Roseanne Barr – First Official Candidate for 2012 Presidential Election

Roseanne Barr is running for president. Apparently, this is an old story but I have just learned of it. Roseanne was on “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell” last week discussing her candidacy. I still have no idea whether to take her serious. She intermixed wonderfully articulate points in a tangential rambling fashion with no trace of humor. I really don’t know what to think. However, she is the first to officially declare her candidacy for the 2012 presidential election. Her platform, although delivered in an odd manner with strange choices of words, is actually pretty good. Running under the “Green Tea Party” ticket, she announced her candidacy in a lengthy speech back in August. She is also planning on running for prime minister of Israel at the same time, referring to it as a ‘two-fer.” That is one of the parts where you wonder if this is all a performance. She stated that by being a Jewish American, she is eligible.

Roseanne has a very ambitious and specific platform. She plans on delivering world peace in 30 days. Though not at all feasible, I like the idea of it. She plans on making war illegal and marijuana legal. Roseanne also said that she wants the federal government to forgive all student loans; my adamant belief for years now. In her speech, she also stated that she wanted to change the demographics of government. “Since women make up 53% of the population, as well as the work force, a MINIMUM of Green Tea Party leadership will be female, and given that one in six Americans lives in poverty, at least one sixth of the party’s officials will officially be poor (since generations of rich guys running things has only gotten us here).

As Congress people and senators, they will be able to become rich enough to eradicate their own poverty for generations, as well as that of those they represent simply by having access to public policy that decides where public money goes. They will simply direct public money TO THE PUBLIC, a novel idea and something which is not being done at all, ever. A small grant of 1500 dollars can enable a poor woman to start a business that can create wealth and jobs for as many as ten other people within two years.”
Roseanne believes she can accomplish all of this by cutting the Department of Defense spending for just a day. She was noticeably vague on other issues, such as the economy. When asked how she would improve it, she stated she would create jobs. Roseanne reported that there are experts who know just how to create jobs and she would utilize them. Sounds simple enough.

Most media outlets choose to ignore Roseanne, believing she is some nutty leftist. She may be a nutty leftist, but this is the only way we will ever get behind our two party system. You have to cover people like Roseanne and Jimmy McMillan (you know, the rent is just too damn high guy from New York) in the press equally with major political candidates. Instead the press will vilify these “others” by calling or alluding to their “craziness.” They did it to Dennis Kucinich and Ron Paul in the last election and they were both running for the political parties. It is time to give everyone a chance, even the “nutjobs” who don’t conform to the media’s standard for what a politician should be like. Rich, old white guys, as Roseanne pointed out, only got us into this mess. Maybe we need someone a little eccentric to get us out.