After 27 years away from politics, former Senator Mike Gravel is running for the Democratic
presidential nomination.
With the staff of eight, a handful of volunteers, and the smallest bankroll of all the candidates,
most political experts aren't taking his candidacy too seriously.
I've been in politics all of my life.
I consider myself much more of an expert than most of these experts, and would say that
anything is possible in politics, anything.
And with that as a guide, what one has to have a little faith in is in the wisdom of
the electorate.
Now, the problem is, can you get to the electorate with the proper communications?
With just about $100,000 raised in the first campaign quarter, Gravel can't afford television
ads or travel by private jet like some candidates.
He takes buses and trains when he can and relies on YouTube and televised presidential debates
to attract support.
Back in the 70s, Gravel made headlines while he was a two-term senator from Alaska.
An opponent of the Vietnam War, he launched a successful filibuster against legislation
to renew the draft, and entered top-secret government records called the Pentagon Papers
into the Congressional Record.
I just wanted to let you know they said that Charleston's the next stop.
Today, most people don't recognize him.
He's one of the Democrats, and he's going to be on the debate tomorrow night.
Oh my God, I missed that.
I could have gotten it out of my episode.
He's just completed a nine-hour train ride from Washington, D.C. to Charleston, South
Carolina, where he'll be participating in a Democratic presidential debate hosted by
CNN and YouTube.
They have two cadets who will be escorting you through the whole thing.
Great.
Did I sign something here?
Yes.
Could you sign right there for us?
Okay.
This is the room.
We're all set.
For the next day, Gravel is escorted by a state law enforcement agent to tour the debate
stage.
We'll leave an out-of-towel in Routon, California.
Gravel says he hasn't been treated fairly in past debates.
What's here will be up here.
And he isn't shy about bringing it up with CNN's executive debate producer, David Bournemont.
I'm not issued the invitations yet.
Wait a second.
No.
There was an invitation, and then it was withdrawn because he was home.
We changed the stage.
We changed the stage.
Well, I named it.
We never had cut you out.
We had never cut you out.
Well, I thought of that debate.
I'm not criticizing.
No, I'm happy now.
I'm just criticizing what you did to me that didn't play.
That's okay.
We didn't do anything to you.
I know that.
For a year you've been in both of our debates.
And I'll be in the rest of it.
Well, we'll see.
I got news for you.
Trust me.
Gravel's determination to run for president is primarily based on promoting legislation
he's worked on for the last 15 years, called the National Initiative.
It includes an amendment to the Constitution and a federal law that would allow Americans
to bypass Congress and pass their own legislation.
The final is just a really mad citizen.
The process initiated with a call from a friend of mine by the name of Jeff Peters, who indicated
that if I wanted to see, live to see the enactment of the National Initiative by the American
people, that I should run for president so that I could bring attention to the National
Initiative using the celebrity nature of running for president.
And of course, you can see where he was right because in 15 years I've not been able to
get very much attention focused on it.
Gravel hopes to raise a total of $10 million for his campaign, and he's doing everything
he can to save.
As debate time approaches, Gravel takes a moment to relax.
His field director, Elliot Jacobson, who, depending on circumstance, acts as his driver,
scheduler, and media liaison, heads to the spin room to watch the debate.
I feel like Bob Dylan.
Gravel's first question is about a controversial statement he made in a previous debate.
The entire deaths of Vietnam died in vain.
How do you expect to win in a country where probably a pretty large chunk of the people
voting disagree with that statement and might very well be offended by it?
I'd like to know if you plan to defend that statement, or if you're just going to flip
flop.
Thanks.
John, why would you think I would flip flop?
I've never flipped flopped before, and I like the question.
I don't get very many of them, but I'll just tell you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Has it been fair thus far?
I'll tell you, John, it's a setup question.
Our soldiers died in Vietnam in vain.
You can now, John, go to Hanoi and get a Baskin Robbins ice cream cone.
That's what you can do.
And now we have most favored nation trade.
What did all these people die for?
What are they dying for right now in Iraq every single day?
Let me tell you, there's only one thing worse than a soldier dying in vain.
It's more soldiers dying in vain.
After the debate, Gravel doesn't get as much media attention as the other candidates.
But he charms reporters with animated frank responses.
I'll tell you what, the Democratic Party is what a person wants to make it.
What I'm trying to do is make it responsible to the American people, and these people
are not.
Thank you.
And he charges the Boys and Girls Clubs of America $150,000 to make a speech.
You don't think that the Boys and Girls Clubs could use that money for Boys and Girls Clubs
rather than for Bill Clinton, who's a multi-millionaire, and Hillary, who's also a multi-millionaire.
I mean, praise.
Come on.
Be serious.
Be serious.
Be serious.
He also reinforces his campaign's primary purpose, the national initiative.
What my candidacy may do for you is to appoint you, that the answer is not with the government.
The answer is for you to become a lawmaker.
And I have codified legislation that will empower the people to make laws and partnership
with their elected officials.
It's called a national initiative.
And these people will even understand that.
Yeah, I think we've done enough damage.
Okay, fine.
Let's get out.
Although he's currently last among Democratic candidates in both funds and polls.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Okay.
Gravel remains optimistic.
If the American people really pay attention at a given point in time, I'll get elected.
If they don't, and they succumb to the glitziness, to the entertainment of politics, to the power
of the media that controls the information they receive, if they succumb to that, then
so be it.
And that's why I have a certain smile here over this.
It's going to be very surprised when all these pundits are proven wrong.
