Convicted Felon Running in Democratic Primary

KSL-TV/February 24, 2004
By John Hollenhorst

One presidential candidate did show up in Utah today for the Democratic primary, but he was not allowed on the ballot. Many mainstream politicians consider him a dangerous extremist, and he can't even vote for himself because he's a convicted felon.

If the name Lyndon LaRouche rings a bell, it should. This is his eighth run for President. One time he even ran a campaign from his prison cell. Mainstream Democrats consider him an extremist with preposterous claims and bizarre opinions. Still, he has an amazing ability to raise money for his campaigns.

Lyndon Larouche, Presidential Candidate: "It's between John Kerry and me."

You'd think Democrats would be happy with a candidate who pulled in $7 million in campaign money and who has a fierce, although small, band of supporters. And he sure can go on the attack against Republicans, like Dick Cheney.

Lyndon LaRouche: "...Demanding that Cheney be ousted from the government now on the basis of his commitment of impeachable offenses..."

And he gives President Bush a pretty rough time on the economy.

Lyndon LaRouche: "We are now in the greatest crisis we've been in in more than a century."

But the thing about Lyndon LaRouche is he attacks almost all politicians vehemently, portraying them as part of a worldwide conspiracy involving Russian communists and bankers. LaRouche, who once claimed Queen Elizabeth leads an international drug cartel, has himself been attacked as a right-wing fascist anti-Semitic cult leader.

He says his critics disregard the truth and he had his own comments about politics of the day. John Kerry is an "office boy" for the bankers, he says. Democratic candidate Al Sharpton: "a joke, a real joke". Alan Greenspan: "...a lunatic who should not be allowed near a bank..." Vice President Dick Cheney: "...a child of Satan... a beast-man..." He even attacked actor Mel Gibson: "a really dangerous nut..." and his new movie about Jesus: "crazy" and 'dangerous."

As for President Bush?

Lyndon LaRouche: "This guy is too dumb to be elected!"

Larouche says his critics framed him in the 1980s on fraud charges. That was just after he says Ronald Reagan called off an assassination attempt by 100 armed men who surrounded his house.

Lyndon LaRouche: "They were coming in to get me overnight. I was supposed to be dead in the morning."

Democrats in Utah and some other states have kept LaRouche off the primary ballot. Officially it's because, as a convicted felon, he's not a registered voter. He says they have other reasons and have acted illegally.