NATIONAL NEWS — With all the premature brouhaha over next
year’s presidential elections, it’s probably a safe assumption that most
Americans have yet to make any decisions as to which candidate to support. Last
weekend, the Florida Democratic Convention, an event that helps constituents
make decisions about issues and candidates, was boycotted by all but one
presidential candidate.

One would expect the near 3,000 attendees to applaud and
support the one candidate who actually decided to show up, but those at the
rally were fixated on something else entirely: those who weren’t present.
Clearly something is rotten in the state of Florida.

The boycott was born after a violation of Democratic
National Committee regulations, when the Florida state legislature rescheduled
its primary to Jan. 29 (as opposed to Feb. 5), a move only permitted in Iowa,
New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina. To punish the brazen state
legislature, the DNC agreed to forbid presidential campaigning in the state and
preclude Florida’s 210 delegates from participating in next year’s national
convention in Denver.

The ill-attended convention has already become a bit of an
embarassment for state Democrats, with a pending lawsuit against the DNC and
rumors of plans to sack the chairwoman of the Florida Democrats, Karen Thurman.

So who was the Lone Ranger in attendance?

Former-Alaskan-senator turned-presidential-hopeful Mike
Gravel, who, in recent voter polls, sadly trails behind “other” and “not
voting,” had the daring to show up despite the embarrassing political bathos,
defying the DNC’s moratorium on Florida presidential campaigning.

If one so much as casually watched some of the earlier
Democratic debates, Gravel was hard to forget. Remember the endearingly
cantankerous, graying man who famously skewered an opponent with, “Who are you
going to bomb today, Obama?” Yeah, that’s him.

In addition to his straight shooting, Gravel boasts an
illustrious track record. He has made a name for himself in the course of
American political history, lauded for his efforts in ending the draft after
the Vietnam War and circulating the scandalous Pentagon Papers.

By winning the hearts of progressive liberals with antiwar,
pro-choice and pro-same-sex marriage rhetoric, at first glance it may appear
that little distinguishes him from his wealthier Democratic contenders (compare
Barack Obama’s $33 million in fundraising to Gravel’s paltry $130,000 in the
same three-month period). However, his more controversial causes have been
startling for some, including marijuana decriminalization, abolition of the IRS
and income tax and probably his most well-known and unprecedented measure: the
National Initiative. This is a theoretical, constitutional amendment whereby
federal legislation could be introduced, modified or even vetoed by everyday
citizens via ballot initiatives. It also proposes an accompanying regulatory
body, the Electoral Trust, which would supervise this process.

Politically disillusioned students have begun to find hope
in Gravel and his forward-looking policies concerning healthcare, climate
change and nuclear disarmament. Finally, young voters are getting excited about
politics.

“I don’t need Hillary money,” he said during one of his many
nearly deserted fundraisers. “She gets a million in a night. If I can get just
$10 million, I will win.”

But as with most dark horses (and Gravel is about as dark as
they get), the road to the White House is grim. Gravel’s fans will cite the
success of the formerly obscure Jimmy Carter, who in 1976 snagged the
presidency by a comfortable margin. In that spirit, Howard Dean’s progression
from obscurity to being a veritable frontrunner in 2003 gives Gravelians a
semblance of hope.

Political pundits have recognized the underground,
Internet-driven success of Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, but Mike Gravel
remains the laughingstock of American politics. The experts fail to look beyond
his falsely “peevish” disposition and dwell on the “inevitable failure” of his
campaign. In so doing, they lose sight of his genuine concern for the country’s
well-being.

In an electoral culture characterized by eggshell-walking,
doublespeak and monetary dependency, the candidates who are devoid of capital —
but brave enough to speak the truth — are almost invariably left in the dust.
It’s shameful that a country founded on inviolate principles of equality and
freedom can harbor such a system, and in the process deny presidential
aspirants like Paul, Kucinich, Joe Biden and the affable Gravel a rightful
chance at making it to Pennsylvania Avenue.