PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION 2000 - OFFICIAL CANDIDATES

William P. Kreml

While admitting that he has virtually no chance of winning the election, Kreml is nonetheless extremely serious about his campaign. Running as a Democrat from South Carolina, this Professor Emeritus of Political Science at the University of South Carolina has a respectable history as a political philosopher and advisor who has lectured extensively and has written 7 books in his area of expertise during the past 3 decades. He ran, unsuccessfully, for the Senate in 1980.

Long concerned about his perception that the U.S. government is fragmenting, Kreml focuses on campaign finance reform as his vital core issue. In his view, the United States is in danger of becoming an oligarchy, a government of a few powerful interests, rather than a representative democracy due to what he calls " Undemocratic Decentralization" - "...decentralization has permitted sub-governments to grow within the larger government that in turn accommodate only the most well-heeled, and well-placed interests. Undemocratic decentralization, in short, denotes a condition wherein the general public, voting for candidates and supporting political parties, has little impact on public policy. Decisions are made behind closed doors, large private interests short-circuiting the political system."

His 2000 presidential campaign is centered on an act of civil disobedience, deliberately designed to bring attention to the issues of campaign finance reform. In 1996, the Pulitzer Prize winning biographer of Franklin Roosevelt, James MacGregor Burns, pledged that if significant campaign finance reform did not occur, he would contribute $201 to a presidential campaign and Kreml, as the candidate, would publicize that contribution, but not report it to the Federal Election Commission. If all goes as planned, this will trigger both debate over and legal review of current legislation and give Kreml a forum in which to address his ongoing concerns.

Kreml has developed a brief agenda for campaign reform that deals with the well documented political contribution abuses of a) soft money, b) false issue advertising, and c) the availability of free television time. While a number of Independent candidates have also raised these same issues, Kreml's depth and breath of understanding and his longterm involvement within the Democratic party give him both the visibility and leverage to create a meaningful stir in political circles.

The only unfortunate thing about this campaign is that, as an academic, Kreml's approach and presentation are sufficiently scholarly that they will be over the head of the average voter. Thus this is a political insider's campaign. While his points are good and relevant, he is not doing much better at representing the mindset of the masses than the oligarchical forces he opposes.

CONFUSED BY ALL THE POLITICAL RHETORIC?
CAN'T DECIDE WHO TO VOTE FOR?

CLICK THE DARKHORSE FOR A BETTER WAY TO CHOOSE