WOW!!!!!!! An honestly angry Dem politician

[ElsewheresDaughter]

Run time: 06:43 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gMlHv2lDqA   Posted on YouTube: April 27, 2007 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: April 27, 2007 By DU Member: ElsewheresDaughter Views on DU: 4563

 

[rhett o rick]

1. Senator, you go guy!! nm

[boobooday]

2. I have to say

I LOVED him. It was wonderful to see someone actually show some affect! He only points out the fact that WE HAVE EVERY REASON TO BE MAD AS HELL. This is life and death we are talking about.

And I thought the reaction of the others to him, from what I saw, was interesting. When he brought up the absolute insanity of nuclear proliferation, Obama answers with "I'm not planning to nuke anyone right now."

Right now. He was so smug, and cool! And so was Hillary. I'm sick of it. They are so cavalier with the lives of others -- not as cavalier as the idiot Bush, but enough to make me feel queasy.

I am a die-hard Kucinich supporter, but I'm glad he was there! He spoke for us all.

[jgraz]

3. I just sent him $50

http://www.gravel2008.us/

The longer this guy stays in the race, the better off we'll be.

[stevedeshazer]

4. This man is a true American hero, make no mistake

Here with Granny D.

Read his wiki entry if you're not familiar with him: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Gravel

The media portray him as too old, yet fawn over Grampa McCain.

His resume is damned impressive. If I sound as though I'm fawning over him, I am. He almost single-handedly kept me and thousands of other highschoolers in the early seventies from being drafted.

-made the Pentagon Papers public

-opposed nuclear testing

-blocked the renewal of the draft starting in 1973, the year I turned 18.

And, from his wikipedia entry, the following paragraph:

During his first term in the Senate, Gravel authored a book titled Citizen Power. In it, he advocated the implementation of numerous populist ideas, including a guaranteed annual income (dubbed the "Citizen's Wage"), public financing of elections, a progressive tax with no deductions or exemptions, steps against the military-industrial complex (which he calls the "Warfare State"), a national law to do away with voter registration and other barriers to voting, abolition of the death penalty, universal health care, school vouchers, a drastic reduction in government secrecy, and an end to what he viewed as an imperialistic foreign policy. The book also contained the complete text of the Declaration of Independence, the Bill of Rights, and the complete platform adopted by the Populist Party during the 1892 presidential election.

---
He out-Kuciniched even Kucinich.

I'm on board. Well, at least I'll send him twenty-five bucks.

And Granny D for Vice-President. Yeah, she's like 95, but how old is Dick Cheney in dog years?

[The Count]

8. Too bad about them vouchers - only fly in that ointment. Nearly perfect!

And don't forget the pentagon Papers - without his entering them in Congressional records only a few would have been released. And stopped the draft - a one man fillibuster for several months.

[tnlefty]

5. I saw him on c-span's Washington Journal a little over a month ago,

or so, and he was very interesting to listen to. This was even better to watch, though! Thanks for posting this.

[Catamount]

6. K&R Thanks for the visuals--he is so right!

[mikelgb]

7. I enjoyed his performance

and agreed with many of his ideas including the headline-grabbing strong-arm congressional tectics

WE CONTROL THE CONGRESS!!!!

end this war and this presidency now!

[fredrickdouglas]

57. Performance Is The Operative Word

Although what he says is true, he would have voted for the war himself. It was a performance designed to keep angry Dems into the election for a long enough time that they are invested and feel obligated to vote for the eventual winner, Hillary Clinton.

Gravel, is someone that hasn't been around to vote for the war thus he can come in and pretend to have credibility. This game is old but effective because the target group never catches on. Give them a team to root for and get invested in. Once their team drops out, they'll root for the next best thing. Nothing changes.

Rinse, repeat four years later.

[Jack Rabbit]

9. He's not going anywhere, but he'll make it interesting

I still wish somebody would read the NIE into the Congressional Record the way he read the Pentagon Papers in a late night session.

[Spiffarino]

16. He gives air to issues the other candidates fear

Gravel says:
- The military-industrial complex has become part of American culture
- We lost Iraq "the moment Bush decided to invade"
- Pre-emptive nuke strikes are off the table

Where have all the real Democrats gone? Alaska, apparently.

[Pharaoh]

10. K&R

You always find the best stuff cyn......:hi:

[dave_p]

11. Awesome!

One to watch. This man will speak truth. And he offers a way to win. Now where are all the others?

[ClayZ]

12. Whoot! I love him!... K AND R

:yourock:

[hvn_nbr_2]

13. Unelectable--he speaks the truth.

If he ever starts to gain traction, CorpPravda will crucify him.

[stonefruit]

14. Bloody forking hell!

Never heard of the guy but LOVED him in the debate (he won). Spent half of today researching him. He is the MAN! And I say that as a former die-hard Kucinista. It is time to be as pissed as he is, for all the right reasons he gave.

Of course, the MSM will sideline his ass.

[Labors of Hercules]

24. He can't win, but if one of the other candidates showed his fortitude, they'd clinch it.

[Name removed]

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[Spiffarino]

15. "Who are you afraid of?"

That was the best line of the night. He hit the Republican Fear Machine right between the eyes.

I agree with a previous poster. Gravel may not have an Eskimo Pie's chance in Hell but the longer he stays, the better. He looks, speaks and acts like a progressive. Roosevelt style.

[knitter4democracy]

17. Wow.

We missed the debate, and I'd heard he was good. I had no idea how good. I like him. I like him a lot. Maybe we can send him some money.

[Lost4words]

18. It was like watching someone walk on water!

It really was refreshing, if we only had a real leader.

8643

[tblue]

62. It's like having one of us up there!

[Glenda]

19. BOSTON GLOBE "After debate, little-known Democrat draws a crowd"

http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2007/04/28/after_debate_little_known_democrat_draws_a_crowd/?p1=MEWell_Pos2

ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- Until the first Democratic presidential debate here on Thursday night, former senator Mike Gravel campaigned in almost total obscurity since becoming the first Democrat to declare more than a year ago, in April 2006.

...

He said the early leading Democratic candidates "frightened" him because they had taken nothing off the table, including nuclear weapons, for possible military action against Iran.

"Tell me, Barack, who do you want to nuke?" he asked Senator Barack Obama of Illinois.

"I'm not planning on nuking anybody right now, Mike," Obama replied.

"Good, then we're safe for a while," Gravel said.
...
The reaction to Gravel's performance has overwhelmed his campaign. His aides said they got more requests for interviews yesterday than in the first 12 months of the campaign.
...
"He started out with less money than the cost of a John Edwards haircut," said Elliott Jacobson, Gravel's national finance director.

[Mad_Dem_X]

20. Damn!

You see, THIS is exactly what we need - more angry Dems who aren't afraid to show their anger and to tell it like it is!!! Bravo, Senator! :yourock: :applause: :patriot:

[postulater]

21. With instant run-off voting I'd write him in!

Too bad with our winner-take-all system we have to vote for the lesser of two evils instead of the person who we think would do the best job.

[iamthebandfanman]

22. well i have to admit

i had no clue about him or that he exsisted but hes already won me over!!

does anyone have any more info about the guy ?
anything to awefully scandalous involving him ?


i love how he talks and just tells it how it is!

[MasonJar]

23. Awesome answers! Sincere and deeply felt too.

[Name removed]

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[Carolina]

30. Welcome to DU

:hi:

[Hardrada]

32. He should air PNAC and AIPAC and the "warfare state"

since the others are apparently hooked on them without any foreseeable remediation.

[Name removed]

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[mirrera]

27. Bumper sticker Gravel/Kucinich!

This is my ideal ticket...where has he been? Check out some of his other YouTube clips. He is to the Dems a little what Ross Perot was to the Republicans. The pundits started out laughing, but the American people changed that dynamic.

[LiberalArkie]

28. I was going to vote the Repubs, only to further their destruction, but I like Gravel.

I firmly believe that if any other the leaders get into the Whitehouse, nothing will change, the same groups pay them that pay the Repubs. And most of the seem conservative. I like Gravel. I really like him. "The voice of one crying in the wilderness."

[johncoby2]

29. What a frickin idiot.

Geez folks. This guy is the kinky friedman of the Democratic party.

Wake up folks.

[TheLeftyMom]

31. Yeah, but he spurs debate

And as much as I love most of our field right now -- I'm already tired of Hilary, Barack and (sometimes, not as often) Edwards' slick, rehearsed answers.

Is it so much to ask for a candidate that is actually passionate about our country and the amazing opportunity to lead it? I get more fired up about going to my job at an AD agency for crying out loud.

Did anyone else notice too, that when responding to him or just watching (and I think they know, like and enjoyed watching/listening to him too), that the other candidates were more 'alive' -- smiling, chuckling, NOT taking notes and REALLY watching him instead of strategizing what they were going to do or say next?

I may not have him as a top choice, but as other posters said -- having this dude in the race will make things much more interesting, get more things on the table for discussion and maybe get the other candidates to break through their wax-doll exteriors to look and act a bit human.

Whew, I was a bit more passionate about that than I expected when I clicked reply! LOL

[Name removed]

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[fredrickdouglas]

60. And There Will Be A Predictable Response...

Folks will see this exclusion as wrong, undemocratic and it will help give Gravel underdog cred. We must remember who Gravel appeals to: folks that perhaps may not vote for any of the other candidates when it comes down to it. Or if anyone, Kucinich (and we all know that the establishment doesn't like him because he talks to much about domestic issues like healthcare).

Gravel is serving as the honey for angry mainstreamers who may protest the election because the Bush days will be over and no one else will have that anti-christ ANYONE BUT... kind of appeal. They need a candidate who is angry and truth-telling to pull people back into the Democratic fold where they can again be sold down the river with a Hillary presidency. The important point is for folks not to lose faith in the process.

That above all else.

[SOS]

33. Agree

Gravel may have reflected the anger among the Democratic anti-war voters, but they haven't researched this guy.
Personally, I was against the war, to the point of protesting regularly in front of the UN in 2002-2003.
Gravel is not the guy I want representing that viewpoint.

His behavior at the debate was apallingly arrogant.
He was voted out of the Senate, 27 years ago, in the Democratic primary.
By his own account, he spent the next ten years "hiding under a rock".

In 2003 he shared the stage with Mel Gibson's father at a Barnes Review meeting.
The Barnes Review is a neo-Nazi organization which denies the Holocaust.
Gravel later said he didn't know who he was speaking to.

Here's a photo of that event:


Does this look like a man who has no idea whom he is addressing? Perhaps he should have visited the grotesquely anti-semitic Barnes Review web site before speaking? He admits he knew of Nazi Willis Carto's pre-Barnes Review Liberty Lobby, but spoke anyway.

Gravel has also stated that the Cambodian genocide did not happen while he was a Senator.
Wrong. It was 1977-1979. The "senior statesman" couldn't even identify the correct decade of a genocide that happened while he was in the Senate.

Antiwar voters can send their message by rallying around Kucinich.
The other Dems all have us heading for the exit. From DK to HRC we have a wide choice available and don't need Gravel damaging our credilbility on the national stage.

Gravel will prove to be a huge embarrassment to those who find him "refreshing".

[pberq]

34. You're entitled to your opinion.

But for me, I prefer someone from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.

The day after the debate, Randi Rhodes played this outstanding clip by Gravel talking about passing a law making it a felony to continue the war in Iraq. Randi was cheering and so was I. Now, that's my kind of leader.

This war is one giant war crime, and any continuation of it increases the crime. The Bush administration has committed treason - and if Dems want to do their duty in upholding the Constitution, they will immediately end the war and put these criminals on trial.

(edited to fix a mistake)

[johncoby2]

61. But for me, I prefer someone from the Democratic wing of the Democratic party.

Yea. That worked out real well in 2004.

Wake up.
Grow up.

[pberq]

64. Yeah right, let's just put up another DLC, Republican-Lite candidate

Yes, that's the ticket. Let's just sell our souls to the corporate machine. That'll fix things.

[Name removed]

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[SOS]

42. Certainly

it is OK to disagree with Kadima policies.
But do you really trust the judgment of a candidate who accepted a speaking invitation from these Nazi's?:

http://www.barnesreview.org/

Here's the full line-up, including Gravel:

http://www.adelaideinstitute.org/2003TBRConference/tbr2.htm

The guy after Gravel extolled the glory of Hitlers Air Force, yet Gravel claims he had no idea who any of these people were.
It's nonsense. Gravel receives the American Free Press newspaper to this day. He knew exactly who these loons were.

I believe you are mistaken on the "dual-citizenship" claim.
Do you have a link?

Your figure for aid to Israel is off by a factor of 15.
The actual US foreign aid to Israel comes to about $8 million a day, not $122 million.
Total annual aid to Israel is $3 billion, which is less than one quarter of the New York City school budget.

And while George McGovern was the only Senator demanding action on the Cambodian genocide in the late 1970s, Gravel can't even remember that the slaughter of two million Cambodians occured while he was in the Senate.

And finally, he recently slammed Russ Feingold as a phony. He said Feingold's opposition to the war "isn't real".
Apparently no Democrat meets Gravel's standards of perfection.
If we're not good enough for him....

[rosesaylavee]

48. Thanks for the information.

Though I loved hearing what he had to say in the debate, we certainly don't need someone who condones anti-semitism - whether intentionally or unintentionally (which I doubt if he sat through the pro-Hitler lecture following his own talk).

Almost got excited about this guy as a candidate after I heard the video. Your post kept me grounded. Thanks.

[tblue]

63. Snip from Wiki on this speech:

In June 2003, Gravel gave a speech on direct democracy at a conference hosted by the American Free Press. The event was co-sponsored by the Barnes Review, a journal that endorses Holocaust denial.<8> Gravel has said repeatedly that he does not share such a view, stating "You better believe I know that six million Jews were killed. I've been to the Holocaust Museum. I've seen the footage of General Eisenhower touring one of the camps ... They're nutty as loons if they don't think it happened".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Gravel#Elizabeth_Ray_scandal

I don't know what to make of this. It matters more to me what someone does and what positions they take than what they think and feel deep in their hearts. I have no windows into men's souls, to paraphrase Elizabeth I. I believe him when he says he would immediately withdraw all our troops from this war. But I guess giving this speech this one time could be problematic for the Senator.

[Rageneau]

41. Too bad -- I still just sent him $50.

I rarely contribute to candidates, but I just sent Mike Gavel $50. To my mind, it was worth that just to hear him challenge the others at the debate.

I love Dennis, of course, but there was something about Gavel that rang genuine with me. He belongs in the race for no other reason than to keep Dennis from being a lone voice crying in the wilderness.

I LIKE MIKE!

[Name removed]

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[lse7581011]

37. I Respectfully Disagree!

This man is the breath of fresh air I've been waiting for! I didn't even know who he was until the debate-but I'm very impressed!

[Greyskye]

35. Get that guy a cabinet post!

He knows what he's talking about, even if he won't be elected POTUS.

:kick: & R!

[peacetheonlyway]

36. I just love this man

i think this man is the backbone and honesty we have not heard from anyone in the entire senate period.

I was smiling deeply when he called out the others on their stances on Iraq.

Gravel, you are an honorable man and I salute you!!

[ejbr]

39. The look on Clinton and Obama's faces

when he said, "some of you people frighten me!!" was priceless! You're not alone Senator, you're not alone. Nor are you a potted plant Brokaw!

[lumpy]

40. Gravel and Murtha speak for me. A man without fire is a

mushroom and these guys are hot.

[tavalon]

43. I know he won't win

but I'm supporting this man for the primaries. I'll have to move my monetary support to Gore when he gets in but until then, Gavel is my man.

[lostnotforgotten]

46. And I Will Never Support A War Monger Like Hillary Clinton!

eom

[tavalon]

49. If she wins the primary

I will hate it but I will vote for her. I will work very hard to make sure she doesn't win the primary. If Gore doesn't come on board, I will campaign for Edwards or Obama but I just sent a little love Gavels way because he needs to be a thorn in all of their sides. And he's a good thorn.

[lostnotforgotten]

50. I Will Never Vote For A War Monger Pimary Winner Or Not

One does not perpetuate change by holding on to the past.

[tavalon]

51. So are you opting out

or just hoping you get your way?

[lostnotforgotten]

52. I Am An Independent After The 2004 General Election Where The Democratic Party

Did nothing about the voting machines that stole the vote.

I tell all politicians, if you want my vote you have to earn it!

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[fredrickdouglas]

59. You Are The Democrat The Establishment Counts On and Loves

You feel progressive by backing this or that candidate that says pretty things but when it comes down to it, you'll back the monster candidate every time. It's a good deal. They get the corporate monster candidate they want while you get to feel good because you backed the 'good' candidate right up til the end before you ratified the monster.

Rinse, repeat every four years.

[tavalon]

44. I just contributed $100.00

And I will continue to contribute as I can. This one needs to be heard often and well.

[SlipperySlope]

45. Kick!

[fredrickdouglas]

58. Anyone Notice Barak's Response to: 'Who Are We Gonna Nuke'

He said, "I'm not planning on nuking anybody right now."

[leftwingnut]

65. He's got my vote!!!

Kick!!!

:kick: