Republican Presidential candidate Alan Keyes and Democratic Presidential candidate Mike Gravel never got much traction in their major party campaigns. But it turns out that neither is willing to give up that easily.
Despite failing to top even 1% of the vote in any primary or caucus to date, former Alaska Senator Mike Gravel has announced he is leaving the Democratic Party and registering with the Libertarians. This strikes some as quite odd, since Gravel’s views on socialized health care and other “big government” projects stand in direct contradiction to much of the Libertarian Party’s platform and ideals. Gravel has said that he will be seeing the party’s nomination for President at the upcoming national convention in Denver.
Gravel’s celebrity is a plus, but his path to the nomination is far from clear. Two long-time party activists, Steve Kubby and George Phillies, have been in the running for many months already. Businessman, and self-described millionaire, Wayne Allyn Root launched his campaign last year. Author Mary Ruwart has recently joined the fight, and former Congressman Bob Barr is widely expected to jump in as well. That is a mixture that should make for some entertaining viewing on C-SPAN.
On the conservative side, Alan Keyes has decided to keep his campaign going as well. He has said that he will be leaving the Republican Party to join the Constitution Party and seek their nomination. Keyes made his best showing in the Republican primaries this year with 1.5% of the vote in the Kansas caucus.
Keyes faces many of the same challenges as Gravel. The Constitution Party is strongly anti-war, while Keyes has been a major advocate of U.S. involvement in Iraq and elsewhere. Keyes was also an ambassador to the UN during the Reagan administration, while the Constitution Party wants to pull America out of the organization.
It will be interesting to see how these guys fare. Should they be successful in winning their nomination fights, the Fall ballot seems likely to offer the following choices:
John McCain, Republican
Barack Obama, Democrat
Ralph Nader, Independent
Alan Keyes, Constitution
Mike Gravel, Libertarian
Cynthia McKinney, Green Party
I think that’s a pretty nice line-up of candidates if you’re John McCain. But we’ll have to wait and see how the Libertarian and Constitution conventions turn out first.
March 28th, 2008 at 3:19 am
With a ballot like that, there’s no choice but Keyes. All the rest are liberals. My vote would have to go to Alan Keyes.
March 28th, 2008 at 5:02 am
You can put me down for Keyes, too. The rest are louses. Keyes is a true statesman.
March 28th, 2008 at 2:39 pm
hmm. I would vote for Mike Gravel. I don’t like some of his economic positions, but I think it’s good to compromise sometimes.
Alan Keyes is INSANE!
March 29th, 2008 at 9:35 am
Alan Keyes is different.
March 29th, 2008 at 9:36 am
I’m not certain how he makes a living. Has he had a paycheck since the Reagan years?
March 30th, 2008 at 6:26 am
Alan Keyes is INSANE!
I remember during the 2004 senate election here in Illinois. After the GOP candidate dropped out, the dying state party shipped him in from Maryland to run against Obama. My God! Go on youtube and watch some of there debates. He’s frickin’ crazy. The day he wins an election is the day I move to Canada. Anyone wanna share an apartment?
March 30th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
Alan Keyes IS insane. So is McCain. Jeeez the Dems have an embarrasment of riches and the Reps have simply an embarrasment!
March 31st, 2008 at 5:36 pm
Insane?
I love it don’t talk issues, and knee jerk respond emotionally.
Keyes, is articulate and understands our form of government and presidental duties better than any other candidate.
I will vote for him because he stands correctly on the issues…
Max
March 31st, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Well Max, you didn’t exactly talk issues either. Seems like you just had a knee jerk reaction in the other direction.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:27 pm
Hi Mike,
Ok… I will give you a summary of what issues I agree with Dr. Keyes on:
Life issues - I agree with.
Taxation - Check.
Judicial - Agree.
Budget/Finance - Absolutely.
Civil rights - yes.
Education - Resoundingly.
He has a correct understanding of the constitution and our (prior) form of government. I say prior because we are basically an oligarchy now.
(scanned with knee jerk remover 1.0)
Max
March 31st, 2008 at 9:35 pm
I went to a fundraiser breakfast for Keyes in ‘96. He was and still is batshit crazy. Congrats to the Constitution Party on securing their reputation as the bastion of nutjobs!
April 1st, 2008 at 10:47 am
I’ve found that most of the members of the Constitution Party, while well intentioned, are as crazy as those Ron Paul supporters.
Which is too bad.
April 2nd, 2008 at 3:53 am
Why is everyone so paranoid abut Allen Keyes. Maybe because he will wake The America People Up!!!! . Go Allen!!!!!
April 2nd, 2008 at 11:34 am
Who the hell is paranoid Barb? Seems more like they just don’t like the guy.
April 8th, 2008 at 12:22 am
No way that Gravel gets the LP nomination. Barr has momentum and the rest of the stalwarts back their fringe candidates. I don’t understand why Barr didn’t go to the Green Party - would have made much more sense