The Presidential Candidates: Earnest Lee Easton

At first I was impressed by the fact that Easton has advanced degrees in political science. In that field, he may have the best academic credentials of any presidential candidate since Woodrow Wilson. This Vietnam veteran is also apparently a seasoned campaigner, 2008 being his fourth run for the White House. Unfortunately, he's running a limited campaign, having no website of his own. Worse, I checked out the "Additional Biographical Information" at Project VoteSmart.

Here are some more of Easton's credentials: "Named as one of the world's foremost thinkers by the International Biographical Center, Cambridge, England, 2000. Named as one of two thousand outstanding intellectuals of the twentieth century by the International Biographical in Cambridge, England, 2000. Honored as hero 1994-2005. Honored as hero in civilian life 1994-2005- Heroic Commendations every year from year 1994 to year 2005. Eleven years of heroic commendations. Heroic citizen honored as hero on local and national levels."

See here for the significance of the International Biographical Center. As for Easton's heroism, it'd be helpful to know who was honoring him, but the man himself isn't telling. Meanwhile, his major published works seem to be volumes of poetry appreciation, written as Sir Professor Earnest Lee Easton. That doesn't mean that he doesn't have a political philosophy, of course. In fact, he crammed it onto his Project VoteSmart biographical entry.

Explaining why he's running for office, Easton writes: "The strength of our merit system is endangered. The strength of our merit system is being destroyed. The universities and colleges are supporting less qualified and less talented persons over more qualified and more talented persons thus destroying the country. People are not obeying the constitution. Must not disregard constitution to get at a problem which competent and qualified individuals can eliminate working within the boundaries of our constitution."

Easton intends to eliminate many national problems with his Free Enterprise Democracy Philosophy. His priorities are to eliminate budget deficits, reduce the national debt, restore American banks to international pre-eminence and crack down on job absenteeism. Like a Gilded Age Republican, he caters to veterans, promising them enhanced benefits. He wants to reform the system of reporting credit ratings, suggesting that credit agencies themselves should reach a certain threshold of credibility before they're allowed to publish clients' ratings. He also wants the government to "promote heterosexuality."

Taking the Project VoteSmart "Political Courage Test," Easton stakes his positions on more conventional issues. He'll take U.S. troops out of Iraq, adding that, for the time being, "An Administration in Iraq should be following the principles of the United States constitution. Troops in Iraq are in position to have United States constitution control Iraq. Administrative people in Iraq should be following principles of constitution." He'll also pull out of Afghanistan while recommending more activism in Africa. He opposes the formation of a Palestinian state.
He'll increase defense spending while increasing taxes apart from income, establish universal health care, and crack down on illegal immigration.

I've found no evidence apart from Project VoteSmart and one interview in a Philadelphia newspaper that Easton is waging an active campaign. I'm not necessarily one to judge on this point, but it looks as if Easton isn't really making full use of his education. This is really all you have to judge him on, so make the most of it.