[Iowa-dx] Mike Gravel Supports Green Jesse Johnson for President

[Hart, Holly J]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

11 March 2008


Gravel for President

National Statesman and International Hero Senator Mike Gravel

Supports Jesse Johnson=92s Bid for President

In what has to be the most unprecedented cross party statement of support D=
emocratic Party Candidate for President Mike Gravel announced that he has d=
ecided to support the campaign of Green Party Candidate Jesse Johnson runni=
ng for the nomination on the Green Party Ticket.

After a meeting between the two in Washington DC Friday, Gravel stated, =93=
My political party long ago walked away from taking the necessary steps tha=
t will safe guard our nation=92s and our children=92s futures.  I worked de=
dicatedly throughout my career as a U.S. Senator to protect the precious re=
sources our country had within it=92s boundaries as well as to mitigate the=
 negative impact our businesses and individuals were having on the planet. =
 I have watched the ever important job of stewarding these gifts vanish fro=
m the political landscape and I hold the Democratic Party leadership respon=
sible for giving up that fight.=94

Why did Gravel choose Johnson from among the other candidates vying for the=
 nomination in all the campaigns of all available political parties?  Grave=
l explains, =93I=92m supporting Jesse because he began his political career=
 with the determination that the environmental plundering must stop.  He pl=
aced every other interest on hold to run for office, in his home state and =
now nationally, to challenge the corporations that destroy our national res=
ources and then harvest from this practice a toxic energy source; coal. The=
 mountain top mining practices devastate the landscape by blowing apart mou=
ntains and then carbon belching plants burn the coal creating a form of ene=
rgy that serves as one of the major contributors for global climate change.=
=94

Gravel continues, =93We must have a voice in the political realm speaking e=
arnestly and intelligently about all of our environmental needs.  Johnson a=
nd the Green Party have that environmental credibility that we Democrats ha=
ve lost.=94

Senator Gravel intends to travel and campaign with Jesse Johnson as their s=
chedule allows.

Jesse Johnson, former chair of the West Virginia Mountain Party and two tim=
e candidate for statewide office, said that this sort of cross party suppor=
t =93was just the kind of non-traditional, selfless act that we have come t=
o know Senator Mike Gravel to make.  When he read the Pentagon Papers into =
the Congressional record, or filibustered to end the draft he had his eye =
=96 at all times =96 on the big picture and the needs of others.  I am not =
surprised that a true patriot and advocate of the citizen as leader of our =
country would take such an unprecedented and bold stand.  And I am honored =
and humbled that he has selected my campaign and the Green Party as his all=
ies in this very important race to save our environment from the actions of=
 humans.=94

Gravel closed by saying, =93We=92ve seen the havoc the two parties can wrea=
k, on a global scale, by locking out the voices of reason =96 by eliminatin=
g the third party voices.  I want to amplify those voices to save our count=
ry from our own shortsighted and greedy actions.  If we want to end the war=
 in Iraq, provide health care to all citizens, educate our young people, we=
=92re going to have to start not only working together with these alternate=
 parties: but literally working to support them.  That=92s why I=92m suppor=
ting Jesse Johnson=92s campaign for President.=94