Mike Gravel you're confusing me
From the WSJ
Mike Gravel Endorses Tulsi Gabbard — and Bernie Sanders
Former Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel may have left the race for president, but he’s not going away.
After he endorsed Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders Tuesday, Rep. Tulsi Gabbard’s presidential campaign said Wednesday he had endorsed her bid, and released a statement from him.
“From the get-go I was very impressed with Tulsi Gabbard. And I see her as a real coming powerhouse,” Mr. Gravel said in a video released by the Gabbard campaign.
“I still want to maintain my presence in the race by endorsing Bernie Sanders and Tulsi Gabbard.”
Mr. Gravel did not address why he was endorsing two presidential candidates.
Kate Tyler, a spokeswoman for the Gravel campaign, said the staff was unaware of the endorsement and was still trying to figure out what had happened. She said the team had a unanimous vote to endorse Mr. Sanders exclusively.
The Sanders campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Comments
Simpliciter.
Mr. Gravel wants to see a Gabbard/Sanders or Sanders/Gabbard ticket in 2020, much like I do myself.
Easy peasy and simple.
"US govt/military = bad. Russian govt/military = bad. Any politician wanting power = bad. Anyone wielding power = bad." --Shahryar
"All power corrupts absolutely!" -- thanatokephaloides
In Other Words . . .
The college kids that make up Gravel's campaign team had a unanimous vote and agreed on Bernie, while Mr. Gravel himself likes both Bernie and Tulsi and endorsed both of them.
Word is that Gravel's campaign team loathes Tulsi. Not sure why.
Months ago, he said he would endorse the most left
candidate, then endorsed Tulsi. I believe, but am not sure, that was before he got a significant number of donations. Am I the only one who remembers that? It's not easy to find with a search engine because of the newer endorsement; and I don't have the patience to comb though.
As far as the infamous teens running Gravel, no one but Gravel knows why he endorsed both.
I went into this in a series of comments
on another essay. I am linking the last of those comments below. Basically the Gravel teens decided among themselves that they wanted Bernie, but Mike Gravel leaned toward Tulsi. What happened afterwards was not pretty, but Mike was not to blame for it. Mike is an honorable man and those of us who have followed his numerous interviews over the past several months know that he really wanted to endorse Tulsi, but gave in to a dual endorsement. Please read my comment and the links within it.
https://caucus99percent.com/comment/435427#comment-435427
Do I hear the sound of guillotines being constructed?
“Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable." ~ President John F. Kennedy
I suppose this
confusing mess is what happens when you have teens running your campaign. It's not their place to insist on a certain endorsement, which is the candidate's call alone. Normally, with adults in charge of the campaign, these inside conflicts are kept inside the tent and don't come out until well after the campaign is over.
Interesting that some of them don't like Tulsi, don't trust her, but no specifics are given, just a sense that her anti-imperialism is phony. No basis offered, no reasoning. But actually I don't really care what these teens think. More important matters to spend time worrying about. Like whether Tulsi can manage to get a few honest polls between now and August 28.
Unfair.
I entered university at age 16.
I am today of the mindset I was then, participated in the first protest of ecological nature then. Risked getting kicked out of Baylor University. 1969.
Later, Sam Houston State University where the Underground newspaper was "on it" IN RE Viet Nam.
"We'll know our disinformation program is complete when everything the American public believes is false." ---- William Casey, CIA Director, 1981
May I also congratulate
you on being so preciously wise and wonderful as a teen. I was far more of a mixed bag, obviously.
But please note above I said "these" teens, not the entire universe of Betty and Biff wonderful American teens always busy helping the poor and organizing peace rallies, occasionally taking time out to spend some wholesome time at the local malt shoppe. From what I've read, including between the lines, these teens did not distinguish themselves as the campaign wound down and a decision was made on an endorsement, assuming the leaks came from the staff.
Not that Gravel's endorsement will matter to more than one or two voters out there.. Good guy Mike, courageous in his senate career, cut short much too soon, but all this is just an entertaining summer side show.