I’m not an American, and not very savvy when it comes to US politics so I confess I don’t understand all the hype, gritty determination, and effort that go into making a stance as a US Presidential Candidate for 2016.
I leave that to people like Tom Ufert, who’s tough enough to tackle such a venture. I know Tom mainly through the writing community as he’s also a best-selling author.
Who is Tom Ufert?
Author, Political Commentator, and Announced US Presidential Candidate
Divine reporter, Shanella McBeth, was recently in touch with Tom on a one to one basis for Divine Magazine to ask him about his campaign and about how he thought he could make a difference to the American people. The interview below will hopefully answer any questions you might have. Tom Ufert appears to be a man who likes to challenge the status quo; who rattles cages and opens doors and tells it like it is.
We are privileged both to have Shanella giving her account of their talk together and to have Tom appear on the site putting across his point of view. We wish Tom all the best in the campaign and are happy to do our bit to have his voice heard.
Shanella Mc Beth Interview
“When Choosing A Presidential Candidate From Either Party Feels More Like Having A Root Canal”
How many presidential candidates are running for election in 2016? Over 500.
Yes. There are over 500 presidential hopefuls among just the Democratic, Republican and Independent parties alone which pretty much guarantees that there are candidates whose names you’ve never heard of, all of whom are seeking recognition, opportunities to explain their campaigns and inform the American people about their platforms.
A growing number of Americans are quickly becoming aware of the progressive independent senator from Vermont, Bernie Sanders whose campaign in recent weeks appears to have strengthened in its viability. Senator Sanders currently stands as the most formidable opponent to Hillary Clinton within the democratic party as her numbers continue to decline while his are steadily on the rise. Despite her large lead the gap is narrowing rapidly between the two candidates.
Senator Sanders is often accused of having ‘radicalized’ ideals, in terms of his politics and ideas about what’s best for our nation. He’s a proponent for revolutionizing our entire political regime. However, what you’re probably not aware of is that there’s a man in Texas who’s also pretty radical himself. And in his own unique way feels just as passionately about reclaiming our American democracy as does Senator Bernie Sanders. His name is Tom Ufert and he agrees that it’s time for a political revolution.
“The status quo isn’t working,” Mr. Ufert claims. Mr. Ufert is an independent civilian from Texas with a pronounced resume. The 49 year old received his bachelor’s of arts degree in political science and history from Centenary College of Louisiana. He is also a Rotary International Graduate Fellow who attended Australian National University in Canberra, ACT while specializing in East Asian political affairs and was a White House Fellow nominee.
He has served on both sides of the aisle for political campaigns and was found highly valuable to former Louisiana Governor Charles Roemer, Henson Moore the former assistant chief of staff for U.S Vice President George H.W. Bush and the current U.S. Trade Ambassador Ron Kirk. Among his other affiliations, such as Phi Alpha Theta and Sigma Tau Delta, Mr. Ufert has worked heavily as a volunteer for a number of AIDS charities in his community and served as the community affairs liaison for the Legacy Founders Cottage, a small special care facility that cares for those living with AIDS who are in the critical stages of their illness and require 24-hour specialized care.
Mr. Ufert announced his bid for the White House on Memorial Day and is running a very non-traditional campaign, a protest campaign as he describes it. The ‘None Of The Above’ campaign or NOTU (a play on the candidate’s first and last initial hence the ‘TU’) seeks to give Americans who are displeased and dissatisfied with the current politics of both major parties an opportunity to make a stand without actually withholding their vote entirely. Voting for Tom Ufert will give Americans a method of protesting and demonstrating their disdain for the current political candidates and their politics.
Mr. Ufert has asked, “If you don’t agree with either party and you don’t like any of the candidates what is your option?” According to his view, and the vision of his campaign, you can vote for him which is better than not having your vote count at all. You should know, however, that if he wins, he plans on refusing the presidency.
Yes. You heard that right.
And here’s why. Mr. Ufert is stoically living with a myriad of health conditions that he believes would limit or affect his endurance and ability to maintain the vigorous work demands of a president of the United States. He believes that his afflictions may undermine his ability to be a strong leader.
Tom Ufert has overcome a lot of challenges. He’s a homosexual quadriplegic also afflicted with three different disabilities that in my opinion would make him a more compassionate and empathetic leader. He would also resonate with and act as a vocal conduit for a marginalized and often unheard and underrepresented segment of our society: our disabled. The rigors of a presidential term could most certainly take a toll on him, however his mind and spirit are sound and his political aspirations are just as ambitious.
So then what’s the point you say. Mr. Ufert is running as a citizen candidate which gives Americans the option of running for a seasoned legislator rather than a career politician. If his campaign wins, because it’s a protest vote, his refusal to accept the presidency would “cause a constitutional crisis that will force a new election that the other two political parties would have to deal with”, which is definitely a revolutionary stance indeed.
Okay. So let’s say I’m for the protest. What are his campaign positions?
Just to name a few, Mr. Ufert intends to deny any PAC/ corporate campaign donations and, in fact, all personal campaign donations are limited to $100. Any leftover donations will be donated to charity. He’s a write In candidate that will advocate for and support a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United, a Supreme Court ruling in 2010 which prohibited government from restricting independent political spending by nonprofit organizations, a decision that essentially opened the floodgates for outside groups and corporations with special interests to donate vasts amounts of money to influence political candidates and campaigns.
Mr. Ufert is also an advocate for congressional term limits, believing instead that there should be a ten year period rather than two years before candidates who leave office are able to work as lobbyists. “Elected officials when they leave office would not be able to sign up as lobbyists or consultants. That way there is a further distance between them using their connections for their own political gain.”
Other items on his agenda to address during his campaign are those of education and tax reform, job creation and foreign policy issues such as the Middle East and our stand against ISIS. Mental health policy has become a newer part of his agenda as well.
In addition to running for presidency, Mr. Ufert is also an accomplished author who has written several books about politics. His latest book, ‘Political Craps’, influenced by his work as a former political insider encourages politicians and voters alike to be accountable and to educate ourselves on the issues and how our political system works. Following him on social media will keep you informed and updated on the specifics of his campaign and platform as well as keep you abreast of his latest projects.
At a time of political unrest, voiced by the dissatisfied cries from the people of our nation, rather than taking the passive approach of choosing between the lesser of two evils, why not take the radical approach and vote for “None Of The Above”?
Divine: Thanks so much to Shanella and Tom for this truly interesting interview
There are many places Tom can be found, and you can see some of them below.
http://tomufert.com/american-politics-needs-an-enema/
Tom recently appeared on the radio with Global Newsmaker Focus and you can listen to the podcast here:
Global Newsmaker Focus
Various articles
Confederate Flag Debate
A More Perfect Union
Strategy Against Isis
Links to Tom’s best-selling books
Barnes & Noble link for the latest book, Political Craps
Amazon.com page with links to Political Craps and Tom’s other books
