Mike Gravel Quits Democratic Party, Joins Libertarian Party, Vows to Run For President
March 26th, 2008 by Nick Rivera
This morning, Former Senator Mike Gravel, who was pursuing the Democratic nomination for president, sent the following email to his supporters:
Dear friend,
I wanted to update you on my latest plans before news gets out. Today, I am announcing my plan to join the Libertarian Party, because the Democratic Party no longer represents my vision for our great country. I wanted my supporters to get this news first, because you have been the ones who have kept my campaign alive since I first declared my candidacy on April 17, 2006.
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.
By and large, I have been repeatedly marginalized in both national debates and in media exposure by the Democratic leadership, which works in tandem with the corporate interests that control what we read and hear in the media.
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.
Please take a moment to make your most generous donation to my presidential campaign today. $10, $20, $50 — whatever you feel you can afford.
I want to thank you all for your continued support.
Gratefully yours,
Mike
As an Independent with libertarian-liberal leanings, there’s something about a Democratic politician leaving his former party for the Libertarian Party that gives me a warm and toasty feeling deep inside.
Gravel has been far more outspoken against the Iraq War than any other the other Democratic candidates (with the possible exception of Dennis Kucinich) and has expressed libertarian leanings with regards to the War on Drugs and taxation (he has vowed to end the war on drugs as well as get rid of the IRS).
Still, the Libertarian Party might not be the best match for the former Senator from Alaska. For one thing, his embrace of FDR is not likely to be encouraging to the libertarian faithful, most of whom believe FDR did more to enlarge the size and scope of the federal government than any other president. Furthermore, his support for universal health care is also not likely to be popular among libertarians, who feel that the federal government has no Constitutional authority to involve itself in the business of medicine.
Yet, if the Libertarian Party leadership is unhappy with prospect of being associated with Gravel, it certainly isn’t showing it.
Shane Cory, Libertarian Party Executive Director had this to say of Gravels switching of parties:
We’re honored to have a former member of the United States Senate join our ranks…Senator Gravel has a sincere dedication to empowering the American people and eliminating the corrupting influence of the two major parties. His switch from the Democratic Party, as well as former Congressman Barr’s abandonment of the GOP, shows that the Libertarian Party is truly a big tent organization moving firmly in the direction of Liberty.
Even more interesting was the reaction of former Republican Congressman Bob Barr (of Clinton impeachment fame or infamy) who left the Republican Party for the Libertarian Party back in 2004:
It is a distinct honor to have another former member of Congress within the Libertarian Party…Just as Senator Gravel believes Democrats have lost touch with the American public, I too concluded Republicans had lost their core principles, and could no longer associate myself with the GOP. While coming from opposite sides of the aisle, Senator Gravel and I definitely agree on the fundamental need for systemic change in our political system, and that the only way we have of effecting that change is by supporting and working in the Libertarian Party, which is the only political party in America that consistently works in word and deed to maximize individual liberty and minimize government power.
President Bush’s embrace of bigger government conservatism has caused a number of Republicans to leave the GOP in favor of the Libertarian Party. One wonders if the prospect of a Barack Obama presidency or particularly a Hillary Clinton presidency as well as a Democratic Congress that doesn’t have the stomach to end the Iraq War will cause more libertarian-minded Democrats to leave their party in favor of the Libertarian Party.
Other internet sites that discuss this story:
San Diego Union-Tribune’s Newsblog
New York Time’s The Caucus
Washington Post’s The Trail
Baltimore Sun’s The Swamp
CNN’s Political Ticker
This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 26th, 2008 at 7:10 pm and is filed under Libertarians, Mike Gravel, Democratic Party, 2008 Elections. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
