2008 Woodie Awards
Vote Absentee
Mike Gravel: Libertarian
Shayna Murphy, Collegian columnist
Issue date: 5/13/08 Section: Editorial / Opinion
A few months ago, Mike Gravel was just another politician vying for the endorsement of the Democratic Party in the 2008 presidential election.
You've probably never heard of him, but those who have know him to be a man of interesting politics. Arguably, those politics got a lot more interesting on March 25 when, after suffering defeat in the primaries, the former Alaskan senator changed his tune.
Citing a disconnect between the objectives of the Democratic Party and the needs of the mass populous, Gravel cast his relationship with the party to the wayside.
What for? Well, maybe it was fear of another primary blowout that did him in. Or maybe, after having served decades as a one-party kind of guy, Gravel did it in a bout of political wanderlust.
Either way, Mike Gravel is a Libertarian now.
But what is a libertarian, anyway? As unknown to some as the candidate himself, libertarianism makes for a strange choice of conversion, especially for a politician rallying to remain relevant in the 2008 election.
As the largest third party organization in the states, libertarianism has a bad rep for catering to hipsters, radicals, and other assorted loons. Founded in 1971 as a response to the economic policies of the Nixon administration, the party actually owes more to the classic liberalism of the Jeffersonian age than to any other source.
It's all states' rights over the power of the federal government. Since the Jeffersonian era, the issues have expanded socially and economically. In foreign policy, this translates to non-interventionism. On the home front, the party maintains the protection of individual rights and freedoms.
And this compliments Gravel's platform immensely. He advocates the National Initiative for Democracy, a direct democracy policy that would allow citizens to vote on legislation through the use of wide-scale ballot initiatives.
To some, the reform may seem as dubious as the idea of a libertarian takeover.
You've probably never heard of him, but those who have know him to be a man of interesting politics. Arguably, those politics got a lot more interesting on March 25 when, after suffering defeat in the primaries, the former Alaskan senator changed his tune.
Citing a disconnect between the objectives of the Democratic Party and the needs of the mass populous, Gravel cast his relationship with the party to the wayside.
What for? Well, maybe it was fear of another primary blowout that did him in. Or maybe, after having served decades as a one-party kind of guy, Gravel did it in a bout of political wanderlust.
Either way, Mike Gravel is a Libertarian now.
But what is a libertarian, anyway? As unknown to some as the candidate himself, libertarianism makes for a strange choice of conversion, especially for a politician rallying to remain relevant in the 2008 election.
As the largest third party organization in the states, libertarianism has a bad rep for catering to hipsters, radicals, and other assorted loons. Founded in 1971 as a response to the economic policies of the Nixon administration, the party actually owes more to the classic liberalism of the Jeffersonian age than to any other source.
It's all states' rights over the power of the federal government. Since the Jeffersonian era, the issues have expanded socially and economically. In foreign policy, this translates to non-interventionism. On the home front, the party maintains the protection of individual rights and freedoms.
And this compliments Gravel's platform immensely. He advocates the National Initiative for Democracy, a direct democracy policy that would allow citizens to vote on legislation through the use of wide-scale ballot initiatives.
To some, the reform may seem as dubious as the idea of a libertarian takeover.
Viewing Comments 1 - 4 of 7
jpritikin
Joshua Pritikin
posted 5/13/08 @ 1:38 AM EST
You argue that Mike Gravel shouldn't challenge "popular" candidates. If only it were that simple! Who made candidates such a Clinton and Obama popular? Well, there were campaign contributions and that money turned into advertising. (Continued…)
Conspiracy Theroist
posted 5/14/08 @ 1:05 AM EST
First, you claim the Libertarian Party is about state and individual rights over federal power, which is true. Then, you say that this compliments Gravel's National Initiative For Democracy when the NI4D is all about federal government. (Continued…)
Ben of '03
posted 5/14/08 @ 1:30 PM EST
I don't think we can assume that Ron Paul will seek the Libertarian nomination. However, Bob Barr has announced and he is certainly the favorite to win at this point. (Continued…)
Joshua Pritikin
posted 5/14/08 @ 11:51 PM EST
Maybe you didn't realize that Gravel is also the author of NI4D. During Gravel's tenure as a senator, he decided that senators (& and other congress critters) face a practically irresistible temptation toward corruption. (Continued…)
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