The Presidential Candidates: Brian Holland

Asked by Project VoteSmart to name his personal hero, Holland named Huey Long, the Louisiana political strongman of the 1920s and 30s and the inspiration for the Willie Stark character in All the King's Men. Holland cited Long because "he simultaneously embodied everything both right and wrong with America." That makes the choosing look as interesting as the choice.

At his campaign website, Holland describes himself as "an American patriot and majority rights advocate." While one could argue that "majority rights advocate" might just be another way of saying you're a small-d democrat, you may have already guessed that Holland identifies the majority with a specific group of people. To clarify, he explains that he is "the first real pro White candidate in the nation to appear on a general election ballot! "

Holland "has a plan to return America to greatness." This involves no longer "acting as the world's caretaker." Beside pulling out of foreign entanglements, his "top priority is closing the borders and protecting the culture. Our programs would see the borders secured immediately, and anyone not wishing to become a part of our great nation's culture would be removed. America is a melting pot, not a "multi cultural" hodge podge. "

On Iraq, Holland presents himself as a moderate: "I did not support our invasion of Iraq to begin with, and I wish it had not happened. However, I have the sense to know that an immediate and complete withdrawal of forces would be disastrous. I would implement a timely and efficient plan to bring our brave men and women home from Iraq as soon as possible, and remove them from harm's way."

On economics, Holland largely restricts himself to feeling people's pain: "There are people who are having trouble making ends meet. There are people losing their homes. There are people so far in debt, they may think that they will never get back on their feet. These are the people who we should reach out to. Assistance should only be given to those who earn it. Those who make a living checking their mail boxes for a monthly check will need to look elsewhere, because America can no longer carry them." At Project VoteSmart, he supports across-the-board tax cuts, and would eliminate taxes for the lowest income levels.

Holland has been endorsed by the National Socialist Movement, of which he is a member, after a contentious process during which he has been accused of "splitting the White movement." I present the NSM program without comment. Holland's affiliation with a movement that espouses Adolf Hitler's fuehrerprinzip raises the question of the extent to which he'll be influenced by NSM Commander Jeff Schoep, but he's yet to make the equivalent of Mitt Romney's speech during the Republican primary season. Holland's main rival for leadership in the movement, John Taylor Bowles, reportedly suffered a heart attack last month, effectively leaving the field to Holland. One can only hope that his interest in Huey Long reflects some critical self-awareness on Holland's part.

Holland's campaign site promises some YouTube content. I found none, but it's possible that some was taken down recently. His site is otherwise somewhat up to date, the most recent press releases and blog entries dating from June. One of the recent press releases boasts that Holland is being listed by Project VoteSmart, but as any reader of this blog will affirm, getting listed there is no great mark of distinction. Still, it's a struggle for any independent to get a message out, so I won't begrudge Holland his milestone.