Showing posts with label Richard Milhous Nixon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Richard Milhous Nixon. Show all posts

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Robert Monroe Singleton

 

                                Above, Gojira and Robert Singleton ; Below, Monroe Singleton



Robert Monroe Singleton, August 19, 1970 -

VP candidate for Peace Party (2016)

Running mate with nominee: Monroe Pierce Singleton (1933-2016)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

A gentleman in Columbia City, Oregon with the 2/3 Presidential name of Monroe Pierce Singleton filed with the FEC early in 2016 under the banner of the Peace Party. This organization did not appear to be related to the previous Peace Party created in Oregon as a vehicle for Ralph Nader's 2008 Presidential run in the Beaver State.

Singleton's campaign was mostly waged on Facebook. Some samples--

Feb. 15, 2016
After watching the political debates and finding no interest in world peace among the candidates I am declaring my candidacy for president of the United States.
Most of the republican candidates are war hawks with a rating on the war hawk scale of 1 to 10 a 9+. Hillery has a questionable 7 and Bernie  is uncommitted
I qualify under the requirements of the constitution having been born in SPRINGVILLE UTAH October 27 1933. In addition I have been married for 62 years to Louise Knight.  I owned my business and retired after over 40 years. I fathered six children but did not measure up very well as a Dad.
I will be limited financially having only my social security and refusing the super pack money that is bound to be offered, My friends and any other may send a donation of not to exceed $100.00 to the Peace Party, PO Box 526, Columbia city, OR 97018.  I will deposit all money into a trust account at St Helens  Community Federal Credit Union.
My son Robert Monroe Singleton will be my running mate.

In 2016 it looks like VP Robert Singleton was [Washington State trivia alert!!!] a resident of Vancouver. The running-mate's comment on this announcement: "Is the world ever ready for brutal honesty, honestly. In world full of brutality it's time for honesty. Now say that five times fast."

The earliest example of a father-son ticket I can find is Jack Richard Moore with his son Jay Richard Moore for VP in the Common Man's Party (1988, 1992). There was also Darth Vader/Luke Skywalker (Sith Party 2000), James Louis Dezort/James Fredrick Dezort (Independent 2008) and Jeffrey Anthony Wu/Jeffrey Michael Wu (Independent 2016).

Feb. 16, 2016
The state of Israel was established May 14, 1948 under directions of the UN with specific partitioning between the new state and the indigenous population called Palestinians
After the WW-2 the European Jews were not wanted by most countries. The world Christians doctrine required that the Jews  return and rebuild Solomon's temple before Jesus returned. The Muslims had a Mosque on the temple mount creating a point of tension and erupting in several armed conflicts.
Israel, being backed by the USA continues to  occupy  Palestinian territory in violation of UN resolutions. They were given nuclear capability by the USA a weapon of mass destruction which prompted other nations to want them.
I support the right of a nation to defend itself but any nation willful violating international laws should be considered a rouge nation.
When I am elected president Israel will be informed that they will not get any part of the 4 billion $ that, The US has been subsidizing their economy, 25% of which has been military hardware, until the Palestinians land has been returned and their refugees returned. The money can be best used for the benefit of  U. S. economic problems.

Feb. 17, 2016
There is no verifiable evidence that there is a god. There is no verifiable evidence that there is no god. Each position requires faith in that which is unverified. The one thing that is verifiable is that there was a creator. Until the purpose of the vast complicated universe is found, the nature of the creator will not be known or the purpose of everything within. We were all created by the same creator and are therefor all distant cousins.
I have read the bible, taken courses on it from high school to collage. I have read the Qur'an the Hindu Gita and have skimmed native American culture, Buddhism and find that they all are saying the same thing, different words but the same thought. Some Christians handle poisonous snakes, burn crosses and kill abortion doctors. Some Muslims blow themselves up and Jainism won't walk on grass for fear of killing a reincarnated relative bug.
There are extreme views taken in every religion based on a cherry picking of the scripture. Conversely the Qur'an's admonishment  "do not go beyond the mark" is good advice. Treat others with respect rings through every scripture.
The constitution separates church and state by law but it does not take religious belief out of the people. Various religious beliefs influence the outcome of legislation and peoples view of the world.
When elected president I will ask the Pope and Dalai Lama to head up a world conference of religious leaders to discuss ways of unifying the religions in a peace effort.


Feb. 21, 2016
The most important thing a president can do when making decisions is to make right decisions. There is a formula  that.a life should be based on.
1- Being right in the logical sense satisfies intelligence.
2- Being right in the expedient sense avoids judgmental mistakes.
3- Being right in the moral sense satisfies conscience.
These three kinds of right comprises absolute right.
Dwight D. Eisenhower lied to Nikita Khrushchev when ask if US was flying spy planes over Russia. Gary Powers was shot down killing any small hope of ending the cold war.
Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953 approved  the CIA backed coup to overthought the democratically elected government in Iran for control of their oil. This eventually lead to the hostage crises and Ronald Reagan selling arms for hostages and lying about it.
Richard Nixon's plummer  needs no elaboration on.
George W. Bush started a war, violating all three rights. He didn't verify WMD. He jumped in with on understanding of, and little concern for the problem that was created.


Feb. 23, 2016
I am a veteran and I am proud of the hero's who put their lives on the line,sacrificing their health, limbs and minds. I am disgusted at the way our military and political leaders are using us to sell their endless war to the unsuspecting public.
The U.S. has not been in a defensive war since WW-2. The rhetoric used is a giveaway. Emotion trumps logic as any life insurance salesman knows as he paints the picture of the the husbands body being hauled away. The same kind of rhetoric is used, "we want to thank our heroes for defending our country and keeping us safe", as they go down the fear list  to make their sale.  Weapons of mass destruction, terrorists 1- Taliban, 2- Al-Qaeda, 3- ISIS and prior was Communism.
A cause has to stand alone, it is not made worthy by the heroism of the participants. A war can't be made valid with the blood of those shedding it. A soldier is a hero but you don't have to be on the winning side to be one.

Mar. 10, 2016
I just got notification from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) that I am now registered. The next step is to request my name being placed on each state ballot for the November election.


Apr. 11, 2016
Any person wanting to be president as a prize or for their legacy and a spot in the history books is doing it for the wrong reason and would never admit it. How to judge?
I don't want to be president but will do the OJT job if elected. There is no instruction manual for that office and I've never had one for any job that I've had, including the US Army. There is a risk with any choice and there is a price for voting or not voting.
Vote your choice next November!

Apr. 20, 2016
Out of thousands of years one important precept has evolved. It is not new. It as old as history. Zoroaster taught it in Persia three thousand years ago. Lao-tse , the founder of Taoism, taught it. Buddha preached it five hundred years before Christ.The sacred books of Hinduism taught it a thousand years before that. Jesus taught it among the hills of Judea and summed it up in one thought.
"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."
This is probably the most important rule in the world!


Sadly, Monroe Singleton died Apr. 28, 2016 before he had a chance to gain ballot status or even register as a write-in. He was a student of Eric Hoffer and it would have been interesting to read Singleton's take on the final three months of the 2016 national election.

Election history: none

Other occupations: ?

Notes:
Additional Washington State trivia alert!!! Monroe Singleton once lived in Montesano, Wash., which is our county seat here in Grays Harbor County.

Monday, December 23, 2019

Richard Arnold Grayson



Richard Arnold Grayson, June 4, 1951 (New York, NY) -

VP candidate for any political party (1980)

Running mate with nominee: Fred Silverman (1937-2020)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

The 1980 Presidential election year must have been extra interesting for NBC. Part of their talent, David Brinkley, was nominated for VP by James Zalmer Hardy for his Correction, Punishment and Remedy Ticket and the CEO of the network itself, Fred Silverman had his name filed with the FEC for President by Richard Grayson and Jerry Weinberger. As you might recall this duo was also behind the Nixon/Agnew 1980 Nostalgia Party ticket. 1980 appears to have been Grayson's debut year in what would be a long career in sometimes using elections as a venue for political satire, usually as a write-in candidate.

The Silverman for President with Grayson as the running mate campaign was announced in Sept. 1979. The platform included intriguing issues such as banning religious bookstores and returning royalty to America.

Some select quotes from "The Committee to Draft Fred Silverman":

I selected Fred as my running mate because I figure being a TV executive is good training to be president. After all, under President Fred, if one of his programs doesn't work out, he can cancel it after three weeks.

We need a prime-time president. All we've got now is the equivalent of a summer rerun or an early morning sermonette.

If Fred and I get in, we're going to do something about fuel allocations right away. We'll have Ed McMahon host a television special. We'll call it "Bowling for Gallons." I think it's as fair a way as any to distribute gasoline.


Grayson on choice of political party: Jimmy, Jerry, Teddy, they're all the same to me.

NBC sent Grayson a huffy letter stating, "Mr. Silverman is not a candidate for the Presidency or any other office" with the legal threat that the jokester's "unauthorized, possibly illegal, and self-serving activities" could land him in court. "I'd love it," Grayson responded.

Around the same time Grayson was attempting to draft Gloria Vanderbilt into a race for the US Senate under the banner of the Right to Be the Life of the Party Party. Vanderbilt's attorney said the effort was "unauthorized and unappreciated."

Some people.

Also in 1980 Grayson registered the Ayatollah for Congress Committee with the FEC, running the Ayatollah Khomeini as a Democrat running for US Congress out of Brooklyn as a way to diminish his threat to US security, "Then he would be as ineffective as any other congressman."

Aside from Silverman's refusal to accept the nomination there were other problems with this ticket. Grayson was only 29 in 1980, far short of the Constitutionally mandated age of 35 to be VP. Also, with Grayson's parallel effort to get Nixon and Agnew back in the White House, he created his own competition. So far as we know, neither one of them threatened legal action so maybe they had more of a sense of humor than we give them credit for.

In 1984 Grayson reflected on Silverman, "He threatened to sue. But he would have been great. I wanted someone in show business because politics is basically entertainment. I bet he's sorry now that he's fired. The presidency is a sure four years ... I wasn't too far off, though. We've got someone in show business anyway."

Apparently in this election Grayson ended up supporting Rep. John Anderson's third party bid.

Grayson's name will show up in profiles of other third party VPs as I continue this project.

Election history:
1982 - Davie Town Council (Fla.) (Nonpartisan) - defeated
1982 - US Senate (Fla.) (Republican) - primary - defeated
1984 - Democratic nomination for US President - defeated
1984 - US President (Citizens Running for Election as President Party) - defeated
1986 - Florida State Commissioner of Education (Democrat) - primary - defeated
1988 - Democratic nomination for US President - defeated
1994 - US House of Representatives (Fla.) (Democratic) - defeated
1996 - US House of Representatives (Fla.) (Independent) - defeated
2000 - US Senate (Fla.) (Independent) - defeated
2004 - US House of Representatives (Fla.) (Independent) - defeated
2006 - US House of Representatives (Fla.) (Independent) - defeated
2008 - Democratic nomination for US President - defeated
2008 - US House of Representatives (Ariz. CD4) (Republican) - primary - defeated
2008 - US House of Representatives (Ariz. CD6) (Democratic) - primary - defeated or withdrew
2010 - US House of Representatives (Ariz.) (Green Party) - defeated
2012 - Green Party nomination for US President - defeated
2012 - US House of Representatives (Ariz.) (Green Party) - primary - defeated
2012 - US House of Representatives (Ariz.) (Americans Elect) - defeated
2014 - US House of Representatives (Wyo.) (Democratic) - defeated
2016 - US House of Representatives (Wyo.) (Democratic) - withdrew
2018 - Arizona House of Representatives (Green) - defeated

Other occupations: author, teacher, satirist

Notes:
Winner of the 2000 race was Bill Nelson
Winner of the 2010 race was Jeff Flake
Supported McGovern in 1972 and McCarthy in 1976
In 1989 Grayson identified my late friend Crad Kilodney as "Canada's funniest fiction writer." For
 that viewpoint alone Grayson would get my vote. I interviewed Kilodney (his pen name) in the early
 1990s for City Limits Gazette as his street-vending case went to the Canadian Supreme Court.
Attempting to document Grayson's kinetic runs for offices is quite challenging, which I'm sure must
 delight Mr. Grayson! I'll keep retooling the list as I learn.

Friday, December 20, 2019

Spiro Theodore Agnew


Spiro Theodore Agnew, November 9, 1918 (Baltimore, Md.) – September 17, 1996 (Berlin, Md.)

VP candidate for Nostalgia Party (1980)

Running mate with nominee: Richard Milhous Nixon (1913-1994)
Popular vote: ? (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign:

Richard Grayson (self-described moderate radical) and Jerry Weinberger (self-described radical moderate), two twentysomethings from Queens, NY formed the tongue-in-cheek Nixon-Agnew in '80 Committee and said they registered the ticket with the FEC. Richard Nixon and Spiro Agnew, who both resigned their last public offices in disgrace, were listed under the Nostalgia Party.

A couple problems here. Nixon had already been elected twice to the Presidency and according to the term limits set by the Constitution that includes the phrase "No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice ..." would certainly make him ineligible for a third round. No such restriction applies to the VP, so Agnew would be safe.

Grayson's response, "Since when did Nixon care about the Constitution?"

Secondly, as frequently the case when big names are appropriated by third parties, neither candidate gave permission to use their names.

"Well, we tried to contact both Nixon and Agnew but we had a problem ... They wouldn't take our calls. I don't think they're even speaking to each other anymore. They're sort of like Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis after they split up."

Some more quotes from Grayson and Weinberger:

Life was a lot better when Nixon and Agnew came into office. The Beatles were still together. Gasoline dealers had price wars and gave away free dishes.

Nixon and Agnew have learned a lot since leaving office. They've both written two books and have matured.

Look at how things were when these two were in office. Interest rates were down and hemlines were up. Students were active in social issues. No disco.

I regret never having voted for Nixon. I'm not going to let it happen again. You know, I really miss seeing him. I miss seeing his upper lip sweat. Carter doesn't sweat. How can you trust a man who doesn't sweat?

Remember how great he was on TV? When that man lied, you knew he lied. What more could you ask for in a president?


The Nixon/Agnew ticket enjoyed some novelty publicity in the spring of 1980 and even though news coverage of the Nostalgia Party faded it is an easy bet they received some write-in votes in November. In the event they won, Agnew would have once again served as VP, but the Democratic controlled US House would have been placed in the position of electing a President between two runner ups (Carter and Reagan) as long they also had Electoral votes. Let the conjecture begin!

Election history:
1960 - Baltimore County Circuit Court Judge - defeated
1962-1966 - Baltimore County (Md.) Executive (Republican)
1967-1969 - Governor of Maryland (Republican)
1969-1973 - US Vice-President (Republican) - resigned

Other occupations: US Army (WWII) (Korea), attorney, Baltimore County Board of Zoning Appeals, author, international business consultant

Buried: Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens (Timonium, Md.)

Notes:
Buried in the same cemetery as Johnny Unitas.
His father was a Greek immigrant to the US in 1897, original name was Theophrastos
 Anagnostopoulos.
Was a Democrat until after WWII.
Brush with fame: I was in a college class with one of Agnew's daughters about six years after he
 resigned and she was really a delightful person.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

Richard Milhous Nixon





Richard Milhous Nixon, January 9, 1913 (Yorba Linda, Calif.) – April 22, 1994 (New York, NY)

VP candidate for Independent (1976)
VP candidate for Memphis American Party (1976)

Running mate with nominee (Independent): Richard C. Collins (b. ca1923)
Running mate with nominee (Memphis American Party): Elvis Presley (1935-1977)
Popular vote: 0 (0.00%)
Electoral vote: 0/538

The campaign (Collins):

Richard C. Collins, a mail carrier from San Ramon, Calif. ran for President as an independent in 1976. He made news when he offered the Vice-Presidential slot to disgraced former President Richard Nixon. "If he repented, it would be a story of the prodigal son, which is the best way to get Watergate behind us." But Mr. Nixon apparently never answered his letters, meaning (at least for the purposes of this blog) that he was the running mate by default.

Collins pointed that if, as a federal employee President Ford still receives full pay while campaigning then he, as an employee of the Postal Service, should be granted leave with pay in order to electioneer as well. Ford should be impeached, Collins said, because "When he's campaigning, he's not serving the nation, he's serving himself."

Nixon had accepted a "full, free, and absolute pardon" from President Ford on Sept. 8, 1974 which created a controversy that still hung in the air during the election of 1976 and very possibly cost Ford this close election.

One of the advantages of Collins' proposal to Nixon was that the ex-President already had eight years of experience as the actual Vice-President of the United States 1953-1961. Since Nixon was basically invited NOT to campaign for any Republicans in 1976, Collins' pretty much was one of the few people running for office giving Nixon a chance to join the team.

Running as a write-in and campaigning mostly via press releases, Collins' platform on education included the proposal to "teach creation in the schools because evolution is a farce-- it has no basis in fact and is playing into the hands of the Communists and their teaching of atheism."

Popular vote results for the Collins/Nixon ticket were not reported.

The campaign (Presley):

The Presley/Nixon campaign appeared to be limited to a novelty poster promoting the Memphis American Party.  It included a photo of the bizarre event where Elvis paid a surprise visit to the White House in Dec. 1970. Oddly, when I visited Graceland a couple years ago I looked but did not find any mention in the exhibits of this historic meeting. Perhaps I just missed it, there was a lot to see. But Elvis' collection of law enforcement badges, which was connected to his visit with Nixon, was part of the Graceland gallery of artifacts.

Promoting Elvis for President had been a regular event with varying degrees of energy since the 1950s. It always fascinated me how Presley and Nixon, two gentlemen who were major figures in the 'fifties, had been eclipsed overnight by more popular replacements around the same era. The Beatles over Elvis, and the Kennedys over Nixon. Presley was alleged to have warned Nixon about the social danger of the Beatles.

If Elvis had died in office as he died at home in 1977, Nixon would not have been eligible to become President due to the 22nd Amendment. Speaker of the House Tip O'Neill (D-Mass.) would have become President. Probably. This unlikely scenario has never been tested.

Elvis and Nixon are both buried on grounds devoted to perpetuating their memory, Elvis at Graceland and Nixon at his Presidential Library and Museum. After the White House, Graceland is the second most visited home in America. He's still The King.

Election history:
1947-1950 - US House of Representatives (Calif.) (Republican)
1950-1953 - US Senate (Calif.) (Republican)
1953-1961 - US Vice-President (Republican)
1960 - US President (Republican) - defeated
1962 - Governor of California (Republican) - defeated
1969-1974 - US President (Republican) - resigned
1980 - US President (Nostalgia Party) - defeated

Other occupations: grocery worker, soldier (WWII), attorney, author, Commander-in-Chief

Buried: Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum (Yorba Linda, Calif.)

Notes:
Quaker.
Played the piano