Deacon Newell Taylor

 

Deacon Newell Taylor, April 4, 1974 -

VP candidate for Veterans Party of America (aka Non Affiliated) (2016)

Running mate with nominee: Christopher Robert Keniston (b. 1971)
Popular vote: 7,202 (0.01%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Deacon Newell Taylor of Union City, Calif. registered as an Independent for President on Sept. 30, 2014. By the time Christopher Robert "Chris" Keniston of Vernon, Tex. registered with the FEC for President under the banner of the Veterans Party of America on Aug. 18, 2015, Taylor had changed course and was the VPA running-mate.

The VPA had been jump started from a previous attempt dating back to 2003-2006, at which time the Party experienced some kind of split and was absorbed, to a degree, by the Modern Whig Party. In 2013 it rose again and by the 2016 election had already elected a couple candidates to municipal offices.

Deacon Taylor's Presidential run from Sept. 2014 to Aug. 2015 seems to have been waged mostly on social media. I gather he was running under the name of the Rational Party. Some posts from that effort--

Facebook, Sept. 29, 2014
So the privileged in this world are mostly white.  Look at the first guy and tell me if that image does not sum up what we currently have in congress. [A photo of an obvious con artist is displayed]
I grew up as a farm kid in the northern Wyoming.  I believe I am duty bound to sacrifice everything to defend this nation against all enemies foreign and domestic.  
Right now the enemy I see are the war pigs.  The ones that call for war to destroy another culture because they want more money and power.  
I am nothing more than a humble servant and will forever try to leave everything I come in contact with better than when I found it.   
If I earn enough votes to be the next President then I will promise to use my knowledge, skills, and abilities to restore the balance of power in our government.  I also promise that I will do my very best to decentralize the power back out to the states as it was intended in the beginning.
A truly democratic republic is possible with a few major changes that will take at least 4 years to work through.  I promise to make the changes once I am in office.  I will not wait for a broken congress to rally behind the concepts.  I will help to restore the checks and balances that expose the corruption that plagues the current two party system and career political prostitutes.  
I am only one man, but I know that with the right support from the public that anything is possible.  Please let me know what you think we need.  I am going to represent those that vote for me.  I will not accept a penny from any corporate interest group.

Facebook, Oct. 5, 2014
They are all the same!  Political prostitutes working for the 1%.  They say whatever it takes to get elected and then have selective memory on what the voters want.
They hide behind riders on bills rather than approving a line item veto that would allow the public to know what they really stand for or against.
It is way past time we the people take back our government from the career politicians.  It is time for more than two choices.  
I am for the Rational Party a new party that is not red or blue we are purple.  We stand for the people.  Of the people, by the people and for the people.....I am running in 2016 for the office of the President of the United States.  
If you are like me and tired of voting for the lesser of two bad choices then help us over the next two years.  We aim to take the control away from the faux two party system.
They are all on the side of the 1% and then they use propaganda to control the emotions of the general public.  It is not rocket science it is social science.
We have all been fooled into believing that they career politicians are the only answer.  It is not just incorrect it is a form of insanity.  We keep doing the same thing election after election and expect a different result.  That is INSANE.
Time for a new choice a rational choice.  Please let me know what you want America.

One can see that starting around June 2015, at least on social media, Taylor began to gravitate to the Veterans Party of America and by August was asked by Presidential nominee Keniston to be the running-mate. Taylor's acceptance speech on Aug. 15, 2015 contained a bit of autobiography--

Thank you all for being part of our launch and taking the time to participate in this historic event, when the Veterans Party of America begins the process of returning the power of our government to its rightful owners: we the people. For too long this nation has been held hostage by a broken two-Party system. Tonight we are gathered to change the course of this nation. We are gathered to regain the trust of the American people. We are gathered to organize a campaign to restore this nation to its full glory. We are gathered to reaffirm our oath to defend and protect the Constitution and Bill of Rights as the foundations of our country. My time in the military taught me just how powerful a small group can be. I have seen small groups accomplish incredible things when they have a clear focus and great leadership. Our nation is looking for the kind of leadership that will inspire change. So, while the challenges we face as a nation are great, our strength as collective of Constitutional patriots is far greater. In the year 2000, my life sounded like a country song: my military career ended by a parachute accident, divorce, and my truck totaled! What I did not realize at that dark time was that this was all part of God's bigger plan. Through god’s grace, I put my life back together, got an education, and was inspired to start serving my community. First, by helping to organize a one of the first groups that transitioned into a chapter of the Student Veterans of America. Then, to organize several events, start and run a small business, work for large organizations, and help a local community college. I had finally found my true calling: service to others. Everywhere I went, I kept hearing the same message: "the nation is being torn apart". But what I could do about it? I am only one person. Finding the Veterans Party of America felt like I had found what I had been searching for – a place to serve and make a positive difference for our nation. After joining the VPA, I took on a leadership role and looked for additional ways to be of service. I am not a political animal; I don't have the pedigree that the DC circles expect, but I know that sometimes we are called to serve in ways that don’t always make sense. I know that through selfless service all things are possible. I pray that we all can have the guidance of our Creator as move in a common direction. I pray that through the grace of God we can restore the glory of this nation. I am blessed to have an amazing running mate, and a dedicated team, to work with. Thank you placing your trust in Chris and I. I promise to work hard to exceed your expectations. A quote from Thomas Jefferson’s collection: Non Solum Nobis, Sed Partiae! Not for ourselves only, but for our country!

On Sept. 8, 2015, Keniston put some of the philosophical differences between himself and Taylor in a positive light, apparently in response to some criticism--

Deacon Taylor agreed to be my running mate at my invitation. I was not compelled by anyone to make that decision. Had he won the nomination, I would have been honored to serve as his running mate.

I have observed and interacted with Deacon since I joined this party. I know him to be an extremely thoughtful, factual and principled man. His commitment to ethical representation and Constitutional government is no less than my own. We often look at things from vastly different perspectives. I am extremely grateful for that.

I do not want a monkey on a leash for a running mate. I do not want a partner who sees things as I do. I want a partner who sees what I am missing. I encourage Deacon to be himself, provided we remain aligned in our commitment to serving the American people.

Meanwhile, Taylor campaigned by touring the USA on a motorcycle.

The VPA presented itself as a centrist alternative, but a look at their stand on the issues revealed a decidedly conservative slant. They seemed slightly more moderate than the Republicans of 2016. The official platform included secure borders, a beefed up military, an increase of ICE agents, abolishing the US Dept. of Education, amend the Constitution to mandate a balanced budget, abolish income tax and impose a national sales tax, outlaw corporate and labor union campaign donations, pro term limits, and English as the official language. On the other side, they avoided taking a stand as a party on many divisive litmus test social issues.

If the VPA had a response to candidate and non-veteran Donald "Bone Spur" Trump's remarks about Sen. McCain, "He's not a war hero. He was a war hero because he was captured. I like people who weren't captured," I did not find it.

Keniston/Taylor were on the ballot in Colorado (0.18%) and Louisiana (0.9%) and were registered as write-ins in at least 10 other states.

Election history:
2016 - US President (Rational Party) - withdrew

Other occupations: US Army, Director of Sangfroid Inc., construction management, radio host

Notes:
For the record, I voted for McCain in the 2000 primary, the only time I ever voted Republican in a Presidential primary or general election.

Warren Griffin III

 

Warren Griffin III, November 10, 1970 (Long Beach, Calif.) -  

VP candidate for Independent (2016)
 
Running-mate with nominee: Brady C. Olson (b. ca2000)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

A candidate using the name "Deez Nuts" filed as an Independent for US President with the FEC in July 2015. Shortly after, it was revealed the true identity of this politician was 15-year old Brady Olson of Wallingford, Iowa.

Olson's campaign was given a boost when Public Policy Polling included Deez Nuts in surveys and the joke candidate did surprisingly well. Deez Nuts came to represent the multitude of choices for protest votes.  

The Deez Nuts campaign website indicated that the nomination from several parties would be welcome--

    Political Party Nominations I Am Considering Running For

    American Populist Party
    Citizens Party
    Independence Party
    Justice Party
    Moderate Party
    Modern Whig Party
    Reform Party
    Rent Is Too Damn High Party

The official Deez Nuts platform was actually quite sober in tone in contrast to the silly name of the standard bearer--

Illegal Immigration -- I believe that anyone who is found as an illegal immigrant in this country must be deported back to their country of origin, with the lone exception of being a minor.

Federal Budget & Government Spending -- I believe that the US Government should not be allowed to spend more than it makes from tax revenue. The reason we are in a budget crisis is because the two main parties refuse to compromise on this issue. Every federal official in either Congress, President, or the Cabinet, should immediately have their salary cut in half.  Once the budget is balanced, those salaries may slowly rise. If the budget returns negative, salaries go back to where they started.

Abortion & Same-Sex Marriage -- I feel that as equal human beings that we should be allowed to choose how to live our lives without being discriminated by one another. At the same time however, I also understand that people believe that Christian religion outweighs government policy. But America is no longer mainly Christian. It is Christian, Jewish, Islam, Hebrew, and many others.

Foreign Policy -- I support the work that John Kerry and the State Department did with the Iran nuclear deal, considering it took nearly two years to reach this point. Everyone wants a better deal, but that's the whole point of negotiating. Look at your wants, then their wants, and meet in the middle. Now is the time  being respected instead of feared by other nations. I also feel that we need to stop being a world watchdog and limit our positions in international conflicts.

Energy -- I support cutting subsidies to oil companies and giving tax incentives to individuals and corporations that implement green technology and renewable energy sources into their communities. I also support giving grants to communities for the purpose of installing municipal wind turbines, hydroelectric dams, and rooftop solar panels.

The Economy -- I support giving corporations tax incentives for the sole purpose of creating jobs IN America TO Americans FOR Americans. This will in turn stimulate the economy and make us more self-sufficient instead of relying on products from foreign countries.

Territorial Voting Rights -- I support giving citizens in our American territories voting rights. I also support giving American Samoan citizens automatic US citizenship. I would give Puerto Rico 3 electoral votes since Puerto Rico is bigger than many states. Guam, the US Virgin Islands, and the Northern Marianas all get 2 since they are smaller, but still incorporated territories. Finally, American Samoa would only get 1 since it is still considered an "unincorporated" territory. This would bring the total of electoral votes from 538 to 548. I also support giving all 5 territories plus Washington, D.C. 1 seat in the House of Representatives instead of non-voting delegates. This would bring seats in the House from 435 to 441.

The term "Deez Nuts" apparently traces back to a skit performed by rapper Warren G. (Warren Griffen III) in 1992 for Dr. Dre's The Chronic album. Feline Presidential candidate Limberbutt McCubbins, who was Olson's original inspiration for also filing as a flippant candidate, was the first choice as a running-mate for Deez Nuts. But it seems the cat turned him down, but no problem-- Deez Nuts' campaign was enthusiastically endorsed by Warren G., who offered himself as the VP. Olson had a Facebook entry on Aug. 21, 2015 that picked up the offer and ran with it, "The Nuts/G ticket?  - Would be an honor to have Warren as vice prez!"

Warren G. has his own political agenda, including education and prison reform, "These people going to jail for life for bullshit. You maybe stole a bag of chips (on your third strike) and get jail for life. Let's start providing better schools so they can learn and get a job so they don't have to steal."

Olson offered a political prediction on Feb. 9, 2016--

My prediction:
Cruz VS Sanders for the presidency.
If Cruz runs with Trump as VP he will win.
If Sanders runs with Clinton as VP he will win.
If Biden runs he beats all.

OK, so he was four years too early.

By Election Day Olson was called "the former candidate" in the press. As he explained on Facebook, Nov. 9, 2016, "I almost became a felon! In August (Just after PPP released a poll showing that Green Party candidate Jill Stein was trailing me in Texas) The Federal Election Commission sent me a letter calling for me to withdraw from the race. '...may pursue or refer action for false filing.' So I withdrew. Hey, I almost lost voting rights before I could vote! Well, next up I will run for Congress — when I am eligible — in 2024! Sky is the limit after that!" In the event of their victory, there would have been a Constitutional problem with Olson being not even half the required age to assume office.

2016 was a record Presidential election cycle for the number of outrageous candidates filing with the FEC, with Deez Nuts being among the most prominent in that category. The Aug. 18, 2016 FEC press release stated--

FEC Adopts Interim Verification Procedure for Filings Containing Possibly False or Fictitious Information

WASHINGTON – The Federal Election Commission today announced an interim procedure staff will follow to verify information in filings from the 2016 election cycle that appear to be unlawfully false or fictitious. The new procedure comes in response to an increase this election cycle in the filing of registration and statement of candidacy forms (FEC Forms 1 and 2) that provide patently false candidate or treasurer names, questionable contact or bank information, or material that does not relate to campaign finance, such as drawings, essays and personal court records.

The Commission has authorized staff to send verification letters to filers listing fictional characters, obscene language, sexual references, celebrities (where there is no indication that the named celebrity submitted the filing), animals, or similarly implausible entries as the name or contact information of the candidate or committee. These letters will:

    notify the filer of the potential penalties for false filings with a federal agency;
    note the seemingly false information (candidate name, contact information, etc.) that was filed on the relevant Statement of Organization (FEC Form 1) or Statement of Candidacy (FEC Form 2);
    direct the filer to file a letter either confirming or withdrawing the filing, or to file an amended Form 1 or 2, within 30 days of the date of the verification letter;
    indicate that withdrawing the filing or failing to respond to the verification letter will lead to the Form 1 or 2 being removed from the searchable candidate/committee filings database on the Commission’s website; and
    note that removal of the filing from the Commission’s searchable database does not waive the Commission’s authority to pursue or refer action for false filing under 52 U.S.C. Section 30109(a) or otherwise report such filings under 52 U.S. C. Section 30107(a)(9).

A staff working group will devise and recommend a prospective solution for the Commission’s consideration and implementation in conjunction with the Reports Analysis Division’s Review and Referral Procedures approval process for the 2017-2018 election cycle.

Election history: none

Other occupations: rapper, record producer, owner of Sniffin Griffins BBQ  

Notes:
CBS News ranked the Deez Nuts campaign as the 14th "Wildest Moment" of the 2016 Presidential election season.

Vacant

 

Vacant

VP candidate for Independent (aka No Party Affiliation aka Modern Whig Party) (2012)

Running mate with nominee: Terrance James O'Hara (b. 1952)
Popular vote: 1 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Every now and then I run across Presidential nominees who deliberately do not select a Vice Presidential running-mate and if I find their reasons to be of interest I'll include them here. In 1940 Gracie Allen of the Surprise Party did not have a Vice-President because her administration would not abide any vice. Jean Pierre, an independent in 1972, said she considered a VP position to be "unnecessary" and refused to name a running-mate.

Jim Berg and Tim Nyberg, brothers-in-law in Minnesota, are humorists, authors, and performers who have operated under the name of The Duct Tape Guys since 1993. In four consecutive elections, 1996-2008, they ran for President as a marketing gimmick. Their 1996 run was apparently sort of under the radar compared to their later efforts from what I can glean. It was their stated intention to share the Presidency, "The Office of President is too big a position for any one person, therefore, Jim and Tim will share the Presidency. The Vice President really doesn't do that much anyway, and we can use the extra office to warehouse extra duct tape rolls."

Robert Bryant Winn, who ran for President 1984, 1988, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 was quite pointed in not including a running-mate.

In 2012 a gentleman named Charles Marvin Green Jr. (aka Angry Grandpa) jumped into the race as an Independent and declared, "Who's gonna be my Vice-President? Hell, I don't need one!!! I'll do it all by my Goddamn self!!! Vote for Grandpa!!! Vote for Grandpa!!!"

Green was not the only one that year to disdain a running-mate. Terrance James "T.J." O'Hara a corporate turnaround specialist from Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. filed with the FEC for President Nov. 30, 2011 with party given as "none."

Perhaps anticipating the results of the 2016 election, O'Hara said in his campaign announcement, "We live in an age when politicians have become celebrities and celebrities have become politicians. The Presidency shouldn't be treated as if it were a personal or political trophy. Instead, it should be recognized for what it is: the ultimate position of civil service. I appreciate that distinction and will bring the commitment, respect, and depth of leadership experience it deserves."

O'Hara had apparently attempted to gain the nomination of the ill-fated Americans Elect project. He was endorsed or nominated (sources differ) by the Modern Whig Party. His platform was fairly centrist ("Extreme views lead to extreme failures"), but his real focus was on form rather than content. He was offering to find an alternative to party politics and have public policy achieved by what he viewed as rational, collaborative processes.

On Oct. 4, 2012, O'Hara's campaign issued the following press release--

Presidential candidate, T.J. O'Hara, announces his unique choice for V.P.

Washington, D.C.,  (PRBuzz.com) October 8, 2012 -- Leading independent Presidential candidate, T.J. O'Hara, has made history again. Last month, he became the first Presidential candidate to earn the endorsement of the Modern Whig Party since 1852. Now, he is actually going to allow the Constitution to decide who his Vice President will be if he is elected."It's perfectly consistent with my approach," O'Hara said. "One of the fundamental purposes of my campaign is to create a more informed electorate, and most people are unaware of the actual process that determines who serves as President and Vice President."

O'Hara continued, "The Twelfth Amendment states that there shall be two separate ballots:  one for President and one for Vice President.  Then, without getting too technical, the electors of each state cast a vote for each specific office.  The Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates with the greatest number of votes, assuming that each represents a majority of the appointed electors, are declared President and Vice President , respectively."

He is correct. With respect to Vice President,  Amendment XII states: "The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed..." This Amendment was ratified in 1804. Prior to that time, all candidates essentially ran for President. The candidate who received the greatest number of votes (with a majority) became President, and the candidate with the second highest number of votes became Vice President.

O'Hara said, "Most citizens are unaware of the actual process. They have been conditioned to believe that they have to vote for a party ticket that pairs Presidential and Vice Presidential candidates of the same party. That simply isn't true. You can vote for whomever you choose for President and Vice President regardless of party affiliation. The Democrats and Republicans would just prefer that you didn't know that."

When asked why he chose not to follow tradition and name a Vice Presidential running mate, O'Hara stated, "Why should I? I'm totally non-partisan. It makes no difference to me whether my Vice President is an independent, a Democrat, a Republican, or a member of any other party. I know that I ultimately have to demonstrate the ability to work with elected officials of all persuasions. Part of the problem in Washington, D.C., is that a party President is tied to his or her party and inherently treats anyone outside of that party as an opponent. That has to change. So, I'm comfortable accepting whoever the Constitution determines should be my Vice President."

O'Hara's candidacy has been distinguished by its character and logic.  Once again, he proves it's hard to argue with the Constitution.

O'Hara was a registered write-in in at least four states: Idaho, Maryland, Montana, and Washington. Maryland reported a single vote.

Election history: none

Other occupations: none

Notes:
"My mother and father were first generation Americans. My maternal grandparents came to this country from Italy, and my paternal grandparents came from Ireland. My mother was Protestant, and my father was Catholic; and my mother was a Democrat, and my father was a Republican. If that isn’t diversity, I don’t know what is."--T.J. O'Hara.