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JULIE ENSZNE
Friday, January 12, 2007
IT’S
AN
ODD
political
year
for
the
Democrats.
More
Democrats
are
declaring
that
they
are
not
going
to
run
for
the
Democratic
presidential
nomination
than
are.
Media
outlets
are
confounded
and,
without
records
of
many
more
potential
candidates
to
analyze
(and
with
the
two
current
“frontrunners”
having
scant
records
of
their
own),
they
are
focusing
prospective
voters
on
questions
of
identity.
Would
you
elect
a
woman
president?
Would
you
elect
a
black
president?
I
can’t
be
the
only
person
wondering
when
will
we
elect
an
openly
lesbian
or
gay
president?
No
one
is
asking
that
question.
We’re
still
obsessed
with
parsing
the
difference
between
a
marriage
and
a
civil
union.
In
absence
of
the
openly
gay
candidate,
however,
I’m
looking
for
candidates
who
will
open
a
more
progressive
dialogue
on
our
issues
in
2008.
That’s
how
I
came
to
meet
Mike
Gravel.
Gravel
(pronounced
Gra-VELL)
was
a
senator
from
Alaska
from
1969
until
1981.
Since
that
time
he’s
been
working
on
a
project
he
calls
The
National
Initiative,
a
campaign
to
bring
direct
democracy
to
the
United
States
through
initiatives
at
the
federal
level.
Yep,
he
wants
voters
to
vote
on
issues
nationally
like
we
do
on
local
bond
issues
or
statewide
ballot
initiatives.
I
thought
it
was
a
crackpot
idea.
Then
I
met
Gravel.
GRAVEL
IS
A
vibrant
man
in
his
70s.
I
can’t
help
but
think
his
vibrancy
comes
from
his
big
vision.
He
wants
to
change
the
Constitution
and
the
fundamental
ways
that
we
think
about
democracy.
He
doesn’t
want
the
American
voters
to
give
over
the
power
of
legislating
to
politicians;
he
wants
them
to
retain
it
for
themselves.
He
wants
to
create
an
entirely
new
system
of
governing
in
the
United
States
through
citizen
legislators.
Gravel
has
outlined
his
plans
at
www.ni4d.us.
The
National
Initiative,
if
enacted
according
to
Gravel’s
vision,
would
alter
drastically
our
notions
of
laws
and
voting.
It
would
engage
us
in
direct
democracy,
not
the
representative
democracy
that
we
know
today.
I
still
have
some
misgivings
about
this
idea,
given
how
queer
people
have
fared
at
the
ballot
box,
but
Gravel’s
proposal
is
such
a
radical
departure
from
the
present
state
of
affairs
and
filled
with
positive
possibilities
for
change
that
I
cannot
dismiss
it.
Gravel
has
other
ideas
that
make
him
a
“maverick,”
a
moniker
he
embraces.
He
believes
in
universal,
single-payer
health
care.
He
advocates
a
“fair
tax”
with
a
“pre-bate”
which
involves
eliminating
the
IRS
to
make
our
tax
system
more
fair,
transparent
and
equitable.
Gravel
wants
to
invest
in
education
and
transportation
infrastructure
and
he
wants
to
end
the
war
in
Iraq
immediately.
Mike
Gravel
is
the
kind
of
candidate
that
we
need
in
this
Democratic
primary.
He
is
charismatic
and
committed
to
a
progressive
vision
of
government.
He
is
unafraid
to
take
on
big
issues
and
talk
about
them.
He
supports
gay
and
lesbian
equality
unequivocally.
He
has
a
vision
and
ideas
that
need
to
be
on
the
table
in
talking
about
our
future.
OUR
FUTURE
IS
what
primaries
are
supposed
to
address.
Primaries
are
when
people
and
politicians
bring
forward
issues
and
ideas
important
to
them.
Primaries
are
when
candidates
listen
and
learn
about
what
matters
to
the
American
people,
in
general,
and
to
Democratic
primary
voters
in
particular.
I
believe
that
we
cannot
concede
this
Democratic
primary
cycle
blindly
to
anyone
who
happens
to
have
a
lot
of
money
or
good
name
recognition.
To
do
that
would
be
a
disservice
to
the
queer
community.
We
don’t
need
more
politicians
towing
a
particular
line
on
the
importance
of
gay
and
lesbian
equality
while
pandering
to
a
perceived
right
wing
in
the
Democratic
Party
for
whom
marriage
is
between
a
man
and
a
woman.
Let’s
take
our
time
and
look
around
at
all
the
candidates.
Let’s
have
politicians
come
to
us
and
make
their
case
about
why
we
should
vote
for
them
—
and
what
they
will
do
on
behalf
of
our
quest
for
equality
if
they
are
elected.
In
the
meantime,
I’ll
go
on
record
saying,
Mike
Gravel
is
a
fellow
with
great
ideas
and
a
passion
for
public
service.
I
like
Mike.
He
deserves
our
time
and
consideration.
We
need
him
in
this
primary,
and
he
just
might
surprise
us.
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