William Eric Bodenstab Jr., June 6, 1978 (San Diego County, Calif.)
VP candidate for Unity Party of America (aka United Party) (2020)
Running mate with nominee: William Robert Hammons (b. 1974)
Popular vote: 6,647 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538
The campaign:
In their second national election the Unity Party of America nominated the same duo who ran as the Party's ticket for Governor and Lt. Governor of Colorado in 2018, Bill Hammons and Eric Bodenstab. Hammons had since changed his residency to Texas.
Describing themselves as centrist, the UPA platform for 2020 as presented by Hammons pretty much mirrored the official Party Constitution--
My 33-Point 2020 United States Presidential Platform:
COVID-19 Response > The Cold War-era Defense Production Act should have been fully invoked at the beginning of the COVID Crisis to prioritize the manufacture and distribution of as many N95 masks, surgical masks, face shields, ventilators, and other products (all stamped prominently with the US Star logo seen on WWII-era military aircraft and the words “Made in the USA”) as are needed to keep both healthcare workers and the general public safe; any excess stock can be loaned or outright gifted to countries with less resources, both as a goodwill gesture and to prevent future waves of this germ from washing back into our own country. The use of face masks should be strongly encouraged nationwide (and mandated for flying by the FAA) until a highly effective vaccine is in production, Contact Tracers should have been hired en masse as soon as people started to lose their old jobs, and this Summer was a lost opportunity to finally begin repairing our dilapidated roads, bridges and highways with massive and labor-intensive projects (many American workers would’ve had the opportunity for new careers working the phones or working in the Great Outdoors).
Vaccines > As Commander in Chief, I’ll be one of the first to receive a safe COVID-19 Vaccine, and cite my own example as I use the resources of the Federal Government to strongly encourage widespread use of a safe vaccine. The 1976 Swine Flu Vaccine disaster is a warning from history, so rest assured my “Operation Impulse Drive” will seek to protect the public from both COVID and vaccine side effects. Regarding vaccines generally, including for children, concerned citizens will have to proactively request exemptions.
Freedom Tariffs > The recent Economic Stimulus payments demonstrated that the US Government can easily get money into the bank accounts of US Citizens with just routing and account numbers; as President, I will immediately impose Freedom Tariffs on Russia, China, Saudi Arabia and other Bad Actors who also happen to directly or indirectly import large volumes of Climate Change-inducing products into this country; the resulting revenues can be immediately (on a weekly basis) remitted into the bank accounts or onto the paycards of all Americans.
Revoke the Presidential Pardon Power > The President’s unfettered Power to Pardon has been abused, and it’s become obvious that our criminal justice system has never been perfect. It’s time to Amend the Constitution to take Pardons out of Presidential hands and put this power in the hands of a Commission whose 12 members are nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate for staggered six-year terms limited to no more than 12 total years.
Federal Election Commission > The fact that the Federal Election Commission keeps losing its quorum has been perhaps the most underreported story of the last few years. As with the Supreme Court (see below), the FEC needs to be expanded to 13 members, one representative for each political party which fielded a Presidential candidate in at least 3 states in the previous Election, and Presidential/Congressional failure to appoint dedicated Commissioners who don’t quit at their earliest convenience should be answered with appointments by the Supreme Court.
Refund the Police > Don’t “Defund” the Police; use the funded federal mandate of body cameras to encourage cities and towns across the country to revisit their police funding (Do all police need all of the military hardware they’ve been given access to since 9/11? Can social workers and other non-law-enforcement professionals be used for certain situations instead of the police?).
Climate Change > Climate Change is real, Climate Change is a problem, and Climate Change is a problem we can solve. We should explore all solutions, for now and for the future.
The US Global War on Terror > Regardless of places like Syria and Iraq, America is in Afghanistan for a good clear reason (9/11), and America should only leave for another good clear reason (when we can be confident Afghanistan won’t be used as a base for attacks on Americans again). Unfortunately, America’s involvement in Afghanistan is trending towards an ending similar to that in Vietnam (look for the equivalent of choppers on besieged embassy rooftops) and we shouldn’t make the mistake of trusting bad actors. And regardless of the controversies, I’ve started an online American War Memorial on this site as one small way to honor America’s fallen in our many “Forgotten Wars.”
Impeach and Convict > Using the Power of the Presidency to coerce a foreign leader to manufacture dirt on a political rival triggers a feedback loop of power begetting more power to the point of a totalitarian dictatorship > Impeachment was the right thing to do and should be repeated as necessary.
Mass Shootings > The FBI needs to be merged with the CIA, domestic surveillance of Social Media increased to prevent tragedies before they happen, and all sales of new firearms to people who shouldn’t own them banned while allowing law-abiding gun owners to keep the guns they already have and encouraging firearm safety training.
D.C. Statehood > The City of Washington should be given Statehood, a Statehood perhaps balanced by a western Statehood.
Balance the Budget > MMT = BS; let’s Balance the Federal Budget with a Balanced Budget Amendment and prevent an unnecessary financial crisis if it’s not too late.
Term Limits > I support Term Limits for Congress (two six-year terms for Senators, four two-year terms for US Representatives), the Supreme Court and the entire Federal Judiciary (12 years for all Justices and Judges) to fight ossification.
Supreme Court > In addition to having its power limited with Term Limits, the Supreme Court should be expanded to 13 Justices and capped at that number by Constitutional Amendment, with the Chief Justice only voting in the case of a tie of the other Justices (the Constitution never specified the number of Justices, instead leaving that to Congress, and such an Amendment will prevent future court packing schemes). The four Justices who would be added to the current nine by this process should include two from the ideological right and two from the left, or better yet, two or four Justices who have no shown no ideological bias but instead a simple reverence for Common Sense. For the record, I am a hardcore Originalist, a firm believer that the Constitution is not a “living” document but a written document.
Border Wall > I support a Wall along the U.S.-Mexican border, not because I’m racist but because we’re already experiencing Climate Migration from Central America, and what Europe, shielded as it is by the Mediterranean, has experienced will be nothing to what the U.S. will experience in coming years. I believe in limited, legal and orderly immigration with arriving families treated humanely (no family separations). I don’t support cross-border chaos.
Colorado Constitutional Convention > Our system of government is broken and there should be a new Constitutional Convention, as provided for by Article V of the Constitution, in Colorado (where I propose that we move the District of Columbia) to end the disturbing charade of appointing Presidential Electors but not allowing them to vote freely, end the lifetime appointments of Judges and Justices based on the 38-year life expectancy for white males in 1787 America, end the buying of re-election votes with taxpayers’ money, end the election of voters by legislators with gerrymandering and not the other way around, end the immensely ironic disenfranchisement of voters in the nation’s own capital, etc.
Eliminate Income and Property Taxes > Federal income taxes and local property taxes (including de facto taxes in the form of vehicle registration fees) are a violation of the 4th Amendment, and should be replaced with revenues based on greenhouse gas emissions offset by weekly rebates directly back into consumers’ bank accounts or onto debit cards. Many conservatives have advocated a National Sales Tax, and an NST based on the emissions emitted in the process of production coupled with instant rebates is a fair tax which would eliminate many of the privacy issues surrounding other forms of taxation as well solve many of the problems in the American education system created by disproportionate tax bases.
Defend America at all Costs > We should resurrect the federal “Star Wars” Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) program to fend off North Korea and other bad actors; Mutually Assured Destruction is indeed mad > crazy.
American Spaceport Development > Since 2010, I’ve been publicly pushing for more Spaceport development in Colorado, and agree with Uniters who believe that our future (at least partly) is in the stars.
Life and Death > I support the Right to Choose, and I also support the Death Penalty (in cases beyond all doubt, I respect the will of the voters).
Gun Rights > As with the rest of the United States Constitution, I support the Second Amendment as it was written over 200 years ago.
Law Enforcement > We can protect both law enforcement and the public with mandatory and Federally funded body cameras across the nation. A recent Washington Post article hit it on head: body cameras are great for law enforcement, but tough on small-town police department budgets.
Medicare For All Americans Who Want It > I myself lost my own health insurance due to the Obamacare debacle, and support a Medicare For All Americans Who Want It system (Americans should be able to keep their private health insurance if they so choose, but also have the option of government-funded health insurance). One positive legacy of Obamacare is the inability of insurance companies to deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions, and no one should be caught in this Catch-22 situation.
Secure Social Security > As the Obamacare debacle so aptly demonstrated, older Americans relying on younger Americans to properly fund a federal program is a dicey proposition at best. Social Security can be supplemented by revenues like Freedom Tariffs and SS recipients can get relief with the reduction of property and income taxes.
Cannabis > It’s time to recognize the medical benefits of Cannabis, allow its recreational use on a live-and-let-live basis, and use the resulting revenues to help fund devastated local government budgets.
Net Neutrality > If you can still read this over the Internet, there’s still hope. Internet Service Providers (ISPs) are Common Carriers and should be treated as such. Just as your phone company, back in the days when landline use was common, couldn’t block calls from a political party or candidates which didn’t toe the phone company’s line, ISPs shouldn’t be able to play referee as to what information a consumer receives over the Internet and how (or how fast) they receive it. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) should take the lead from the states and once again make the Internet (and thus the World) safe for ingenuity, including ingenuity of the political variety.
Federal Life Insurance > As a former Life Producer licensed in several states, I’m a firm believer in the societal benefits of insurance, and support Federal funding to promote societal stability. Federally-funded life insurance can be funded with a modest Estate Tax (a modest percentage on inherited wealth above a hefty exemption); Estate Taxes also have the additional benefit of keeping the term “American Aristocracy” an oxymoron.
Make 16 Minimum Voting and Donating Age > When Americans are old enough to drive at 16, they should be old enough to make political donations and vote in elections; conversely, Americans should not be able to make political donations if they’re not allowed to vote in the first place (note that the current minimum age to make a Federal campaign contribution is zero).
Right to Run > The barriers in some States to ballot access for non-established parties and their candidates are beyond unreasonable (in my home State of Texas, an Independent candidate for President has two months to gather 89,693 signatures from Texas voters who didn’t vote in either major party primary). As the man who made history in Colorado by being the first 3rd party candidate to petition onto the General Election ballot, and being the only one to ever do so single-handedly, and having repeated that feat in multiple other States, I can speak on this issue as no one else can. The States should be held accountable to the First Amendment rights of Assembly and Petition, and no State should require more than 100 signatures and $100 per Congressional District for ballot access in Federal races (e.g., the State of Texas shouldn’t be allowed to require more than 3,600 signatures and $3,600 of any candidate who wishes to appear on the State’s Presidential ballot, regardless of party affiliation, Wyoming 100 signatures and $100, etc.). For those party leaders who will whine that this would lead to Presidential Elections being thrown to the House on a regular basis, I say “Get Over It” and tell them to start forming Shadow Cabinets ready to start running the Federal Government at a moment’s notice.
Approval Voting > Counting over-votes on ballots encourages competition between more than two mutually-canceling parties and better expresses the will of the American voter.
Redistricting Gerrymandered Districts > We need to outlaw Gerrymandering (the drawing of legislative districts along partisan lines), and enforce the drawing of all legislative districts along competitive lines in terms of gender, age, race, socioeconomics, urban vs. rural and other factors, with those lines being drawn by four-judge panels of retired judges in each state to ensure that the resulting district lines are the result of compromise.
Rename Columbus Day “Discovery Day” > The controversies swirling around Columbus Day can easily be resolved by renaming the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’s landing “Discovery Day”. That exact title was used for this holiday by the Bahamas until 2012 and is still used in the nation of Colombia (and Colombia was named after Columbus).
Cloth Flags for Fallen Veterans > When my father Rich passed away due to Agent Orange exposure from the Vietnam War, I was dismayed when the hospice nurses laid a nylon flag over his body > there should be a Federal law mandating that only cloth flags can be used for such a purpose.
Bodenstab made his own additions--
Balance the Budget to a surplus to pay down the National Debt
Reduce the size and scope of the Federal Government over the next 30 years
Eliminate several non-productive Federal departments
Limit foreign intervention and reduce favored nation statuses
Absolutely Unqualified Assertion of the Second Amendment > 2A protects 1A
Extend the Presidency to one 6-year term with no re-election
I was fortunate enough to be granted an interview with Bodenstab in Apr. 2020, who discussed the UPA and the 2020 election at this link--
https://thirdpartysecondbananas.blogspot.com/2020/04/eric-bodenstab-2020-vp-unity-party-of.html
On the ballot in three states, the Hammons/Bodenstab results were: Colorado 0.08%, New Jersey 0.07%, and Louisiana 0.03%.
Hammons is running for the 2024 UPA Presidential nomination.
Election history:
2009 - Boulder City Council, Colo. - defeated
2018 - Lt. Governor of Colorado (Unity Party) - defeated
Other occupations: transportation engineering, construction, Unity Party of Colorado Chair
Notes:
Bodenstab grew up in La Jolla, Calif.
