NewIndependenceParty.org
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Appendix C: Distance Bombardment: Communicating with Editors and Voters by Fax, Internet, and Newspaper Advertising
(1) billforsenate.org
Web site for the candidacy of William McGaughey
for U.S. Senate running in the Independence Party
primary in Minnesota
Bill’s statement:
“I filed in the Senate race on July 16th after having attended the Independence Party convention in St. Cloud on the previous Saturday. It seemed to me that the Independence Party will need to wage a harder-hitting and more issues-driven campaign than previously planned if we are to be taken seriously in the multimillion-dollar battle between Wellstone and Coleman. In my opinion, we can do this if we raise the right issues. We need, however, to raise core political issues differentiating ourselves from the other parties. We need to take risks.
I am coming at this challenge both from the left and right. Unlike practically everyone else in politics today, I am an economic liberal and a cultural/social conservative. On one hand, I support labor in its basic ends; on the other, I oppose political correctness. This society needs to have as many people as possible working for good wages with enough free time to pursue personal and family life. Also, it can no longer afford to play up the racial and gender differences within our population that have been a staple of political life for the past forty years. With a new sense of unity and purpose, let’s move on to demand better performance from our leaders. (Yes, you can demand this from me if I become Senator.)
If you want more information about my candidacy, check out these pages:
A letter to Independence Party members explaining myself and why I ran
In your face, Democrats - a discussion of my campaign plank #1, stated: “I believe in the full citizenship, dignity, and equality of white males (and of other people, too).”
In your face, Republicans - a discussion of my campaign plank #2, stated: “I believe that the federal government should enact legislation to reduce the standard workweek to 32 hours by the year 2010.”
Candidate biography
Please contact me at wmcg@prodigy.net for comments and questions. During this campaign, I want to travel around the state meeting as many people as I can. Please invite me to your events. Please organize gatherings where I can speak and listen. Please tell media people in your community about my candidacy. Please help spread the word.
A final note: Although this will be a relatively
low budget campaign, I could use some money to print literature, buy gasoline,
and defray other expenses of the campaign. You can contribute by sending a check,
money order, or cash to: McGaughey for Senate campaign, P.O. Box 3601 , Minneapolis,
MN 55403-3601. I would also appreciate campaign volunteers.
As Jesse might say, let’s see if we can shock the world again this year! Bill
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(2) PRESS RELEASE CONTACT: William McGaughey
July 29, 2002 (612) 374-5916
William McGaughey is Candidate for U.S. Senate in Independence Party primaryThe candidate: William (Bill) McGaughey is a 61-year-old resident of Minneapolis. He is married and has a step-daughter who will be a college freshman this fall.
McGaughey is a small landlord, active in a Minneapolis landlord group. He is also author of five books- most recently, Five Epochs of Civilization, a study of world history; and Rhythm and Self-Consciousness, a philosophy of music and sports. This is his second run for public office; he was a candidate for Mayor of Minneapolis last year. He attended the Independence Party convention in St. Cloud on July 13th and filed for U.S. Senate on July 16th, intending to inject some new ideas into the campaign.
The field: There are eleven candidates from U.S. Senate from the DFL, Republican, Green, Constitution, and Independence Party. Jim Moore is the endorsed Independence Party candidate for U.S. Senate. Bill McGaughey and Ronald E. Wills are challenging him in the primary.
The name: McGaughey is pronounced “McGoy”. Bill’s Scotch-Irish. He was born in Detroit and both parents came from Indiana, so it’s unlikely he is related to McGaugheys in Minnesota. Even so, there is a Minnesota connection with this name. In 1847, President Zachary Taylor nominated a certain Edward McGaughey to be Minnesota’s first territorial governor. The U.S. Senate rejected the nomination, opening up the way for Alexander Ramsey’s later appointment. So it would be poetic justice of a sort if in 2002 Minnesota sent McGaughey to the U.S. Senate.
Party affiliation: Bill has attended precinct caucuses of the Independence Party in 1998, 2000, and 2002. He has not been active in party affairs and did not discuss his platform beforehand with other party members.
Bill’s general strategy: Bill wants the Independence Party to develop new ideas around which voters can rally in opposition to the Democratic and Republican parties. He thinks both parties have given up on building a better society. The first priority is to change the political discussion - bring up subjects which may stir controversy but will produce change. Bill is limiting his campaign platform to two planks which represent diametrically opposed positions from those of the Democrats and Republicans. In that respect, he is a “centrist” candidate.
The two planks: (1) “I believe in the full citizenship, dignity, and equality of white males (and of everyone else, too.)” (2) “I believe that the federal government should enact legislation to reduce the standard workweek from 40 hours to 32 hours by the year 2010.”
The connection between the two: Once the little people stop fighting each other demographically, perhaps they can join forces to demand better economic and political leadership. Let’s get back on the track of improved living standards for all.
How to reach the candidate: You can call him at any time at his Minneapolis home at (612) 374-5916 or send an email to wmcg@prodigy.net. Check out his revealing web site at www.billforsenate.org. If interested, you can also check his book’s web site in six languages at www.worldhistorysite.com or the landlords’ at www.propertyrights-mn.com.
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(3)
Dear political reporter:
I (Bill McGaughey) am a candidate for U.S. Senate in the
Independence Party primary. My campaign is in full swing.
You will, of course, question why my candidacy deserves attention when I am
an Independence Party candidate who did not seek or receive the party’s
endorsement. Also, is it not a foregone conclusion that either Coleman or Wellstone
will win the election?
First, I think I have a real shot at defeating the Independence Party’s endorsed candidate, Jim Moore, in the primary. Remember, fewer than 200 people were at the IP convention. Perhaps 140 people (including me) voted for Moore. So this is a thin mandate. I can win by appealing to the much larger number of independent voters if my unique message gains acceptance. If I beat an endorsed candidate in the primary, then my candidacy acquires momentum for the general election. I will participate in debates among the four Senatorial candidates. I will be a player.
Second, even if you don’t think I can beat Wellstone or Coleman in the general election, many experts believe that third party candidacies may be decisive in the outcome, given the close race between the two front-runners. Not only will my vote total be important but also the fact that Wellstone and Coleman may have to change their message to appeal to my (and Ed McGaa’s) constituency.
Third, I am making this race as much to advance the long-term interests of the Independence Party as to win the 2002 election. Already the party has received a boost by Tim Penny’s and others’ defection from the two major parties. They can and, I think, will win this year. But the Senatorial candidate, Jim Moore, seemed to me to be a throwaway, given his lackluster stance on issues.
The reason I ran is that, while the Independence Party stands “in the middle” between the Democrats and Republicans, it is not always clear what this means. I have chosen to emphasize two issues - support of shorter work hours and opposition to political correctness - which are sharply differentiated from positions of the two major parties. This could help to create a political movement in opposition to the established order, possibly something which could eventually build to major-party status. There’s a more complete discussion of this possibility on my web site, www.billforsenate.org. Click on “scheme of a new politics”.
I (and my landlord associates) have already made a difference in changing the political climate in Minneapolis. I think I can do the same in state politics. I will now wage an issues-driven campaign for U.S. Senate. The campaign will be waged by personal discussions with voters and, to the extent possible, through the media. I will work hard. I have a picket sign with my two proposals on either side and will carry them in parades or stand on street corners discussing them with persons who pass by. In me, you will not have a bland candidate but someone who will seek to create a meaningful, interesting campaign.
To do that, it would help if you would tell me what you might
want to cover. Please invite me to do something. You can get a quick response
from me, when I’m not on the road, by telephone (612-374-5916) or email
(wmcg@prodigy.net). Thanks.
Bill
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(4) U.S. Senate Candidate’s Statement on Establishment of Religions
As a candidate for U.S. Senate running in the Independence Party primary, I embrace two campaign positions - support for a 32-hour workweek by 2010 and opposition to political correctness - which arouse more than usual criticism. It’s as if I were a heretic holding unacceptable views. This has started me thinking about whether we in the United States have what might loosely be termed a “state religion”.
Last December, there was a brouhaha at St. Paul City Hall when someone placed red poinsettias in the lobby. Civil libertarians complained that these flowers symbolized the Christian religion; to display them in a government building was offensive to non-Christians. To his credit, Mayor Norm Coleman disagreed, pointing out the inconsistency between criticizing this floral display and ignoring an 8-foot-high Menorah in front of the State Capitol. But the red poinsettias still had to go. A compromise was reached by which white poinsettias were allowed to be displayed at City Hall because they were thought not to be so closely associated with Christianity.
What is a state religion? Does it have to be a God-centered religion, or can it be a set of personal or social values not associated with traditional religion which are rigidly enforced by the state? I would argue that the latter is possible. Do we have such a “state religion”? Yes, I think we do; it’s called “political correctness”. Another set of values, enforced in the corporate world, is the “ethic” of workaholism. To get ahead in that environment, you have to prove loyalty to your employer by putting work ahead of personal and family life. Individuals who refuse to do that “don’t fit in” or get promoted.
If the belief system of political correctness is a civic religion, then compulsory “diversity training” workshops (which over three quarters of the Fortune 500 companies give to their employees) violate constitutional guarantees of religious liberty. The State of Minnesota requires that all attorneys practicing in the state take diversity training courses that teach acceptable attitudes about gender and race. These courses are also required to meet lawyers’ continuing education requirements. In essence, such workshops are political indoctrination intended to impart a certain set of social values. Clearly the state is part of the enforcement mechanism.
I would contend that such requirements violate the spirit of the First Amendment regarding establishment of religion. Walking through the lobby of the St. Paul City Hall, you can avert your eyes at a floral display of red poinsettias if its association with Christianity offends you; but you can’t avoid paying homage to the values of political correctness (which typically employ double standards to judge the different racial, gender, or religious groups) if you want to keep your job or practice law in the state of Minnesota.
State religions are unconstitutional. So is abridgement of free speech. We need to have a public discussion about this. I think that an election campaign is the appropriate forum for such a discussion. It is my intention, as a candidate for U.S. Senate running in the Independence Party primary, to raise uncomfortable subjects like this so that we can heal social divisions and move on to consider economic policies that promise to create a better life for all.
William McGaughey
Contact me at (612) 374-5916 or wmcg@prodigy.net. For further information about my candidacy, visit www.billforsenate.org.
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(5) For immediate release Contact: William McGaughey
July 22, 2002
(612) 374-5916 or wmcg@prodigy.net
IP CANDIDATE SUPPORTS TOUGHER DRIVER’S LICENSE RULES
Statement of William McGaughey, candidate for U.S. Senate in the Independence Party primary:
“I support the new policy of Charlie Weaver, director of the Minnesota Public Safety Commission, to require a change in procedures to obtain Minnesota driver licenses with an eye to improving public safety and procedure. The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, joined by the Arab Anti-Defamation League and Jewish Community Action, is suing in court to prevent the new rules from being imposed. I believe that the issues raised by the MCLU are fundamentally political questions which deserve discussion in the context of a political campaign. So I am offering my position as a candidate for U.S. Senate. Perhaps the other candidates will want to comment as well. The new policies are reasonable and, I think, desirable in the context of terroristic threats against the United States:
(1) Two forms of ID: When I opened a post office box for my U.S. Senate campaign, I was required to present two forms of identification. I was mildly irked but got over it. Regarding the 9/11 tragedy, all 19 hijackers had multiple aliases and several identities. Seven obtained their ID cards in Virginia which allows others to vouch for their identity. We do not have a national ID system. The state driver license is the closest thing to that we have. Weaver is right to insist on tougher requirements.
(2) “Status checks” on resident alien IDs: The other thing which allowed the hijackers to overstay their visits in the U.S. was lack of a tracking system for those whose visas had expired. Weaver’s proposal establishes this.
(3) Full face photograph: This is a reasonable requirement for security reasons. Personal religious practice should not override public safety.
The broader political issue is whether the discrimination aspect - which has spawned a whole industry of lawyers - should override reasonable measures to improve public safety. I think not. When five Middle Eastern men entered Logan airport on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 purchasing one-way tickets with cash, they were allowed to board the plane because security guards were afraid of being accused of ethnic profiling. Arab-Americans had sued the airlines in 1999 and 2000 on such grounds. Enough of this nonsense. Our political leaders need to state clearly that public safety overrides the temporary embarrassment and inconvenience of particular groups used to claiming discriminatory practices in domestic politics.”
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(6) Dear Primary Voter:
I oppose the the Republicans’ core value of squeeze working people and the Democrats’ core value of political correctness. I’m for shorter work time and dignity for white males (and all others too). A strong third party can be built on this foundation.
Vote for Bill McGaughey for U.S. Senate in the Independence Party primary on September 10th. www.billforsenate.org
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