Dean Barkley, a key founder of the Minnesota Independence Party, and the only U.S. Senator in the last 60 years who was a member of a party other than the Democratic or Republican Parties, says Lou Dobbs is his choice for president in 2012. See this story. Barkley wishes Dobbs would accept the nomination of the Minnesota Independence Party. The only other time the Minnesota Independence Party ever had a presidential nominee was in 1996, when it ran Ross Perot. At the time, the party was the Minnesota branch of the Reform Party.
Although James Buckley was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1970 from New York as the nominee of the Conservative Party, Buckley was a registered Republican. Barkley was appointed to the U.S. Senate in October 2002 by Minnesota’s Governor at the time, Jesse Ventura, to fill the vacancy when Senator Paul Wellstone was killed. So although Barkley only served for a few months, he is the only minor party U.S. Senator since 1946, when Robert La Follette Jr. left the Wisconsin Progressive Party and became a Republican.
In Connecticut in 2006, Joe Lieberman was elected to the Senate as the nominee of the Connecticut for Lieberman Party, but, as in the case of James Buckley, Lieberman was never a member of the minor party that nominated him.
Maybe Dean Barkley can help Lou Dobbs bribe his way into the White House like he helped Jesse Ventura bribe his way into the governor’s office. Then if they get caught Barkley can fix the bribery investigation like he did with the Ventura
investigation. Don’t you people read the facts before you report what Barkley says? He’s a crook and that’s plain and simple and factual.
See: http://www.lesliedavis.org/links.shtml
In 2002, the two Senate candidates, Norm Coleman (R) and Walter Mondale (D), had just begun their televised debate when Gov. Ventura held a press conference to present Barkley as Wellstone’s successor.
Senator La Follette lost the 1946 Republican primary to Joe McCarthy.
Lou, here’s a party you can revive: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Nothing
What is Sanders registered as?
Sanders is a flat out (I). He helped found both the Progressive and Liberty Union parties in Vermont.
Lou Dobbs for president independent nominating petition candidate PAC – “natural born citizen party”
The Libiterian Party should recruit Dobbs.
While I don’t like it that my son calls everyone a moron, in Lou Dobbs case, I will make an exception. Moron is much too kind for a sleazy demagogue like Dobbs.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/25/nyregion/25dobbs.html
# 8 is an impersonator MORON in pre-school diapers.
Tough times bring out the party hack extremists.
Is 2009 as tough as 1774 or 1859 — before things really start happening ???
P.R. and nonpartisan A.V.
Son, please stop writing that people are morons. p.s. you need to take out the trash before dinner, or there will be no cake tonight.
#10- You are a very rude son. Don’t pretend you like that nasty Lou Dobbs. Whenever he used to come on, you used to change the channel to Sponge Bob Squarepants.
As for tough times, don’t blame the economy for your not having a job. You didn’t even have one in the 90s when everyone who fogged a mirror could get one.
citizen1:
Vermont doesn’t have registration by party, so Sanders is “independent” by default.
If Lou Dobb was President, he would make decisions like Ronald Reagan. There are similar traits between the two. But he needs a party to become President. That is the problem. Otherwise the man will perfectly perform the job better than any candidates right now.
Isn’t Dobbs a trade protectionist? I don’t see a protectionist being elected president– especially one who has never held elective office. Dobbs should run for governor or U. S. senator; as a presidential candidate, he would mainly be a vehicle for protest.
Senator Bernie Sanders is an avowed socialist who caucuses with the Democrats, where he feels right at home.
What ever happened to Rep. Peter Smith (R) who lost his seat to Sanders in the early ’90s, mainly because he voted for gun control? Last I heard, Smith was trying to get the Ripon Society going again.
Come by and drop your thoughts and feelings . . .
Lou Dobbs Yes or No…
http://loudobbsyesorno.yuku.com/
~The Duck~
Well, its official. The MN Independence Party is on its last breath, assuming that this early endorsement has any weight within the party.
The MN IP has always billed itself as a centrist party, socially liberal and fiscally conservative. This does not fit the description of populist (xenophobe) Dobbs.
Jesse Ventura most certainly did not bribe his way into the governor’s office. He was elected by the people of Minnesota!
That is sad news that Dean Barkley is a fan of Lou Dobbs. I hope that he changes his mind about that.
Ventura’s win (37%-35%-28%) in 1998 was largely due to (1) his good performance in the debate(s) with Coleman (R) and Humphrey (D) and (2) same day registration, which enabled many young people to vote for Ventura.
Even still, the playing field was not level. Jesse won the race anyway!
Ventura had little or no primary opposition, so the only real campaign he had to run was in the general election.
I don’t recall whether Coleman had opposition in the Republican primary, but Skip Humphrey won the “My Three Sons” Democratic primary, which featured the sons of famous Democratic-Farmer-Labor politicians.
What is your point, Steve?
Comrade Phil: You said the playing field was not level. How so?
My point is that Humphrey at least– and possibly also Coleman– had to go through a contested primary in order to reach the general election, while Ventura only had to campaign in the general election.