Fighting from the fringes
Three local candidates stand tall from short platforms
By Carl Kozlowski 11/02/2006
It’s hard enough to wage a victorious political campaign, even with major-party backing. But with the de facto oligarchy imposed on the American system by the Republicans and Democrats, the chances of third-party candidates landing on voters’ radars is nearly nonexistent.
Yet in addition to the Green Party’s surprisingly strong slate of candidates, three other hardy souls are running to represent the 29th District in the US House of Representatives. But with such long odds awaiting them, what is it that drives such individuals on their sometimes–quixotic quests?
“Remember that in 1840 the Republicans were the third party and the House was controlled by the Whigs and Democrats. It was that fringe third party that spoke against slavery when no one else would, and by 1860 they’d won the presidency,” says Libertarian candidate Jim Keller, whose party and personal views center upon “individual rights and responsibility” such as ending the Iraq war, legalizing drugs, opposing gun control and drastically cutting taxes.
“We are gaining ground and polling significantly, and two races in Texas are possibly winnable for us this year, including the battle for Tom DeLay’s old seat. I just want to make sure everyone understands I’m not a protest candidate. I’m prepared to go to DC and do the job, and anyone who can’t go to DC and represent everyone in the district, even my opponents, shouldn’t be running,” Keller said.
For her part, Lynda Llamas has thrown her hat into the race as a representative of the Peace and Freedom Party, which in the nearly 40 years since its inception has called for environmental protections, support of Native American treaties, abortion rights, free health care and food and housing for all while drastically reducing military spending.
“I think that it’s important that we keep certain ideals on the table, and the third parties offer alternatives to the status quo of Republicans and Democrats, which seem like the same party,” said Llamas. “I’ve been against this war from the beginning. My party is the longtime original peace party. We have a platform with valid issues like doubling the minimum wage. That’s what we do and that’s why we do it.”
Perhaps the best-known of the three is John Burton, an attorney who is a regular candidate with the Socialist Equality Party who constantly finds himself at war with the California petition signature requirements. This year, he collected 12,000 signatures in order to surpass the 8,400 valid voter signatures required to get placed on the ballot, yet only 6,200 of these were deemed valid.
“Because we don’t wish to associate with the parties that have access to the California ballot issues, we are forced to deal with very restrictive ballot access laws,” explained Burton. “I’m forced to run as a write-in. But solving any of the pressing problems that the population faces today, ranging from the occupation of Iraq to the environmental threats of global warming, the attack on democratic rights through repeal of habeas corpus on non-citizens, and attack on the working poor through no health care, attacks on pensions and so forth, none of these could be addressed by the two big parties which are controlled by a financial oligarchy calling all the shots. There’s simply no other way to change things other than to build a movement outside the two business parties.”
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