Republican Fred Karger Becomes the First Official Candidate for President in 2012

    Unbeknownst to most, Wednesday, March 23^rd , 2011, marked the first official day of 2012 presidential campaign. While there is no denying that campaigning for the presidency began in earnest immediately following the 2010 midterm elections, and while a few potential candidates have created exploratory committees, only one person has gone from the exploratory stage, to an actual declaration of their candidacy. That person is Fred Karger.

Of course the name Fred Karger does not bring with it the level of recognition that a Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney or a  Sarah Palin, bring to the table so the media has largely let this hallmark event go unnoticed. Nonetheless, Karger’s official filing of his candidacy with the Federal Election Commission makes him the first 2012 presidential aspirant to officially throw his hat in the ring and put his name on the line.

The lack of national name ID that Fred Karger has, certainly makes him unique in a developing field of better known names but what makes Fred even more unique is the fact that after declaring his candidacy with the FEC, he has made history as the nation’s first openly gay candidate for President in either of the major political Parties. Another thing unique about Fred is the way in which he declared candidacy. While many make such announcements with balloon drops, bands, grandiose backdrops and great flare and pomp and circumstance, Fred subtly dedicated his announcement to the 6 teenagers who took their lives this past fall because they were bullied for who they were.

While Candidate Karger intends to run on a broad range of issues, he is not letting the fact that he is gay go unnoticed. And not just for the novelty of it, but for the opportunity to “send a message to anyone who is gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or queer, that you can do anything you want to do in this country. You can even run for President of the United States.”

Fred Karger understands that he will probably have a harder time running for President than any of his more recognized opponents. He knows that being both gay and an outsider, he may be written off by some and that he may not be permitted in many of the officials debate. As such, he will fight all the more for his rightful place in the primary and election process, because he understands that his campaigns has a taken on a role that is symbolic of the type of societal sidelining and ostracizing of individuals who do not conform to the box that many segments of so-called mainstream America, fit in to. He understands that like the Tyler Clememtis of the world, he will be made to feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. But he also understands that confronting such sentiments in a very public campaign for the highest office in the land, can help set an example for many and offer hope to many others.

In a recent one-on-one interview with White House 2012, Fred told us that he would like to help shape the debate and bring back optimism and hope to al Americans. Today he begun that mission. A mission which is worthy of our attention, even if the mainstream media is not yet willing to give it to him.

White House 2012 will soon be releasing a second part of that exclusive interview with Fred Karger. Part I can be found here.