Mike Gravel, the Only Candidate I Can Support
I have been asked several times about who I support in the upcoming election, and with politics in the news constantly as well as on the majority of blogs out there daily, I thought I would take the opportunity to voice my opinion on who my candidate of choice is.
Contrary to what many believe, especially since they are basing that belief solely on the fact that I’m not only female, but also a very involved and staunch feminist, I am not in total support of Hillary Clinton. I am also not rooting for Obama, so that clears up the “This is going to be a political post covering everything the media says” kind of post.
The candidate I can mostly agree with and support as of right now is former Alaskan Senator, Mike Gravel. Gravel, who is the oldest future president hopeful at 77 years old, oddly enough has the youngest, most rational mindset out of all of the candidates seeking presidency and in my opinion, would make the best damn president we have had in quite some time.
Mike Gravel is a very real, straight-forward, and of course, opinionated person. This country is going to hell in a hand basket and he isn’t afraid to tell you how much faster it will go there if something isn’t done about it. Very few people have actually paid attention to this man and what he has to say and that can mostly be blamed on the media and it’s obsession with Hillary and Obama. However, every time people hear him talk about the issues that we, as a country face, he gets an impressive applause. Perhaps we need to stop listening to what the media tells us to, hmm? If you don’t know much about Gravel, it could probably be because of the media (ahem, MSNBC) and the other politician’s sheer hatred towards him and what he has to say, since he has been excluded from debates left and right lately (Thanks a lot, free speech.) MSNBC has also said that Gravel has dropped out of the running, which is not true. Even when excluded from many debates, instead of just staying at home and chilling out in front of the television, he held an alternative debate of his own; now that shows dedication and the refusal to accept the media’s attempts at silencing him. If you don’t know much about this man, I encourage you to educate yourself on his background and his views on the issues today.
The War in Iraq: Senator Gravel’s position on Iraq remains clear and consistent: to commence an immediate and orderly withdrawal of all U.S. troops that will have them home within 120 days.
Reproductive Rights: Senator Mike Gravel supports a woman’s right to decide if and when to have children. He also supports a woman’s right to make the difficult decision about abortion without interference by government authorities. Comprehensive, age-appropriate sex education, including accurate information about contraception, can always be provided in order to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions.
LGBT Rights: Senator Gravel supports same-sex marriage and opposes the Defense of Marriage Act. He supports expanding hate-crime legislation and opposes laws that allow discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or one’s gender identity or expression. Senator Gravel strongly opposes the military’s “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” legislation on the grounds that it is unconstitutional, as it restricts the rights of gay Americans. He opposes any state or national constitutional amendment that restricts the rights of the gay community.
Global Warming: Senator Gravel believes that global climate change is a matter of national security and survivability of the planet. As President, he will act swiftly to reduce America’s carbon footprint in the world by initiating legislation to tax carbon at the source and cap carbon emissions.
Progressive Taxes: Senator Gravel’s Progressive Fair Tax proposal calls for eliminating the IRS and the income tax and replacing it with a national sales tax on new products and services.
Health Care: Senator Gravel advocates a universal healthcare system that provides equal medical services to all citizens, paid for by a retail sales tax (a portion of the Progressive Fair tax). Citizens would pay nothing for health benefits.
For a more detailed explanation of the issues and his view on them, visit his website!
