alternatehistory.com
Florida, Connecticut AND Vermont
September 14th, 1987
Excerpt from an article published in the Connecticut Post
While it is not uncommon for politicians to endorse national candidates who are in different parties, an example being James Traficant’s announcement on Saturday, rarely does cross-supporting affect local races. However, while in Connecticut on Tuesday, Democratic front-runner Gary Hart had this interaction with a reporter:
“Who do you think you’ll be supporting in the Connecticut Senate race?”
“Honestly, I think I’ll be supporting Lowell Weicker. He’s been a great Senator and I hope he can continue that. Of course, it all depends who the Democratic nominee is, but right now I support Weicker.”
To some this may come as a surprise, due to the bipartisanship shown here, but Weicker is quite the Liberal Republican and has generated some less-than positive remarks from Conservative Republicans. One such remark came from young firebrand Dan Quayle, who said that there was no way he was supporting Weicker in this race. Some have said that the endorsement by Hart might lead to Vice-President Bush dumping Weicker for a Democrat, but this is all speculation. Who knows what the future of Connecticut holds…
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September 18th, 1987
"Fellow Vermonters,"
"Tonight is a very important night for me and I know for many of us here in this room."
"Because tonight we have an opportunity to play a part in one of the most exciting and significant political developments in the modern history of the United States."
"Tonight many of us are going to give our support to a candidate for president who has done more than any other candidate in living memory to bring together the disenfranchised, the hungry, the poor, the workers who are being thrown out of their decent-paying jobs and the farmers who are being thrown off of their lands.
"Tonight we have come together to support a candidate who is creating a historic coalition of working people, of poor people, of women, of minorities, of students, of farmers, of peace advocates, of environmentalists."
"Tonight we are here to endorse a candidate who is saying loud and clear that enough is enough."
"That it's time that this nation was returned to the real people of America, the vast majority of us, and that power no longer should rest solely with a handful of banks
and corporations who presently dominate the economic and political life of this nation."
"Tonight we are here to support a man who, when elected president will move boldly to end the growing disparity between the rich and the poor."
"It is not acceptable to him, to me, or to most Americans that 10 percent of the population of this nation is able to own 83 percent of the wealth. And the other 90 percent of us, share 17 percent of the wealth."
"Ladies and gentlemen, when our candidate becomes president, and we believe that he will, we will see a movement toward the establishment of a national healthcare system. Which once and for all in this country, will guarantee healthcare as a right of all citizens and not just the privileged of the wealthy."
"When our candidate is elected president, we will see a fundamental change in the national priorities of our nation."
"We will build fewer bombs and more affordable housing."
"Less nerve gas, and more childcare centers."
"We will stop the store war madness in its tracks and spend our wealth to save the family farm, to protect our environment, to increase federal aid to education so that every young person who has the capabilities can go to college."
"We will utilize the best minds of this nation, not to research into new and more sophisticated ways to kill people, but to rebuild our industrial base to prevent acid rain and the destruction of the ozone layer and to find the solution to AIDS and other killer diseases."
"Our nation is a great nation with unlimited potentiality."
"What we need is leadership, which will tap our innate strengths so that we can improve the quality of life for our people and not concentrated on how to destroy life."
"When our candidate is elected president, we will finally have a foreign policy which says to the people of Nicaragua, to the people of Latin America and the Third World, that we are your allies and your friends, not your oppressors."
"We will stop once and for all supporting every right-wing dictatorship in the world that serves the need of corporate greed."
"Ladies and gentlemen, and fellow Vermonters, the candidate we’re supporting tonight has stood for us and fought for us for the last 25 years of his life."
"Along with Martin Luther King, Jr., he put his life on the line so that all Americans, regardless of color, could receive their basic democratic rights."
"He was there when we needed him."
"Our candidate has stood with the farmers being thrown off of the land."
"He has stood with the workers on the picket lines being thrown out of their jobs."
"He was there when we needed him."
"Fellow Vermonters, our candidate has stood with us when we needed him."
"Tonight, he needs us. Let us be there for him."
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to place a nomination, this evening, the name of one of the great leaders of our time, and a man who has waged the most courageous and excited political campaign in the modern history of this nation."
"I place the nomination, with a great deal of personal pride, the name of Jesse Jackson."
-Bernie Sanders, speaking in Montpelier, Vermont
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September 20th, 1987
Excerpt from an article published in the Miami Herald
Appearing to be an ambassador for the Hart campaign, Arkansas senator Dale Bumpers endorsed U.S. Representative Buddy MacKay in the extremely heated primary battle for the Democratic senate nomination.
Speaking on Capitol Hill yesterday, Bumpers called MacKay "the best choice for both Florida and the country at large". At the moment, MacKay is in a battle with State Treasurer Bill Gunter.
The endorsement by Bumpers can be seen as an extension of Gary Hart, as, ever since Bumpers' own endorsement of Hart, the two have become increasingly close when campaigning together. This comes only days after Hart essentially endorsed liberal Republican Lowell Weicker in Connecticut.
In the first round of voting, Gunter won 38% to MacKay's 26%; however, an number of lesser candidates have coalesced behind MacKay. The following polls were released today in regards to the election at this moment:
Democratic Primary Runoff
Buddy MacKay: 50%
Bill Gunter: 48%
Possible Senate General Elections:
Connie Mack III (R): 48%
Buddy MacKay (D): 46%
Connie Mack III (R): 51%
Bill Gunter (D): 45%
The runoff election between MacKay and Gunter wil take place on October 4th.
Excerpt from an article published in the Connecticut Post
While it is not uncommon for politicians to endorse national candidates who are in different parties, an example being James Traficant’s announcement on Saturday, rarely does cross-supporting affect local races. However, while in Connecticut on Tuesday, Democratic front-runner Gary Hart had this interaction with a reporter:
“Who do you think you’ll be supporting in the Connecticut Senate race?”
“Honestly, I think I’ll be supporting Lowell Weicker. He’s been a great Senator and I hope he can continue that. Of course, it all depends who the Democratic nominee is, but right now I support Weicker.”
To some this may come as a surprise, due to the bipartisanship shown here, but Weicker is quite the Liberal Republican and has generated some less-than positive remarks from Conservative Republicans. One such remark came from young firebrand Dan Quayle, who said that there was no way he was supporting Weicker in this race. Some have said that the endorsement by Hart might lead to Vice-President Bush dumping Weicker for a Democrat, but this is all speculation. Who knows what the future of Connecticut holds…
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September 18th, 1987
"Fellow Vermonters,"
"Tonight is a very important night for me and I know for many of us here in this room."
"Because tonight we have an opportunity to play a part in one of the most exciting and significant political developments in the modern history of the United States."
"Tonight many of us are going to give our support to a candidate for president who has done more than any other candidate in living memory to bring together the disenfranchised, the hungry, the poor, the workers who are being thrown out of their decent-paying jobs and the farmers who are being thrown off of their lands.
"Tonight we have come together to support a candidate who is creating a historic coalition of working people, of poor people, of women, of minorities, of students, of farmers, of peace advocates, of environmentalists."
"Tonight we are here to endorse a candidate who is saying loud and clear that enough is enough."
"That it's time that this nation was returned to the real people of America, the vast majority of us, and that power no longer should rest solely with a handful of banks
and corporations who presently dominate the economic and political life of this nation."
"Tonight we are here to support a man who, when elected president will move boldly to end the growing disparity between the rich and the poor."
"It is not acceptable to him, to me, or to most Americans that 10 percent of the population of this nation is able to own 83 percent of the wealth. And the other 90 percent of us, share 17 percent of the wealth."
"Ladies and gentlemen, when our candidate becomes president, and we believe that he will, we will see a movement toward the establishment of a national healthcare system. Which once and for all in this country, will guarantee healthcare as a right of all citizens and not just the privileged of the wealthy."
"When our candidate is elected president, we will see a fundamental change in the national priorities of our nation."
"We will build fewer bombs and more affordable housing."
"Less nerve gas, and more childcare centers."
"We will stop the store war madness in its tracks and spend our wealth to save the family farm, to protect our environment, to increase federal aid to education so that every young person who has the capabilities can go to college."
"We will utilize the best minds of this nation, not to research into new and more sophisticated ways to kill people, but to rebuild our industrial base to prevent acid rain and the destruction of the ozone layer and to find the solution to AIDS and other killer diseases."
"Our nation is a great nation with unlimited potentiality."
"What we need is leadership, which will tap our innate strengths so that we can improve the quality of life for our people and not concentrated on how to destroy life."
"When our candidate is elected president, we will finally have a foreign policy which says to the people of Nicaragua, to the people of Latin America and the Third World, that we are your allies and your friends, not your oppressors."
"We will stop once and for all supporting every right-wing dictatorship in the world that serves the need of corporate greed."
"Ladies and gentlemen, and fellow Vermonters, the candidate we’re supporting tonight has stood for us and fought for us for the last 25 years of his life."
"Along with Martin Luther King, Jr., he put his life on the line so that all Americans, regardless of color, could receive their basic democratic rights."
"He was there when we needed him."
"Our candidate has stood with the farmers being thrown off of the land."
"He has stood with the workers on the picket lines being thrown out of their jobs."
"He was there when we needed him."
"Fellow Vermonters, our candidate has stood with us when we needed him."
"Tonight, he needs us. Let us be there for him."
"Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to place a nomination, this evening, the name of one of the great leaders of our time, and a man who has waged the most courageous and excited political campaign in the modern history of this nation."
"I place the nomination, with a great deal of personal pride, the name of Jesse Jackson."
-Bernie Sanders, speaking in Montpelier, Vermont
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September 20th, 1987
Excerpt from an article published in the Miami Herald
Appearing to be an ambassador for the Hart campaign, Arkansas senator Dale Bumpers endorsed U.S. Representative Buddy MacKay in the extremely heated primary battle for the Democratic senate nomination.
Speaking on Capitol Hill yesterday, Bumpers called MacKay "the best choice for both Florida and the country at large". At the moment, MacKay is in a battle with State Treasurer Bill Gunter.
The endorsement by Bumpers can be seen as an extension of Gary Hart, as, ever since Bumpers' own endorsement of Hart, the two have become increasingly close when campaigning together. This comes only days after Hart essentially endorsed liberal Republican Lowell Weicker in Connecticut.
In the first round of voting, Gunter won 38% to MacKay's 26%; however, an number of lesser candidates have coalesced behind MacKay. The following polls were released today in regards to the election at this moment:
Democratic Primary Runoff
Buddy MacKay: 50%
Bill Gunter: 48%
Possible Senate General Elections:
Connie Mack III (R): 48%
Buddy MacKay (D): 46%
Connie Mack III (R): 51%
Bill Gunter (D): 45%
The runoff election between MacKay and Gunter wil take place on October 4th.
- Meyer London
- Word Count: 1.1k