We have our first official Democratic Presidential Candidate

needs · Apr 13, 2006

And he has a great name ... Mike Gravel.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/usnw/200604...ion_for_president_of_the_united_states123_xml

Too bad he appears to be a Holocaust denier.

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

nicephoras · Apr 13, 2006

No one's perfect.

needs · Apr 13, 2006

I have to say, the bottom link is one of the more bizarre things I've ever seen.

needs · Apr 13, 2006

For example...

Michael Collins Piper: Seminar Chairman

Cheerful as ever, Collins Piper introduced this year's 'Holocaust' boys. He also related how he bumped into Abe Foxman, the ADL head, who when confronted by Collins Piper to confirm whether he was indeed the Abe Foxman, denied that he was and hastily retreated down the street.
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Those cheerful Holocaust boys.

Um, Michael... He was probably running from your ridiculously open shirt.

And then there's this...

Worst...Entertainment...Ever...

This isn't even to mention the guy who was the last to "comfort" Ezra Pound in his psychiatric hospital.

Foosinho · Apr 14, 2006

needs said:

Too bad he appears to be a Holocaust denier.
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You know, there is a candidate for the Democratic nomination to challene Mike DeWine for his senate seat named Merrill Keiser Jr. (aka "Der Keiser") whose positions are well to the right of Mike DeWine!

You can check out his campaign website, or his (relatively glowing) WorldNetDaily feature.

BTW, Joe Biden has said unequivocally that he is running for President in 2008.

afgrijselijkheid · Apr 15, 2006

Foosinho said:

BTW, Joe Biden has said unequivocally that he is running for President in 2008.
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i'm liking the early look of that horse

BPBlueSox · Apr 15, 2006

needs said:

Too bad he appears to be a Holocaust denier.

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These people should all be shot.

PsychedelicCeltic · Apr 16, 2006

Maybe it's my natural optimism, as I can't believe anybody who was good enough to gain a BS in Economics from Columbia, serve as an adjutant in Army intelligence and serve two ********in' terms in the Senate as a social Democrat (Gravel introduced a national minimum income procedure) would deny the Holocaust. But Gravel has been pimping a proposal to add national intiatives to the ballot (like your state propositions). Is it possible he just got duped? I mean, the conference of deniers had a pretty ambiguous name.

He won't win or even come close, but I hope someone asks that question and he says he got duped, my bad. It would be a pretty sad end to a good political career.

The Gribbler · Apr 18, 2006

bluedaddy19 said:

i'm liking the early look of that horse
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too bad he's too much of a Dukakis to win.

He'll probably wind up 3rd to Clinton and Warner methinks.

MassachusettsRef · Apr 18, 2006

PsychedelicCeltic said:

He won't win or even come close, but I hope someone asks that question and he says he got duped, my bad. It would be a pretty sad end to a good political career.
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Um, I think getting beat 26 years ago for re-election in a primary by a guy who went on to lose to someone else from the other party in the general election was the "sad end" (and I also think it casts doubts as to how "successful" he was...but that's in the eye of the beholder).

That being said, www.politics1.com interviewed Gravel on Monday and has this excerpt about the Holocaust thing:

www.politics1.com said:

THE 2003 SPEECH TO A HOLOCAUST-DENIAL GROUP.

In 2003, ultra-right newspaper publisher Willis Carto -- a leading Holocaust "revisionist" who publishes a combination of radical right and neo-nazi newspapers -- contacted Gravel. Carto is vocal in espousing the view that the Holocaust never took place. In fact, Carto founded the Institute for Historical Review to "prove" the Nazi murder of six million Jews was "a hoax" invented "by Zionists" to make people feel sorry for Jews -- and that the famous death camp liberation documentary films were merely "special effects" created by the Jews in Hollywood. Gravel said "I knew his history with the Liberty Lobby" -- the ultra-right group Carto led while Gravel served in the Senate -- "But, here he's trying to support the National Initiative. I wasn't supporting him. He was showing support for it." At one point, Gravel referred to Carto as "a charming guy" but "pretty extreme" in his views. Gravel also said that "kooks" -- like Carto and his followers -- should support the National Initiative because they, just like mainstream citizens, "are disgusted with our government" and feel it doesn't serve their interests. "Kooks feel even more disconnected" with the political process. "With the National Initiative, everyone gets a voice in government," he added.

At first, Carto simply wanted to interview Gravel about the National Initiative for Carto's radical American Free Press newspaper. "He liked the idea of the National Initiative ... I figured it was an opportunity to discuss it. Whether it is the far right, far left, whatever, I'll make my pitch to them," said Gravel. "They gave me a free subscription to American Free Press -- they still send it to me today -- and I flip through it sometimes. It has some extreme views -- and a lot of the ads in it are even more extreme and make me want to upchuck ... Anyways, sometime later, Carto contacted me to speak at that Barnes Review Conference. I had never heard of the Barnes Review, didn't know anything about it or what they stood for. I was just coming to give a presentation about the National Initiative. I was there maybe 30 minutes. I could tell from the people in the room -- mainly some very old men -- that they were pretty extreme. I gave my speech, answered some questions and left. I never saw the agenda for the day or listened to any of the other presentations." The Barnes Review Conference is an annual Holocaust denial gathering. At the 2003 event attended by Gravel, the later sessions included a "Holocaust Revisionism Panel" and a presentation on the glory days of the Nazi Luftwaffe. You can see more about the event here and here (note: both are links to Holocaust denial groups).

"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 [Carto's group] don't think it happened ... Anyone who denies the Holocaust is patently off their rocker -- it's a ridiculous position ... and the idea that the [documentary] films were a hoax is just bullshit," insisted Gravel. He said he never renounced the group after he learned of what it stood for simply because "I'm not in the business of denouncing anyone. I'm in the business of promoting the National Initiative." However, he quickly added that if he had to do it again, he doesn't know whether he would skip the event or attend and "speak on the National Initiative and how they're dead wrong on the Holocaust. Their views are just lunacy. But I don't think I'd bother to go."
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YITBOS · Apr 19, 2006

Foosinho said:

You know, there is a candidate for the Democratic nomination to challene Mike DeWine for his senate seat named Merrill Keiser Jr. (aka "Der Keiser") whose positions are well to the right of Mike DeWine!

You can check out his campaign website, or his (relatively glowing) WorldNetDaily feature.
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Wow. I mean, wow.

Foosinho · Apr 19, 2006

YITBOS said:

Wow. I mean, wow.
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No kidding, right?

He'd probably get more votes if he ran in the Republican primary. It's a wonder he managed to round up enough signatures to get on the ballot.

Foosinho · Apr 20, 2006

The Real Time with Bill Maher panel that had Biden on it is now available on his website: http://uniteourstates.com/about/pages/video?id=0031

It's a good panel, IMO.