I wrote this 18 months ago.  We now have two candidates for the national parties.  My hope is that as the blog goes out of circulation, all of us will actively involve ourselves in one party or the other and participate in the democracy. -- Bryan

My name is Bryan Keith Fair. I would like to announce my candidacy for the Presidency of the United States, but, for myriad reasons, I cannot.

First, I cannot afford it. I am not a multi-millionaire. I would need others’ money and, if I took it, they might expect me to carry their views into the White House. I would not sell my principles to anyone for any sum.

Second, despite my lifelong commitment to justice for all and the Democratic Party, I cannot gain my party’s nomination. In fact, I probably could not garner enough petition signatures to appear on any State’s ballot. I am simply one of the millions of Yellow Dog Democrats, the backbone of the Party, that no one really knows. I am also an African American and no one of my ethnic ancestry has ever been elected President.

Third, the national government is broken, its basic system of checks and balances among the branches has been too often ignored, and the winner-take-all Electoral College procedure makes it almost impossible for an outsider candidate to win.

Fourth, the Congress has misplaced its compass, accomplishing very little lately. The Executive has trampled the Constitution, disregarding basic civil liberties. And the Supreme Court has become the most partisan branch. Moreover, national spending and trade imbalances are at record highs. More Americans live in poverty and more children end each day hungry. Too many Americans are without health insurance and essential medicines. Incumbents will not fix these problems and they don’t want an outsider threatening the system by which they were elected.

Fifth, the national government has squandered American lives in an unprovoked war that can never be won, has created more enemies of our people and government, and has increased the likelihood of more attacks on Americans for decades to come. The government is spending hundreds of billions of dollars to fund a leadership change in a nation full of rival religious factions and zealots that hate each other and that hate us. Because I criticize our current policies, some Americans would consider me unpatriotic and ill-suited for office.

Sixth, the national parties have not done a good job identifying nominees with the personality, diplomacy skills, and the vision necessary to be great world leaders.

Seventh, I would level with the American people and tell them about the economic, political, and social trouble ahead, unless we change course. And most Americans would not believe me or would not want to hear such bad news. My message would not resonate with them and they would vote for someone else. I could go on and on.

It is really unfortunate though because I have a great name for the job, President Fair. Also, no one would work harder and no one cares more about American citizens or global despair and conflict. Plus, I have studied the amazing American Constitution for almost two decades. The President cannot help fix the national government unless the President respects it constitutional commands.

If circumstances were otherwise, I would join Vilsack, Edwards, Obama, Clinton, Kerry, Bayh, Sharpton, among others, to bring a new candor and honesty to the race and to bring simple ideas back into policy debates. The only promise that President Fair would make is to work hard every day on problems of average Americans. I could make many recommendations to the Congress and I could encourage the country to move in certain directions, but unless I completely abuse the power of the office, my greatest power would be to persuade you and your representatives in Congress to support my initiatives.

If I could run, my platform would focus on basic domestic policies. I would recommend A Newer Deal, a series of initiatives designed to help Americans at home to eliminate extreme poverty; to improve reading and math literacy among children ages 3-8; to expand public educational opportunities and aid for all students who maintain passing grades; to upgrade public housing and to expand homeownership among lower and middle income Americans; to ensure all Americans access to adequate health care services and needed medicines; to expand vocational training programs in new technologies so that more Americans can compete for higher paying employment; and, to promote cleaner, alternative energy sources. All of my proposals would seek to create new wealth among average Americans, not simply those in the top income groups. I would try to convince you that if we did these things, our whole nation would rise again.

Of course, I would also tell you that my plans would require significant federal cuts elsewhere. President Fair would review every item of the federal budget and ask how the item advances the common interests of the people of the Unites States. I would ask is each item essential and should it be paid for by the national government, by local government, by private commercial interests, or some combination of these parties. I would recommend complete audits of defense, corporate welfare, social security, and the American Space Program spending to determine how each dollar is spent and whether we could accomplish greater personal and national security through new strategies. My goal through these audits would be to spend less, achieve a better quality of life for more Americans, and to make the national government accountable for every dollar it takes from you in taxes.

Foreign policy initiatives would be secondary to domestic ones. President Fair’s foreign policy would have two primary goals: domestic security and international diplomacy tethered to humanitarian aid. Our nation should support the United Nations or work to create a better international organization to help resolve international conflicts.

President Fair would try to persuade you that our nation should apologize to the Iraqi people for attacking and destroying their country, for killing unknown thousands of Iraqi civilians, for torturing prisoners of war, and for worsening the daily violence in their lives. I would apologize to all Americans, especially those families who have lost loved ones in Iraq. I would renounce the alleged justifications for the Iraq war, admit how badly the war was planned, and accept that the war is illegal under existing international law. I would recommend a complete withdrawal of American forces from Iraq, except for those who might be part of an international U.N. peacekeeping delegation. Moreover, I would recommend deploying American troops only for defensive purposes and only after full efforts through international diplomacy. And, as Commander-in-Chief, I would not send new recruits or weekend reservists into combat zones.

I am sorry I cannot run. Perhaps you have thought about it. If so, I wonder what policies you would promote, if elected?