Thank you very much. My name is Kurt Anderson, and I would like to be
I have already provided you with a lot of detail about my background and issues, on the web and in the materials I handed out today, in case you did not get a chance to get to my web page. So today, instead of going over all the detail, I want to speak to you about three general points:
The Contest
My Campaign
My Fixed Delusion
Point 1 – The Contest
The contest I am going to describe to you is really a tournament. It has a final round, a semifinal round, and maybe a quarterfinal or other rounds.
The ultimate, final contest is against a team called Disorder. The Disorder team has players named International Disorder, Economic Disorder, Federal Budget Disorder, and several others, including Institutional Disorder.
We can neutralize each of the Disorder players and win the big prize.
We can beat International Disorder. Despite our recent mistakes,
We can beat Economic Disorder. Between the clouds of crisis are the rays of opportunity. This is the time for the
Our devalued dollar opens up new opportunities in international trade, and businesses all over the country are taking advantage of those opportunities. Our recent housing bubble resulted in record high levels of home ownership, and the challenge for us is to keep those new homeowners in their homes while the tide recedes. We can institute health care policy that not only will provide medical services to the poor and sick but that will remove the health cost yoke from our employers and businesses. With some painful sacrifice, we can slay the energy monster. With smart business planning and an eye to economic justice, we can put
We can beat Budget Disorder. In the 1990s, we closed the overall government deficit and started paying back government bondholders, except Social Security. We were still borrowing from the Social Security surplus to fund general government operations. We need to return to our tax and budget baseline of 2000, and finish closing the real deficit so the federal government is not borrowing from anyone, but instead is paying back the 80+ percent of our debt that we have run up in the last 30 years. We can amend our social compact regarding Social Security, recognizing that a lot of people will depend on it now and in the future, that funds are limited, and we need to fairly share those funds.
We need, once and for all to put a stake through the bloodsucking heart of Credit Card Patriotism – and to resolve that we will pay for this year’s foreign adventures with this years tax receipts.
We can beat Institutional Disorder by reaffirming our faith in our institutions. Institutional Disorder it is the result of everyone wanting to use the wrong institutions of government for the wrong purposes. We can recognize that when sensitive social issues arise, unless the Constitution speaks to them very specifically, the best body of discernment is made up of the 7,382 people who serve in our nation's 50 state legislatures – not the nine United States Supreme Court justices or the seven who typically sit on any state’s supreme court.
However, when the Constitution does speak clearly on our freedoms, I expect the courts to speak loudly, in upholding our freedoms. George Washington and James Madison created federal courts to bring federal and international lawbreakers to justice. Terrorists have scared George W. Bush away from using those courts. I am not impressed with his military tribunal, and if anything needs to go out of business in these times of turmoil, it’s that tribunal.
That’s the final round of the tournament, in a nutshell. I want to talk very briefly about the semifinals. In the semifinals, we come up against players named Norm Coleman and Al Franken. I consider both Senator Coleman and Mr. Franken to be people of goodwill. Unfortunately, they are too bound up in 20th Century quarrels to lead this country into the 21st Century.
Like all of you, I have been reading the newspapers and listening to the radio. There also will be a quarterfinal – an Independence Party Senate primary. Well, the more the merrier, let’s get on with it.
Throughout this election season, I encourage you to look at my opponents and me in the best possble light, and choose from among us based on our positive traits.
Point 2 – My Campaign
My campaign, Kurt Anderson for United States Senate, so far has zero paid staff and one volunteer. You’re looking at him.
However, as my background sheet indicates, I have a lot of experience in campaigns. I understand that you have a right to see a certain minimum level of demonstrated campaign competence, in an endorsement contest, and I have showed you that even in a solo effort, I am able to do that.
The Independence Party endorsement rules require a formal application for endorsement. I sent that full application to our state officers, over two months ago. I challenge the other candidates to tell us when they finished that task.
The IP wants its candidates to state their agreements and differences with the state party platform. I have done that, in detail and in writing. I gave that writing to you at our last meeting, on May 3, I have posted it on the internet and, for those of you who do not have internet access, I have put it on your chairs again today.
Two days after receiving a list of your names and addresses last Monday, I had 514 postcards mail merged, printed, signed and stamped, and in the mail to you. On the next day, Thurday, I sent the final 200.
By now, all of your endorsement candidates should have demonstrated at least that much technical competence – the ability to design and execute basic campaign procedures. I leave it to you to compare candidates and consider who has demonstrated that competence.
As much as I would like to take all the credit, I realize I need volunteer help. Paid staff comes later, if we raise enough money to make that possible. I need the guidance and wisdom of a campaign committee. I need a campaign manager to discipline me and organize other volunteers. One of you could be that campaign manager. You say you have never been a campaign manager before? Well, I have not been a United States Senator before. Our American democracy depends on people being willing to step forward, out of the ranks of comfortable obscurity, to be leaders.
I need your financial assistance, also. I have represented the financially needy throughout my legal career, and I have not become a millionaire on their backs. I can’t self-fund this campaign. If I had my way, this would be a completely viral, word of mouth and e-mail to e-mail campaign, and I would never raise or spend enough money to register with the Federal Elections Commission.
However, I know that’s not realistic. A high-ranking member of this party says I should plan on raising at least $200,000 for this effort. I would prefer to keep it at about $50,000, but I am willing to split the difference at $100,000. Some of you math majors may notice that $100,000 is not a true split, but what do I know about that? I went to law school, so watch out.
In any event, please use the envelope and card I have given you, and posted on the internet, to make a contribution to my campaign. Even if you choose not to vote for me today, I know you value participation and competition in the political process, and I would appreciate a small contribution from you to make that possible and to pay for my effort so far.
Finally under Point 2, my campaign, as you consider whether to endorse me, you will notice that I have taken some positions that may be a tough sell to the electorate, but I have faith in the ultimate wisdom of the voters. I call for a further $2.00 per gallon gasoline tax, with a 10-gallon tax free allowance every month for every driver. I demand that we pay for this year’s
I leave it to you to determine whether these are the positions you want an endorsed Independence Party candidate to advocate in 2008. This endorsement convention is your opportunity, and mine, to get a first reality-check on those positions.
Point 3 – My Fixed Delusion
As my background sheet indicates, one of my areas of legal practice is mental health law. I represent people that government wants to lock up, supposedly for their own good. Some of those people are accused of having “fixed delusions.” In Point 3, I am going to tell you about my fixed delusion.
At an IP Meetup just last Monday, my two competitors frankly admitted that they do not think they can win this election. If I felt the same way, I would not be making the effort that you had witnessed. I have a picture of me, with your assistance, winning this election.
If the party’s goal is just to put someone up who can get the five percent – in this year or in 2010 – then by all means, please, vote for one of them and relieve me of the burden of my delusion.
I want 51 percent or better. I know that in a three-way race, that’s asking for a lot. I recognize that victory this year may mean 40 percent or less. If that happens, I will nevertheless take it as a mandate and get down to my country’s business.
Thank you for your kind attention. I do not run for this office to vindicate any dying extreme ideology, but rather pledge myself as so many have in the past, to work for my country’s future. I do not seek to punish or penalize any law-abiding citizen, rich or poor, black or white, male or female, native or immigrant, religious or non-religious, but rather to work to move us all forward together. I envision an
Thank you again.