|
Jackie Strike's "State of the Campaign" Address July 4th, 2000
It is nice, and I´m proud to be here. My Name is Jackie Strike. I am an independent candidate for the office of Presidency of the United States of America. I'm gonna be in the race. I'm in it to win. I stand as a just woman offering just means in my stand for humanity.
Before I begin, I would first like to thank you all for being here today to join in this momentous occasion. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank my team of official corporate volunteers. They have generously offered their precious time and talents to make my campaign possible. Each knows that in return for their efforts, I will not grant them political favors. Each of them understands that in contributing to my campaign, they are contributing to America.
I want to announce my senior staff members for communication and policy. Jackie Ickx, Dewey Cooper, Howard W. Campbell Jr. and Sonny Malone have all signed on to join my effort to capture the Presidency. I`m glad to be renewing my relationships with long-time friends like Jacky and Howard, and I am very excited to begin new alliances with immensely talented people like Sonny and Dewey.
Of course, no digital campaign would be worth its weight in hard drives without a Strategic Technical Advisory Board, which my good friend Mark Anderson leads with diligence and dedication. In equal esteem, I hold Elisabeth Osder, Chief of the Special Media Task Force for Miscellaneous Operations. Though all members of the Strike cabinet could not be here, they have helped bring me where I am today. It's good to have friends.
On this day, July 4th 1776, our forefathers called for a revolution. Today, we are calling for a strike: Jackie Strike. On this day 224 years ago, our forefathers declared indepence. Today, we are declaring the campaign of an independent candidate. The colonists cried out against the virtual representation of a governing body which served its own interests and disregarded the voices of its constituents. Today, we are virtually doing the same.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all people are created equal, that they are endowed with the rights of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, it is the Right of the People to call for change: to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles that will effect their Safety and Happiness.
They tell us, that we are weak; unable to cope with such formidable adversaries. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Why stand we here idle?
We are revolutionizing the way we communicate and share information. Thank God for the Internet. It is changing our political life, offering a way for people to connect with each other and with their candidates and elected leaders to share ideas and concerns. My website embraces that revolution. It will grow and expand with our campaign. The future of democracy is digital.
By the way, does it also strike you as more than merely coincidental that Gore and Bush recently began calling for Government offices to go online? Those who know me also know that that's a message I've been preaching for years.
I believe that the open, decentralized, user-controlled, and shared resource nature of the Internet creates unprecedented opportunities for enhancing democracy and civil liberties. Every American should have affordable access to the Internet. I believe that broad access to and use of the Internet enables greater citizen participation in democracy, promotes a diversity of views, and enhances civil society. Let us benefit from the democratic potential of today's open, decentralized global Internet. Together - on the Internet.
I want to be the president for a reason. I'm not just running to hold the office. I'm running for America to seize a moment, to take advantage of an opportunity. And we better take advantage of it.
One could say that it's a little late to start a presidential campaign…,that´s not true. Half a year on the Internet is equal to 2 years in the "analog" world. That's the time usual candidates need to prepare and carry out their campaigns. Fine with me. I've got a lot of better things to do than campaigning!
When you think about it, my campaign couldn't come at a better time. Take a look at the current political situation: with just over four months remaining before the November election, the campaign is not informing or engaging most Americans. Something is wrong when we are about to elect the person who should lead us into the next millennium, and recent polls show that only 25% of the population say they are paying attention to the campaign.
I believe in the words John Kennedy spoke at his inauguration, "ask not what your country can do for you ... ask what you can do for your country." I think everyone in this country can be great, because everyone can serve ! I'm calling out for people to get involved in Election 2000. The way things look, people are obviously satisfied with the alternatives. That's why I'm here: to offer an alternative.
I will raise my voice on behalf of those Americans who are not being heard, and offer my hand to those who have not been allowed to march in the great parade of American prosperity.
For those Americans who want a truly independent candidate who will be non-partisan in nature, motivated first and foremost to serve the best interests of the people and not some political party, I propose to offer a choice.
That is why I am running for President. It is up to voters as to whether they want to be empowered to have a choice. It will take tremendous effort among the people to make an independent candidate viable. I am merely making myself available. I am providing a choice for those who want it. It is up to the people whether or not they want choice. America was founded upon freedom of choice and it is my belief that Americans still want this freedom today.
If they don't, they will have no one to blame but themselves if they come out of the voting box in the next election saying "they had no choice" and feeling they selected "the lesser of two evils."
I, for one, want to have a choice, and I will not come out of the voting booth saying I had no choice. That is why I am running for President. Programs are important, but I think a judgment about the individual is the most important thing that people make when they're voting for this most personal of all offices.
I think we have reached a moment in which a kind of distinct articulation is needed, so that the American people can understand the real nature of the crisis, respond to it in terms of our allegiance to our basic principles, and then apply that in each area of policy, to get back to a road that is consistent with self-government.
I understand not everybody agrees with me. But that's not going to deter me from trying to set the right tone for America. A president can call upon the best of America. The president can lift the sights and spirits. My message is, Let's soar higher. People know that I'm an accomplished person, I do know how to lead, I don't micromanage, and I know how to set a tone. And that's what the next leader of America needs to do, is to set a positive tone for the country.
I think that we are able to breathe a lot freer in this country. A lot of good people are caught in a bad system. The only way to change that is to change the system. That's what I intend to do. I trust the American people to make the right choices, when we put them in that situation. Which is why I want to give them back control.
The American people ought to have the choices put before them, not filtered out by a bunch of oligarchs trying to keep them from hearing the truth. That's the stand I take, and it is the stand I will take. That is why my site serves as a platform for all voices to be heard, and to be heard unfiltered.
With Jackie Tours, we open the door to information sources and allow the people climb on board. There is so much to see and so many places to go on the internet. It is there that I also disclose myself, my friends, my inspirations. Jackie Strike has nothing to hide.
I will make every effort to advance the fulfillment of the need for "New Politics" that will create alliances across racial, economic and ideological lines, thus allowing us to act in the best interest of all. I think the issues that unite us are far greater than anything that could divide.
Citizens of more than fifty-five countries, including Malaysia, Sweden or Japan, have already shown their interest in me and prove the internationalization of the 2000 US presidential election. Jackie Strike Support Centers have been founded around the globe.
All people are welcome. In other words I'm inclusive. I want to bring people together. I want to see healing in this country, in terms of being able to work together, toward good things for America. There's a better way than trusting politicians in Washington to run this system, and that is to get it into the hands of the American people. If you keep the current system, you're going to be on the treadmill of breaking promises...
If you favor a continuation of the ongoing bipartisan sell-out of our national interests, then vote for George Bush, or vote for Al Gore. The purpose of an election is to enable the American people to change drivers and change directions if they so wish. If you want a real change of direction, you must never forget that to achieve victory, first you must seek it.
As people start to focus, I think they're going to realize that I have more substance in comparison to any other candidate, a good message of getting a real platform, a real agenda for the American people in a whole host of areas. As I said, I have nothing to hide. All of my speeches have been documented on the site, and are there for your review.
Soon, with the use of a new technology, each of you will soon be able to ask me questions directly on the site. Imagine that, the first candidate who is open to everyone's questions around the clock and around the calendar.
Mine is a grassroots campaign, and my strategy has been the same throughout - going out, reaching people, getting them to motivate the people that they know in their family and in their neighborhood, so that they will turn out at the voting booths. It is really people reaching people, in order to maximize the result in the turnout. We have been very effective in terms of getting good turnouts at all the events that we have had, and we are hoping that that will be the same when it comes to election time. It really depends on the efforts of the individuals who commit themselves to the Strike effort.
Today, we launch our volunteer supporter program. I welcome people to join in my volunteer supporter network, helping to spread the message of E-Democracy. I invite people to log on to www.jackiestrike.com and enroll in the Volunteer program. I invite the people to get involved.
Many people have asked, who I will choose as my running mate. Let me say this. It is my belief that hard work should be rewarded. For this reason, I will choose as my vice presidential nominee, the person achieving highest excellence in my supporter program.
Dear friends - from Alaska to Florida, from New Hampshire to California, from Michigan to Mississippi, and everything in between, I am profoundly grateful for your loyalty, your encouragement, your support, and, above all, your commitment to the cause.
I have no idea how many votes I will receive in November, 2000. But, even if the only vote I get were my own (of course I would be very disappointed if I didn't get it, not to mention Geoffrey´s), I would, nonetheless, be confident of the rightness of our cause and the need to pursue it with every resource at our command.
As best I can, I will seek to advance our cause and to encourage every American to learn anew America's heritage, to consider the fact that I am, indeed, America's future.
The people of this country are going to say they want Jackie Strike to be the president.
I'm ready to serve my country in The White House! I am ready for the task, are you?
Today you call me Jackie Strike. Tomorrow you might call me "Mrs. President". You can always call me "friend".
Thank you and may God bless you. And God Bless America.
back home >>
|
