Wait, You’re Running for President? 9 Candidates You’ve Never Heard From

Executive Director of PhillyGayCalendar

Who says the Republican Party is full of right wing nut jobs hell bent on destroying the middle class by crucifying the tax code and obliterating the progressive civil rights movements of minorities by entitling the rich and special interests groups while raping the poor of basic human services in order to send our country back into the dark ages of a bleached white, suburban, empty shell of a country where Stepford wives are the norm and fake smiles only mask the hatred of white bread conformity forced upon them by pseudo-Christian Sharia law? Well…currently according to many mainstream media outlets, one would think that those candidates are the only people running for the Republican nomination for the 2012 election, but I’m here to inform you that it certainly isn’t true and you may be surprised at who else is vying for that prize.

First, someone that is starting to gain a little more attention in the news over the past couple of weeks, Jon Huntsman. A former governor from Utah, Huntsman achieved fortune through the acquisition of a chemical empire, and has never had to rely on money from any special interests in order to build a campaign, thus never being beholden to anybody….allegedly. Often cited as a “blue-blood” Republican, his respect from liberals is amicable, and his foreign policy experience is impressive being the former ambassador to China appointed by Barack Obama. Lastly, the Pew Center on the States bestowed Utah as the best managed state under governor Huntsman, who enjoyed overwhelming support with approval ratings over 70%. Although, to be fair, Huntsman is a Mormon and with Utah being almost a literal theocratic government with 90% of the state legislature being Mormon it’s pretty easy to garner those ratings, but his policies and bipartisan tendencies could make most anybody overlook his religion and make Huntsman a real viable candidate.

Jimmy McMillan; black, crazy beard, “Rent is too damn high!” An ex-postal worker and a military career that boasts three bronze stars, his website has more views than potential rival Sarah Palin. Although his quote may resonate with many people that the rent is in fact too high, his candidacy is often viewed as the comic relief and not one to take too seriously unfortunately.

Thanks to the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, I was introduced to Buddy Roemer, former Governor of Louisiana and Democratic Representative for Louisiana’s 4th District. Although intriguing at first, a further look at his history of an unpopular leader and policies similar to Reagan have also led me to check the ‘no’ box for Mr. Roemer. He’s been out of politics for 20 years, and his career was not a legacy that can support a comeback.

Andy Martin, started the chain email that accused Obama of being a secret Muslim. Interestingly enough, the United States District Court for South Florida placed a restriction on him to file any future legal actions after he initiated thousands of litigation and filed for over 250 civil actions. Crazy is as crazy does.

Thad McCotter, U.S. Representative from Michigan. Has an almost inappropriate love affair with American Business, from his site: ” “The government’s morally bankrupt boondoggle with your hard-earned money is a fiscal scam harming Americans’ prosperity”. It was cool when he supported the government bailout of Chrysler, Ford, and General Motors. Also wants to give tax breaks to pet owners. Puppy love, anyone?

Verne Wuensche, businessman. If there was ever a capitalist success story, this is a legend. Wuensche entered the University of Texas with only $400 and graduated first in his class. Then he started what is now Houston’s third oldest construction company that has survived for 35 years with only $6,000. Yeah, you could do that 35 years ago, but now that is impossible. Wuensche also has one of the best views on the role of a President with the belief that a president improves the American household solely on the quality of the decisions he makes. His one downfall: hyper-Christian, and I mean HYPER-Christian.

Tom Miller, single dad, flight attendant. Works off the platform of the ‘average Joe’ running for an office that obviously requires a little more background and experience than just being a flight attendant. “As a private citizen entering the office of Presidency, Miller will not be bringing an entitled or political ideology with him, instead he will be bringing morals, values and principles directly from Main Street America.” Good for a movie plot…an ABC Family original one.

These last two of the nine Republican candidates that you haven’t heard from are ones that we should all be rallying by to capture the nomination, and surprise one is openly gay! Fred Karger is a political consultant and gay rights activist who was the first to file papers seeking the Republican Presidential nomination in July. As well as being the first to file for candidacy and being the first openly gay to seek the Republican nomination, he is also the first Jew (holla!) to seek the Republican nomination. Karger’s consultant firm the Dolphin Group, has been instrumental in hundreds of state and local elections as well as the successful campaigns of the Reagan and Bush, Sr. campaigns. So, why haven’t we heard from Karger in any debate, because he’s been barred from ever major Republican debate with organizers citing low poll numbers even though other candidates with even lower poll numbers, such as Rick Santorum, are allowed on the debate floor. The reality is that Karger is gay, and the conservative heart of the Republican party will not beat to the tune a tune of inclusiveness and are afraid Michelle Bachmann might literally light herself on fire and hail the Lord’s prayer in a vomiting (yes vomiting) rage in protest of his presence. In other words: she and others would flip shit.

The last candidate is one that along with Karger I would feel the most safe with in the event of a Republican victory in 2012, why? Because he’s awesome. Governor Gary Johnson, former governor of New Mexico. Johnson is the antiestablishmsent Republican. Johnson believes in small government and cutting spending, but unlike older Republicans he understands cuts in the defense budget should be first and foremost to cut spending. He supports the legalization of marijuana, supports civil rights including marriage equality, pro-choice, pro free-trade, pro-immigration, and also unlike many of the candidates in the Republican field Johnson doesn’t attend church (although claims he’s spiritual) and says that the two must be kept separate. Johnson is what would resonate with a majority of moderate Republicans, independents, and the under 50 contingency: he is a fiscal conservative, a socially liberal libertarian, and holds a philosophy of limited government. Lastly, fun fact about Johnson, he’s EXTREMELY active, has climbed Mount Everest as well as three of the seven summits and competed in three Iron Man competitions. Altogether, this man is interesting to me as the kind of guy that should be a front runner as a nominee for the Republican Party because he represents the changing face of the American political polarization of the population. He’s an anomaly, a Republican beating back against the fringe and the puppets.

Out of all the candidates on the Republican side running for nomination, I would support a Johnson-Karger ticket so I would at least know that either way the election goes we wouldn’t have any extremists in the White House. Unfortunately, neither Johnson or Karger are favored as they don’t identify with the Republican base, who normally go out to vote in primaries where their moderates abstain from voting. This was the list of the 9 Republicans you should know, but only two are really worth paying attention to, and they are Fred Karger and Gary Johnson. Choose wisely!

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