Another group of Tea Party activists have broken with the duopoly charade to organize an independent campaign challenging the hegemony of the Republican and Democratic Parties in Arkansas.
The Tolbert Report reports: "Former Green Beret and Russellville Tea Party star Trevor Drown announced today that he is going to run for U.S. Senate as an Independent candidate, which greatly disappoints Republicans." Tolbert overstates the point somewhat, however. As per the announcement on
Trevor Drown's website: "I have formed an Exploratory Committee to run for US Senate, as an independent, representing the state of Arkansas." Drown will seek to unseat Democratic incumbent Blanche Lincoln.
Arkansas is a solidly Democratic state. In 2004,
Lincoln beat out Republican nominee Jim Holt 56% to 44%. The first hurdle Drown will have to overcome is, of course, simply getting his name on the ballot. Though difficult, this is not an impossible task. In
2006, independent candidate
Rod Bryan jumped through the necessary ballot access hoops in his bid for governor and garnered more votes than Green Party nominee Jim Lendall. Arkansas's
Courier News carried a story on Drown's announcement:
Trevor Drown, 39, asked area residents to decide which public office he would seek in next year’s election, and respondents voted overwhelmingly for Drown — who will run as an independent candidate — to challenge U.S. Sen. Blanche Lincoln and her Republican opponent next November. Drown said Saturday at a meeting near Pelsor the federal government was out of touch with American citizens. “People are tired of not being heard,” he said. “A U.S. Senator, that is the conduit for the voice of the people in their state. The two-party system, in my opinion, has gotten to where they’re doing what’s better for their party rather than what’s better for the people.” . . . Drown, a former Green Beret now serving with the Air National Guard, spoke at TEA Party events in Russellville earlier this year and received what he called overwhelming support to run for public office . . . Drown’s exploratory committee will make preparations for his name to formally be added to the ballot in March, when official campaigning begins.
Update: A commenter to this post points out that Drown has also launched an online grass-roots outreach organization:
Dare to Make a Difference. The group's mission statement:
We want to ensure the government listens to the single largest, richest special interest group in the country: The American People! They transcend political party beliefs, ideological views and all have one thing in common, get the country back on track through our efforts of daring to make a difference. There are people who are members from every walk of life, and educational level, all over the United States. We are a grass roots cyber-movement seeking elected leaders who listen to the American people and make wise decisions. we help them by providing research and information they can use. Our concept of community involvement was created and developed by a core group of individuals who care about this country. Trevor Drown is one of our founders. He is the first of many to dare to make a difference and run for an elected leadership position as an independent.
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4 comments:
OK.. here's the deal. Any vote for an independent canidate is really only taken the vote away from a true politcal canidate. I've read where Trevor leans toward the conservative side, so why not just run as a Republican? He just might be able to get the full support from the Republican party. When a person like this runs for office on a conservative stance, it's just taken my vote away from the Republican canidate and I'm pretty much sick and tired of it. Sure there have been a few "independent" canidates that make it into office, but what can they really do. They are either leaning toward liberalism or conserverative, so let it be just that.. Democrat or Republican...
Also, this guy is an unknown in the state of Arkansas. What qualifications does he have? Just because he was a former Green Beret? I wore a beret when visiting France, so does that make me an effective leader? NO! Make no mistake, I appreciate his time spent with the military and helping us secure our freedom. I'm truely thankful, but come on.
Don't get me wrong, I want Blanch out of office just as bad as the next guy, but I think if we are going to do that, we need to get behind a true Republican canidate that can actually make a run for the Capital!
I really shouldn't be worried though, do you think a UPS/Former Green Beret unknown out of Russellville, AR is going to get the signatures needed to get on the ballot? Doubtful.
God Bless America!
Thanks for the comment Sick and Tired.
"Any vote for an independent canidate is really only taken the vote away from a true politcal canidate."
Independent candidates are "true" candidates. And the old spoiler argument works both ways: any vote for a Republican or Democrat just takes a vote away from a truly independent candidate. Seeking out the nomination of either of the duopoly parties undercuts and undermines a candidate's independence from the party machines, which are part of the problem, because then the candidate is beholden to them and the special interests they represent, rather than the people they are supposed to represent, their constituency.
"Trevor leans toward the conservative side, so why not just run as a Republican."
What is the evidence that Republicans are conservative? Sure, they talk a lot about small government and individual liberty, but then they expand government and restrict liberty.
"this guy is an unknown in the state of Arkansas."
Drown has likely announced his intentions so early in order to have more time to talk with the people of Arkansas, to learn what they want in a Senator and how they want to be represented, and to give them time to get to know him. Further, the only qualifications he needs are those specified in the US constitution and the constitution of the state of Arkansas. True, he is not a careerist politician like most of the nominees foisted upon the people of the United States by the Republican and Democratic Parties, but that is an asset, not a liability.
FYI, Trevor Drown just announced the existance of a online grassroots organization, at http://idaretomakeadifference.com/
I have yet to see a Republican do that. Maybe that Green Beret he wore on his head was good for something. You know it costs over 1.5 million bucks to train one of those guys. How much is a Harvard Degree and Yale Law School combined? Not even close. Nice to see a way our tax dollars can finally be put to some use, by this guy's training and experience.
"Sick and Tired" is looking for both a real candidate and a real Republican, presumably on the basis of clear ideas of what either would look like. I infer that a "real Republican" for S&T would be a conservative, but the best S&T can say for a conservative insurgent is that the candidate "just might be able to get the full support from the Republican party." Isn't this a concession that, while S&T thinks the Republican party ought to be conservative, it isn't? The moment people like S&T, who presumably see themselves as conservative Republicans, decide to vote conservative rather than Republican, they might get real conservatives elected, for all the good that'd do the rest of us.
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