Mike Gravel in Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel
On Corporations:
Only natural persons should participate in politics
Democracy Amendment: Section 5. Only natural persons who are citizens of the US may sponsor an initiative under the authority of this Article.Section 6.
Only natural persons who are citizens of the US may contribute funds, services or property in support of or in opposition to a legislative initiative created under the authority of this Article.
Contributions from corporations including, but not limited to, such political action committees, organized religions and associations, are specifically prohibited.
Such entries are also prohibited from coercing or inducing employees, clients, customers, members, or any other associated persons to support or oppose an initiative created under the authority of this Article.
Source: Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. 144
Jan 24, 2008
On Corporations:
Democracy is gone when elections are commercialized
Senator Gravel knows that elections have been commercialized to the point where the very media expectation of candidates is determined by how much money they've raised in every quarter. It's almost like a corporation: What is the quarterly report?
Money from commercial interests, with their 10,000 political action committees, comes heavily in terms of quid pro quo.Senator Gravel understands that we must take the domination of just about everything by giant corporations as a major issue.
If you don't make this a major issue, it will affect our economy and our electoral reforms, and we will be avoiding a critical issue and engaging in rhetorical charades, slogans, clich‚s, and self-censorship.
If money is the index of electoral
politics, Senator Gravel rightly believes our democracy is gone. We're supposed to have a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. There can be no democracy if it is a government of the Exxons, by the General Motors, for the DuPonts.
Source: Mandate for Change, foreword by Ralph Nader, p. ix-x
Jan 24, 2008
On Foreign Policy:
Restructure UN for participatory global governance
As a result of my experiences and studies on global governance, I have now written a specific plan that defines the kind of global governance that would work fairly for everyone.
It is a restructured UN that would require little change in the UN Charter, which is a magnificent document.
The creation of a legislative proposal--the National Initiative for Democracy--is nothing less than an effort to bring about a fundamental change in the paradigm of human governance.
Certainly, it is not the most modest undertaking, but in essence a very simple one; and that is that human beings with rational will are more than capable to govern themselves. They merely need a structure to do it in a common-sense fashion.
Source: Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. xvi-C
Jan 24, 2008
On Government Reform:
Average Americans are precluded from decision-making process
"There's no such thing as citizens around here, much less citizen power," the boy seated next to me argued. "There's just people. The only citizen I know is the dude in the White House and, I guess, maybe the fat cats that get all the money. They're the
ones who call it their way. The rest of us, we got no say..""Look around you," I responded. "How do you think this academy got here? It wasn't government. A bunch of citizens joined with the Urban League to set up this academy."
That's what I wrote in 1971. But I could write it today. Sadly, the story is all too relevant 37 years later. In all that time, while many citizens have formed effective grassroots organizations to work on solving society's critical problems, the average
American citizen has been precluded from the decision-making process. There is something drastically lacking within the system. Real power rests in the hands of those who control government by way of their investments in politicians.
Source: Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. 3-4
Jan 24, 2008
On Government Reform:
Voting just gives power to politicians; we need more
The only possibility of government reform is through empowerment of the people. This will permit the people to address those forces in society that have power to block a government responsive to their social, environmental and economic needs.
Unfortunately, the people haven't come to realize that their empowerment must take the form of lawmaking--the central power of government. Anything less continues their present mendicancy. However, this concept is "out of the box" for the average
citizen who is weaned on the concept that he controls government on Election Day. He hasn't reasoned that in the second or two that it takes for him to cast his vote, he gives his power away to politicians who tell him what he wants to hear to get his
vote.People will have to suffer a level of frustration and anger sufficient to reason their way out of this conundrum and reach for an "out of the box" solution to their own empowerment. They must realize that they are the solution, not their leaders.
Source: Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. 6
Jan 24, 2008
On Government Reform:
Secrecy has gotten worse since Nixon presidency
36 years ago, I had just released the "Pentagon Papers" and my case was before the Supreme Court. I was unsure of the outcome. Nevertheless, I was optimistic, which characterizes my whole approach in the original "Citizen Power."
Bear in mind, I was at the beginning of my Senate career and had great confidence that changes could be brought about within representative government.
It was only at the end of my career when I left office that I was totally discouraged over the inability of representative government to address the problems that face us all.
The secrecy issue was terrible under Richard Nixon, and it has only become worse in succeeding Democratic and Republican administrations.
Source: Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. xvi-B
Jan 24, 2008
On Government Reform:
National Initiative for Democracy: voters as participants
For over a decade, Senator Gravel has been engaged about the need to enact another check to the faltering checks and balances--namely, the National Initiative for Democracy--a proposed law that empowers the people as lawmakers.
Senator Gravel's National Initiative for Democracy is the most fundamental proposal I have ever seen or read about by any candidate.
It has to challenge our willingness to engage in a deliberative electoral process where people are given a chance to interact with the candidates, to propose their own agendas, and to meet with them all over the country as they campaign.
There will be no more manipulation of the voters into spectators, and there will be no more simply viewing the electoral process as entertainment funded by commercial interests and beyond the range of effective political action on the part of the voters.
Source: Mandate for Change, foreword by Ralph Nader, p. x
Jan 24, 2008
On Homeland Security:
Enormous misappropriation of wealth to military programs
The real money has gone for war preparation and war making. Most Americans today are frustrated and confused. They are told by everyone that they are "the richest people in the world" and "the world's freest nation." Yet, they see poverty in the midst of
plenty and continued erosion of their civil liberties. America is no longer #1 in any of the important social and economic indices of the world. In fact, the only areas in which we are #1 are weaponry; consumer spending; government, corporate and private
debt; environmental pollution; energy consumption; the incarcerated; and, of course, delusion. With national security as practically the only primary concern of the state since WWII, enormous portions of our wealth and human resources have been
misappropriated to military programs, while desperate human needs lie neglected in every corner of our nation. When we assail the military-industrial complex, we assail the idea of a system which values building missiles for overkill more than education.
Source: Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. 5-6
Jan 24, 2008
On Homeland Security:
Warfare state from Vietnam now expanded to include Iraq War
The warfare state that I defined as a result of the Vietnam War has been expanded to include the Iraq War, but mostly to address the military-industrial complex, the existence of which mandates the repetition of wars
periodically; otherwise, there are no profits to be made by the industrial part of the partnership and no promotions within the military.
Source: Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. xvi-A
Jan 24, 2008
On Principles & Values:
Conservatives support the rich; liberals support the state
People are tired of liberal "promises" and conservative "game plans" which offer the rhetoric of hope, but, in reality, merely protect and perpetuate the status quo. Conservatism in America has too often meant racism and support for the wealthy
against the poor. Liberalism, on the other hand, has relied too heavily on the power of the state and on faceless bureaucrats in government to solve problems, while failing to assure continued popular participation and control.
The liberals have not attacked the increase and centralization of wealth and power; they have abetted it. They have sold out to Wall Street.
What astounds and irritates so many people is that the liberals, both Democratic and Republican, have been in power since WWII; yet they have not made good on their promises.
Source: Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. 4
Jan 24, 2008
On War & Peace:
Opposed war in Iraq before it even began
As a senator, he became known for releasing the controversial "Pentagon Papers" at an ad hoc committee performance. He was early against the Vietnam War. He was early in advocating diplomatic relations with China. More recently, Senator Gravel was
opposed to the War in Iraq even before this quagmire and criminal endeavor began. He opposed military action against a completely US-surrounded Iran. He understands the inequities in the Israeli occupation of Palestine
Source: Mandate for Change, foreword by Ralph Nader, p. ix
Jan 24, 2008
On Welfare & Poverty:
Patchwork system addresses emergencies but not poverty
Liberals built a confusing bureaucratic structure of antipoverty and welfare programs, which robbed the middle class of their money and the poor of their incentive and integrity. These programs have been only a
hodgepodge of patchwork solutions applied sporadically to meet emergencies, as Katrina revealed. Indeed, these programs have not even been able to meet the emergencies. In the first place, the real money has gone for war preparation and war making.
In the second place, the liberals have left the basic political and economic structure of the country untouched. Our corrupt income tax system continues to rest heavily on the middle class, and even on the poor,
while it practically exempts the rich and the near-rich. The War on Poverty, unfortunately, also fostered the growth of poverty, alienation and urban blight.
Source: Citizen Power: A Mandate for Change, by Mike Gravel, p. 4-5
Jan 24, 2008
Page last updated: Feb 15, 2019