel

I don't want a religious zealot, free marketeer, anti-tax nut or a supporter of Big Oil and the Missile Defense System that you would get in Ron Paul. Neither do I want someone who supports Regressive taxes such as a National Sales Tax and Carbon tax and subsidizing the profits of Health Care Insurance Companies which is supported by Mike Gravel.

I want a true progressive candidate which is why I support Dennis Kucinich. Kucinich unlike Paul and Gravel supports impeachment and an independent investigation of 911.

by Ty (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 703 comments) on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 6:49:37 PM

Missing the point?

All I said here was that it would be a good idea if both of these guys kept running. The idea of a Curmudgeon Party is obviously tongue-in-cheek.

by Carol V. Hamilton (15 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 28 comments) on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 11:56:17 PM

Conservative Republican.
Mike RobinsonConservative Republican.

The Republican Party

The Republican Party has been saved by Ron Paul. And he will proceed to rescue the USA.

This video says it all:

Ron Paul : Don't tread on me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FG_HuFtP8w8

by Mike Robinson (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1 comments) on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 9:11:48 PM

Mark served for four years on active duty in the Marine Corps infantry, and was a candidate for a municipal office in 2002. Mark has helped raise awareness of military and veterans' issues, by establishing No Anthrax Vaccine. His commentary has been carried by such sites as AntiWar.com. He spends much of his free time reading the great minds of the Austrian school of economics, such as Murray Rothbard, Henry Hazlitt, Ludwig von Mises, et al.
Mark AndersonMark served for four years on active duty in the Marine Corps infantry, and was a candidate for a municipal office in 2002. Mark has helped raise awareness of military and veterans' issues, by establishing No Anthrax Vaccine. His commentary has been carried by such sites as AntiWar.com. He spends much of his free time reading the great minds of the Austrian school of economics, such as Murray Rothbard, Henry Hazlitt, Ludwig von Mises, et al.

Ron Paul and Mike Gravel

I think they should both focus on exposing the establishment candidates for what they are, and focus on getting the nomination of their party. As far as a Paul/Gravel ticket, I would love it. I believe Ron Paul has a much better chance to get his party's nomination than does Mike Gravel.

That is because the perception - as erroneous as it is - is that since somebody is a Democrat, then they must be antiwar. Thus, Democrats have a far less compelling reason to support Gravel as opposed to one of the more establishment candidates. Whereas, Ron Paul has clearly differentiated himself from the rest of the Republicans, isolating a base of support for himself.

Here is my recommendation after Ron Paul gets the GOP nomination: He picks Gravel as his running mate on the GOP ticket! This would help shore up support from both parties, helping to stop the establishment Democrat candidate.

As far as Alan Keyes is concerned, he is a complete neocon. He is a fraud, and I say that as somebody who knows his former national campaign manager from 1996. Alan Keyes is not a friend of liberty. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if Keyes entered the race to try to siphon support away from Ron Paul, although Keyes doesn't exactly distance himself from neocon positions to accomplish that. He will fail at his assigned role of trying to spoil Ron Paul's campaign.

by Mark Anderson (8 articles, 2 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 46 comments) on Friday, October 19, 2007 at 9:15:59 PM

9 comments

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