Showing posts with label Gravel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gravel. Show all posts

Monday, June 28, 2021

Mike Gravel, Former Alaska Senator And Anti-War Advocate, Dies At Age 91

 From NPR -


SEASIDE, Calif. — Mike Gravel, a former U.S. senator from Alaska who read the Pentagon Papers into the Congressional Record and confronted Barack Obama about nuclear weapons during a later presidential run, has died. He was 91.

Gravel, who represented Alaska as a Democrat in the Senate from 1969 to 1981, died Saturday, according to his daughter, Lynne Mosier. Gravel had been living in Seaside, California, and was in failing health, said Theodore W. Johnson, a former aide.

I never met him, but agreed with him on many things.


In 2008, there was a large contingent of Democrats on the presidential ballot in AZ and it was my job to organize an evening for my local legislative district where representative/surrogates from each campaign (people not from our group) would come speak to us on behalf of their preferred candidate before we voted (most of us voted by mail, which Republicans hate with a passion).


I remember thinking that Gravel's surrogate did the best job (which didn't make a bit of difference in the end) and that his message should have reached a wider audience.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Mike Gravel's delegates have a decision to make

Earlier today, former U.S. Senator and 2008 Democratic candidate for President Mike Gravel announced that he is joining the Libertarian Party.

From an email -
The fact is, the Democratic Party today is no longer the party of FDR. It is a party that continues to sustain war, the military-industrial complex and imperialism -- all of which I find anathema to my views.

{snip}

I look forward to advancing my presidential candidacy within the Libertarian Party, which is considerably closer to my values, my foreign policy views and my domestic views.

Of course, the Libertarians do have some questions about those "domestic views".

From a Washington Post article -
"Andrew Davis, a spokesman for the Libertarian Party, said...while the party's membership agrees with his stances against the war in Iraq and the military draft, among other issues, it differs with his stances in favor of universal health care and higher spending on public education."

The title of this post is mildly sarcastic - as most readers know, Gravel doesn't *have* any delegates.

In essence, all he's done today is to go from being a marginal candidate in a major party to being a major candidate in a marginal party. And even there, he's a 'major' candidate in that party only until Ron Paul decides he's not getting enough attention as a Republican and rejoins the Libertarians.

Later!

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Where do they go from here?

My quick take on the Iowa caucus results -

Democratic side...

Obama - Upside? His victory shows that his candidacy has legs - Iowa is one of the whitest states in the Union. If he can win here, he can win pretty near anywhere. Downside? On the other hand, this was basically a home field for him (Iowa and his home state of Illinois are neighbors) - he should have done well here. 38% was just a bit better than expected, however.

Edwards - Upside? His strong 2nd shows that he won't be outshined by the rock star Dems, Obama and Clinton. Downside? Now he has to prove that he can hang with them in a bigger arena (like the rest of the country.)

Clinton - Downside? She went from inevitable to 3rd place. Upside? 29% is a strong third, and she's got the smarts and the staff to learn from what went wrong. New Hampshire might be too soon for any changes to take effect, but February 5th looms as the bigger prize.

Richardson - Downside? 2%. 'Nuff said. Upside? He was totally overshadowed by the big 3, who went all out in Iowa. Now the campaigns have to expand their focus. He'll have a chance to shine through if he hangs on until February 5th.

Kucinich - Downside? Didn't even get enough votes to make most results pages. Upside? He could still garner enough delegates in his home state of Ohio to make the convention interesting.

If none of the big 3 pulls away from the pack.

Biden and Dodd - Downside? They're done. Upside? They get to focus on their duties in the Senate, possibly burnishing their VP credentials.

Gravel - Downside? Makes Kucinich look like a front-runner. Upside? Winter campaigning in New Hampshire isn't going to be much fun, but it beats sitting at home in Alaska.


Republican side...

Huckabee - Upside? Hey - he won, and by a comfortable margin. Downside? Now he has to find out if his combination of economic populism and hardcore theocratic social conservatism can win over chamber of commerce Republicans in places like California, New York, and Florida.

Romney - Downside? The biggest loser in the Iowa caucuses. He spent millions on TV ads alone, and didn't even make it close. If he, the former governor of Massachusetts, doesn't win New Hampshire, his candidacy is toast. Upside? He should win NH, and it doesn't have to be an overwhelming victory now that expectations have been lowered.

And despite the amount of money he spent in Iowa, he's got more.

Lots more.

Thompson - Upside? He came in third, without trying very hard. Downside? He polled better as a potential candidate than he has as an actual candidate. If he doesn't show signs of life in NH or Michigan (January 15), he may not last until February 5th.

McCain - Upside? He didn't try very hard either. Downside? He came in fourth. He has to do well in NH, or he could lose the 'resurgent' momentum that he has been gaining, and considering Romney's home field advantage there, that's very possible. Either McCain or Romney could be done by Tuesday night.

Ron Paul - Upside? 10% for a relatively 'fringe' candidate is nothing to sneeze at. Downside? He still came in behind two candidates who didn't try hard (McCain and Thompson) and just ahead of one who didn't try at all (Giuliani). 10% may be his peak outside of his Congressional district in Texas.

Giuliani - Downside? Low single digits in IA. Upside? Spent the day in Florida anyway. He's going to poll better as the campaigns move eastward; the big question is will 'better' be good enough to win?

Hunter - Downside? He and Mike Gravel could go into pro wrestling as a tag team named "The Utterly Irrelevants." Upside? Pro wrestling is hard work, but pro wrestlers get more respect and better pay than Congress. Oh, and he can say that he outlasted Tancredo.

Later!

Saturday, December 22, 2007

Democratic Ballot for AZ's Presidential Preference Primary

Edit to add - OK, so I was a little bored on Christmas Day, and decided to do a little research on the *ahem* 'lesser-known' candidates on the ballot. Some of the names were all but useless as search parameters and I couldn't find any information that was clearly pertinent to the presidential candidates. Others, however, were useful. A number of the candidates are participants in the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies' Project White House. One candidate has even announced that he is on the presidential primary ballot by mistake; he's actually running in CD6 against Jeff Flake (or Russell Pearce, if Pearce can actually pull of the political upset of the century.) Information at the links; however, given that few of the candidates have actual campaign websites, some of the info could be inaccurate.

End edit.

DSW at Sonoran Alliance put up a post detailing the Republican ballot; here's the listing of the Democratic one.

The list of candidates on the ballot for Arizona's Democratic Presidential Preference Primary taking place February 5, 2008 (courtesy the Arizona Secretary of State's website) (major candidates in bold; Arizona-based candidates noted with an 'AZ') -

WHITEHOUSE, SANDY (AZ) - president of the Santa Rita Foothills Community Association.

RICHARDSON, BILL

LYNCH, FRANK

KRUEGER, KARL - truck driver/radio personality

OBAMA, BARACK

EDWARDS, JOHN

BOLLANDER, PETER "SIMON" (AZ)

MONTELL, LELAND (AZ) - real estate agent

SEE, CHUCK (AZ) - ran for President as a Republican in 2000

HUBBARD, LIBBY (AZ) - artist

GEST, LOTI (AZ) - counselor at an addiction recovery center

DALEY, ORION - author

CAMPBELL, WILLIAM (AZ) - this is a lousy name for web searches.

TANNER, PHILIP (AZ)

KUCINICH, DENNIS J.

CLINTON, HILLARY

DOBSON, EDWARD (AZ)

HAYMER, TISH (AZ) - The Abbess of Costello?

LEE, RICH - another name provides lousy internet search terms

OATMAN, MICHAEL (AZ) - IT Guru

GRAVEL, MIKE

VITULLO, EVELYN L. (AZ) - a Democratic candidate for President in 2004

DODD, CHRISTOPHER J.

GRAYSON, RICHARD (AZ)


Notes:

The biggest surprise? No Joe Biden on the ballot.

Worst draw for a 'top-tier' candidate? Hillary Clinton; 15 candidates, including Richardson, Obama, and Edwards are listed higher on the ballot.

Is there something in Tucson's water? Of the 17 'anybody can run for President' candidates, 12 list a Tucson address. Maybe somebody should tell them that they are more likely to win a Powerball jackpot than the President's job.

Later!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Candidate visits and other events calendar

Friday, October 12 - Former UN weapons inspector Scott Ritter appears in Scottsdale.

Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Location: New Vision Spiritual Growth Center, 9659 N. Hayden Rd. (SE Corner of Hayden & Mountain View)
More info here.


Friday October 12 - The Big Picture Film Series and the LD17 Democrats present the documentary "In Debt We Trust."

Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Room 170, Coor Building, ASU.


Saturday, October 13 - Democratic State Committee Meeting in Tucson

Time: 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Location: Tucson High School, 400 North Second Avenue, Tucson.


Thursday, October 18 - The Big Picture Film Series and the D17 Democrats present the film "Invisible Ballots." The film addresses concerns about electronic voting and the lack of a paper trail. It is an in-depth analysis of the "privatization" of voting in America.

Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Room 170, Coor Building, ASU.


Thursday, October 18 - The D8 Democrats present speaker Cynthia Black, producer and host of "Action Point--Solution Politics" on KPHX radio, 1480 AM.

Time: 6:30 p.m.
Location: Mustang Library, 10101 N. 90th St., Scottsdale.


Friday, October 19 - Campaign appearance by Senator Barack Obama in Tempe.

Time: 11:00 a.m.
Location: TBA, details available soon at Arizonans for Obama.

Edit to add: Jeff Berlinsky, Obama supporter and owner of the Sub-Culture Cafe in Tempe, has a sandwich named after Senator Obama, the "Commander In Cheese." It is made with Oven Gold Turkey, American Cheese, Lettuce and Tomato. For each "Commander In Cheese" sold, he will contribute $1 to the Obama campaign.

The Sub-Culture Cafe is located at 227 E Baseline Rd., Suite J7, Tempe.

End edit...


Also on Friday, October 19 - Obama for President fundraiser in Phoenix.

Time: 12:30 p.m.
Location: Wyndham Phoenix, 50 E. Adams, Phoenix
Details: https://donate.barackobama.com/page/contribute/phoenix1019

Note: The Arizona headquarters of the Obama campaign is now open. It is located at 22 E Mitchell Dr., Phoenix, AZ 85012 (Directions: From Osborn & 3rd St, travel north one street and g oleft. Single- story building is gray with a red awning.)
Web site: arizona.barackobama.com


Friday, October 26 - The D8 Democrats present "Friday Night at the Movies" in Fountain Hills. This month's movie is "Invisible Ballots." (link above)

Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Fountain Hills Community Center, 13001 N. La Montana Dr, Fountain Hills.


Friday, November 2 - Arizona Democratic Party Hall of Fame Dinner, with special guests James Carville, Governor Janet Napolitano, and Attorney General Terry Goddard.

Time: 6:00 p.m. registration and reception; 7:00 p.m. dinner
Location: Wyndham Phoenix, 50 E. Adams, Phoenix


Friday, November 16 - Presidential Candidate and former Senator Mike Gravel will be speaking to the ASU Young Democrats.

Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location and other info: Contact the ASU Young Dems.

Later!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Some Democrats stepped up during Wednesday's debate...

...and others were eliminated from contention (with a couple of others treading water)...

All this happened on one question. :))

Warning: sarcasm ahead...

Governor Bill Richardson, former Sen. John Edwards, former Sen. Mike Gravel, and Sen. Chris Dodd showed that they are intelligent, wise, and undeniably classy; any would be fine choice for the Presidency.

Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Joe Biden showed that they are morally, intellectually, and mentally unfit for the Presidency.

Sen. Barack Obama and Rep. Dennis Kucinich showed that the jury is still out - they didn't show the wisdom of Richardson, Edwards, Gravel, and Dodd, but there were extenuating circumstances.

How can we arrive at these conclusions, with months of campaigning ahead before the first primaries and caucuses?

The candidates were asked if they rooted for the Red Sox or the Yankees.

Richardson, Edwards, Gravel, and Dodd expressed support for the beloved Olde Towne Teame. (Whooo hoooo!!)

Clinton and Biden professed fealty to The Evil Empire. (Hiss boooo!!!)

Obama (IL) and Kucinich (OH) proclaimed their loyalty for the respective hometown teams. Not as good as rooting for the Red Sox, but wayyyyy better than being a Yankee fan.

Oh, those poor poor Clinton and Biden supporters - the primaries are months away, and their candidates have already committed a candidacy-killing gaffe.

:))

Friday, June 01, 2007

Upcoming events, Presidential campaign chapter

Monday, June 4, Bill Richardson

From an email -

Governor Bill Richardson will be in Arizona on Monday, June 4, 2007.The public event will take place at the Burton Barr Library, 1221 N.Central Ave. Phoenix, AZ., the fundraiser will take place in ParadiseValley.

Meeting Room B 3:00PM-3:30PM
Press Availability

Lecture Hall 3:30PM-4:30PM

He will have a town hall meeting focused around energy policy and the environment.
This event is open to the public.

Event RSVP # 505.239.4697
General campaign contact # 505.828.2455

There will be other, private, meetings at the library. In addition, there will be a private fundraiser in PV afterward.


Saturday, June 9, Barack Obama

From an email -

Put Saturday, June 9th on your calendar as your personal day of action for the Obama campaign.

Saturday, June 9th - Click link to RSVP:

Phoenix:
9 AM at Cortez Park (35th Ave & Dunlap)

Tempe:
9 AM at Kiwanis Park (Baseline Rd, west of Mill Ave)

Phoenix area event organizer: Ken Chapman, kchapman2@gmail.com
More details: http://my.barackobama.com/page/event/detail/walkforchangefeatured/4jlrk

Tucson:
9 AM at Gene Reid Park (Ramada #31)

Prescott:
10 AM at Granite Creek Park (554 N 6th St)


The Kucinich, Dodd, Gravel, Clinton and Edwards campaigns all seem to have light AZ schedules right now; most are focused on Sunday's debate in New Hampshire.

However, former President Bill Clinton will be the keynote speaker at this year's Arizona Democratic Party's Heritage Dinner on Monday, June 25. I would be surprised if his wife's candidacy didn't come up in one or two conversations that night.

Certainly no more than 3 or 4. :))

The dinner will be held at the Phoenician Resort, 6000 East Camelback Road, Scottsdale, AZ 85251. Contact Maritza Lopez at 602-234-6814 for details.

Note: I'll be doing this kind of post regularly; I'll be happy to post verified events. Contact me at cpmaz[at]yahoo.com or visit a D17 meeting.

Later!