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==Personal life==
==Personal life==
McMillan is single, has two adult children and a daughter (age 37 as of 2010) whom McMillan claims developed disabilities as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange. One of his sons (age 31 as of 2010).<ref name="bn94"/> McMillan served in the [[United States Army]] during the [[Vietnam War]]. After his time in Vietnam, he briefly spent time in the 1970s as an R&B recording artist; he claims to have spent a brief time at [[Brunswick Records]] before leaving the label to do independent work.<ref>Freedlander, David (2010-12-09). [http://www.observer.com/2010/politics/jimmy-mcmillan-take-rent-too-damn-high-stage Jimmy McMillan to Take The Rent Is Too Damn High to the Stage]. New York Observer. Retrieved 2010-12-10.</ref> McMillan graduated from [[Barkley Private Security Investigations Academy]] prior to 1993.<ref name="trlt"/> He currently resides in the [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]] section of [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]].
McMillan is single, has two adult children and a daughter (age 37 as of 2010) whom McMillan claims developed disabilities as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange. McMillan served in the [[United States Army]] during the [[Vietnam War]]. After his time in Vietnam, he briefly spent time in the 1970s as an R&B recording artist; he claims to have spent a brief time at [[Brunswick Records]] before leaving the label to do independent work.<ref>Freedlander, David (2010-12-09). [http://www.observer.com/2010/politics/jimmy-mcmillan-take-rent-too-damn-high-stage Jimmy McMillan to Take The Rent Is Too Damn High to the Stage]. New York Observer. Retrieved 2010-12-10.</ref> McMillan graduated from [[Barkley Private Security Investigations Academy]] prior to 1993.<ref name="trlt"/> He currently resides in the [[Flatbush, Brooklyn|Flatbush]] section of [[Brooklyn]], [[New York City]].


According to an interview with the ''New York Times'', McMillan does not currently pay rent on his apartment and he has not done so since the 1980s but pays with maintenance services provided to the landlord. His landlord apparently allows him to reside in his apartment for free in [[barter|exchange]] for performing maintenance work on his apartment building. He had previously told the ''Wall Street Journal'' that he pays rent of $800 a month for his apartment, but told the ''New York Times'' that he definitely did not pay rent. He pays the rent for his unemployed son's apartment, which is $900 per month under current rent controls.<ref>{{cite news|author=Sarah Maslin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/nyregion/20rent.html |title=Opposing Excessive Rent, but Vague About His Own |publisher=New York Times|date=2010-10-19 |accessdate=2010-10-27}}</ref>
According to an interview with the ''New York Times'', McMillan does not currently pay rent on his apartment and he has not done so since the 1980s but pays with maintenance services provided to the landlord. His landlord apparently allows him to reside in his apartment for free in [[barter|exchange]] for performing maintenance work on his apartment building. He had previously told the ''Wall Street Journal'' that he pays rent of $800 a month for his apartment, but told the ''New York Times'' that he definitely did not pay rent. He pays the rent for his unemployed son's apartment, which is $900 per month under current rent controls.<ref>{{cite news|author=Sarah Maslin|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/20/nyregion/20rent.html |title=Opposing Excessive Rent, but Vague About His Own |publisher=New York Times|date=2010-10-19 |accessdate=2010-10-27}}</ref>

Revision as of 15:25, 23 March 2011

For other people named James McMillan (disambiguation)|James McMillan, see James McMillan (disambiguation).
Jimmy McMillan
McMillan in Brooklyn, New York
BornDecember 1, 1946[1] (age 64)
Other namesJimmy Mack, The Black Hulk Hogan, Papa Smurf, Santa Claus on Venus, Rambo
Occupation(s)Karate expert, private investigator, former postal worker
Known forPerennial candidate, founding the Rent is Too Damn High Party
Political partyRent Is Too Damn High Party* (2005–present)
Democratic (1994–2011)
Republican (2011–present)
*Not officially qualified
Websitehttp://rentistoodamnhigh.org

James McMillan (born December 1, 1946),[1] also known as Jimmy Mack,[2] The Black Hulk Hogan,[3] Papa Smurf,[4] Santa Claus on Venus[5] and Rambo,[6] is an American karate expert, former postal worker, private investigator, Vietnam War veteran, perennial candidate, and political activist from Brooklyn, New York. He is best known as the founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, a New York-based political party. McMillan has run for office at least six times since 1993, including in the 2010 New York gubernatorial election on the "Rent Is 2 Damn High" line.[7][8] He declared on December 23, 2010 that he would run in the 2012 U.S. presidential election as a Republican.[9]

Political career

Early campaigns

McMillan's first run for political office came in 1993, when he ran for Mayor of New York as an Independent on the Rent Is Too Damn High ticket. In the course of that campaign, McMillan was at one point tied to a tree and doused with gasoline;[2] he would later climb the Brooklyn Bridge and refuse to come down from it unless television stations broadcast his message.[6] He was ultimately disqualified from the ballot for coming 300 petition signatures short of the 7,500 needed to qualify for the general election ballot.

McMillan next ran for governor of New York in 1994 by traveling from his home in Brooklyn through upstate New York to Buffalo on foot, staying in homeless shelters along the way; his original itinerary had him walking back to Brooklyn as well, but an injury in Rochester led to him taking a bus home.[10] When he arrived in Buffalo, the site of the state Democratic convention, McMillan disrupted a speech by incumbent governor Mario Cuomo at the convention and was thrown out because of it.[11] After failing to collect enough signatures to get onto the ballot, he continued in a write-in campaign.

McMillan was removed from the ballot during the 2000 U.S. Senate election in New York.[4]

McMillan qualified for the November general election ballot for mayor of New York City in 2005 and 2009.[12][13] In 2005, he received over 4000 votes[14] (.03% of the total vote). In 2009, he received 2615 votes.[15]

Gubernatorial campaigns

McMillan's significant media coverage spawned imitators, such as these two men at the Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear in Washington, D.C.

McMillan received 13,355 votes in the 2006 gubernatorial election, fifth place in a field of six candidates.[16]

McMillan filed petitions to appear on the Democratic primary ballot and the Rent Is Too Damn High line. However, McMillan put very little effort into the Democratic petitions, and the vast majority of the 13,350 signatures bearing his name were collected by Randy Credico, who had partnered with McMillan for a joint Democratic petition.[17] Credico had counted on McMillan to collect 10,000 signatures to put his total at over 20,000, above the 15,000 required to get onto the ballot, but McMillan never followed through, leaving both candidates short of the necessary signatures to force a Democratic primary. Credico, in response, called McMillan a "jack-off" and a "sorry ass," accusing him of "working against me," "turn[ing] in a wagonload of blank pages and then [leaving] Albany in brand new automobiles."[18] McMillan did file the necessary signatures to get onto the "Rent Is 2 Damn High" line; the petitions were technically invalid because they did not include a lieutenant governor candidate, but McMillan was allowed onto the ballot anyway because nobody challenged the petitions. During an appearance at a 2010 gubernatorial debate in which McMillan figured prominently, he stated his views on gay marriage, by saying "The Rent Is Too Damn High Party believes that if you want to marry a shoe, I'll marry you." McMillan garnered a surprising 40,000 votes, compared to winning Andrew Cuomo's 2.5 million and GOP contender Carl Paladino's 1.4 million. McMillan gained almost as many votes as Libertarian Party candidate Warren Redlich with 45,000 votes, and more than double that of Freedom Party candidate Charles Barron.[19][20][21][22][23][24]

Regarding his use of black gloves during the debate, "I’m a war vet," McMillan said. "Don’t forget I was in Vietnam for two and half years and I have three Bronze Stars, but the chemicals of Agent Orange -- dioxin and a lot of other chemicals mixed up -- I would get sick. When I get home tonight, I know I’m not going to be able to breathe if I take them off. It could be psychological, I don’t know, but I just put em on and wear them anyway."[25]

2012 presidential campaign

McMillan was a registered member of the Democratic Party.[26] On December 23, 2010 however, he said that he would run as a Republican in the 2012 U.S. presidential election, to avoid a primary challenge from President Barack Obama. He believes that his greatest political strengths include a mastery of social media, an ability to pinch pennies, and inimitable political vision.[27] McMillan appeared at the Conservative Political Action Conference in February 2011.[28]

Political positions

McMillan's political positions contain heavy influence from populist principles. The Rochester Democrat and Chronicle described his 1994 platform as such: "While McMillan said he hopes to be a spokesman for the poor in his bid for Governor, his solutions make him sound more like a Republican."[10]

  • McMillan has come out against federal bailouts, specifically the Wall Street Bailout of 2008 and the Obama Administration's bailout of General Motors. Referencing the bailout and his presidential run, he said of Obama: "If you don't do your job right, I am coming at you."[29]
  • McMillan believes that global warming is a natural occurrence that occurs every 15,000 years. He disputes the idea that is caused by man and pollution, saying he "isn't buying [the] punk science" of Al Gore.
  • McMillan said in the 2010 gubernatorial debate he would allow marriage between a person and a shoe.[30][31][32]
  • McMillan, as founder of the Rent Is Too Damn High Party, is against high rent and property taxes for homeowners. He believes that lowering rent and cutting taxes will ease financial stress and help eradicate hunger and poverty, as well as raise tax revenue. He surmises that reducing rent would "create 3 to 6 million jobs", though does not explain how. He also favors tax credits for commuters.[33][34]
  • McMillan and the party are in favor of writing off all taxes owed to the state, consolidating the rent boards in New York, seizure of unoccupied apartment buildings, reforming the state court system, and free college tuition.[33][34]
  • McMillan is in favor of having fixed rate of low rent across America, which would be the same regardless of property value. He states that adjusting the rent for property value "is a bunch of crap" and "a scheme to run out the poor."
  • McMillan supports allowing laws to be influenced by Christianity. His website states that "we need more reliance on the moral laws brought by religion and not limit out goodwill to our neighbors and co-workers to what the law demands alone." He also spoke of "restoring family values" and making sure that one parent remains at home to watch children.[35]
  • McMillan and the party oppose any spending cuts to education or elderly care services.[33][34]
  • McMillan has called for investigations of, and has sought to increase awareness of, fraud and Ponzi schemes in the real estate markets.[36]
  • Of his potential Republican opponents for the Presidential nomination, he thinks of Newt Gingrich as a "good liar" in the vein of John Edwards and that "people look at him and laugh," Mitt Romney as a "good-looking guy [that] will keep the ladies from looking at me." He has also stated that he loves Sarah Palin[37] and holds an extremely negative view of New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg.[38]

Personal life

McMillan is single, has two adult children and a daughter (age 37 as of 2010) whom McMillan claims developed disabilities as a result of his exposure to Agent Orange. McMillan served in the United States Army during the Vietnam War. After his time in Vietnam, he briefly spent time in the 1970s as an R&B recording artist; he claims to have spent a brief time at Brunswick Records before leaving the label to do independent work.[39] McMillan graduated from Barkley Private Security Investigations Academy prior to 1993.[36] He currently resides in the Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City.

According to an interview with the New York Times, McMillan does not currently pay rent on his apartment and he has not done so since the 1980s but pays with maintenance services provided to the landlord. His landlord apparently allows him to reside in his apartment for free in exchange for performing maintenance work on his apartment building. He had previously told the Wall Street Journal that he pays rent of $800 a month for his apartment, but told the New York Times that he definitely did not pay rent. He pays the rent for his unemployed son's apartment, which is $900 per month under current rent controls.[40]

Portrayals

McMillan was portrayed by Kenan Thompson on Saturday Night Live. McMillan praised the portrayal, saying that "that put me over the top... this election is over. Jimmy gonna win it."[41]

References

  1. ^ a b Ellen Delaney (2010-10-19). "Jimmy McMillan of Rent is Too Damn High Party Steals NY Governor Debate". sportsinteraction.com. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  2. ^ a b Parente, Michele (1993-06-25). "A Political Attack? Would-be mayor tied to tree." New York Newsday.
  3. ^ O'Donnell, Lawrence. "The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 10/19/2010- MSNBC". Youtube.com. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
  4. ^ a b Murphy, Jarrett. "Papa Smurf Runs for Mayor". Village Voice. October 6, 2005
  5. ^ Seiler, Casey (2010-11-01). Jimmy McMillan, online pitchman. Times Union (Albany, NY). Retrieved 2010-11-01.
  6. ^ a b Raftery, Tom and Miguel Garcilazo (1993-10-27). "'Rambo' jams up B'klyn Bridge." New York Daily News.
  7. ^ "Rent Is Too Damn High Party Candidate For Governor Jimmy McMillan On 'Inside City Hall'". NY1 Online. October 14, 2010.
  8. ^ Miller, David Lee. "Cuomo, Paladino Play it Straight in a 7-Candidate Free-For-All Debate in New York". Foxnews.com. October 18, 2010.
  9. ^ "Jimmy McMillan Of 'The Rent Is Too Damn High Party' Announces Presidential Bid". Huffingtonpost.com. December 23, 2010.
  10. ^ a b Claflin, Blair (1994-05-11). "Hopeful is running-- and walking: McMillan is no shoe-in for Governor." Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.
  11. ^ Cardinale, Anthony (1994). "Unorthodox candidate still campaigning hard for governor." The Buffalo News.
  12. ^ "IPOWER". Mcmillan09.org. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  13. ^ "Jimmy McMillan, Mayor". NBC New York. 2009-08-26. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  14. ^ "STATEMENT AND RETURN REPORT FOR CERTIFICATION: General Election 2005, Crossover - All Parties and Independent Bodies" (PDF). vote.nyc.ny.us. 2005-11-08.
  15. ^ "Online: 2009 NYC General Election Returns". NY1. 2010-03-30. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  16. ^ http://www.elections.state.ny.us/NYSBOE/elections/2006/general/2006_gov.pdf
  17. ^ Katz, Celeste (2010-07-18). NYS Dems Party Chair: Randy Credico & Co. Fail Petition Test: Update ». New York Daily News. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  18. ^ Credico, Randy (2010-08-18). Congratulations, Chuck! You've knocked me off the Democratic primary ballot. The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2010-10-23.
  19. ^ http://newsone.com/nation/associatedpress3/jimmy-mcmillan-rent-is-too-damn-high-candidate-gets-40000-votes-for-n-y-gov/. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help) After the debate, McMillan garnered significant attention from the media.
  20. ^ "The 'other guys' win points at gubernatorial debate". Newsday.com. 2010-10-18. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  21. ^ "Jimmy McMillan, 'Rent Is Too Damn High' candidate for NY governor, calls campaign a 'revolution'". Nydailynews.com. 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  22. ^ "Anti-high-rent candidate becoming folk star". usatoday.com. 2010-10-19. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  23. ^ Capehart, Jonathan (2010-10-19). "PostPartisan - Move over, Carl Paladino. Jimmy McMillan has arrived". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  24. ^ "Rent Is Too Damn High candidate steals show at N.Y. gubernatorial debate". Detroit Free Press. 2010-10-19. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  25. ^ "Jimmy McMillan's Debate Gloves Explained". Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
  26. ^ "Jimmy McMillan Is Not A Registered Member of The Rent Is Too Damn High Party | The New York Observer". Observer.com. 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  27. ^ Wing, Nick. "Jimmy McMillan Of 'The Rent Is Too Damn High Party' Announces Presidential Bid". Huffingtonpost.com. December 23, 2010.
  28. ^ Benjamin, Elizabeth (2011-02-11). McMillan at CPAC. State of Politics. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
  29. ^ Wing, Nick."Jimmy McMillan Of 'The Rent Is Too Damn High Party' Announces Presidential Bid". Huffingtonpost.com. December 23, 2010.
  30. ^ http://gawker.com/5667450/meet-jimmy-mcmillan-founder-and-ceo-of-the-rent-is-2-damn-high-party
  31. ^ Mark W. Watson says: (2010-10-19). ""Rent is Too Damn High" Party Candidate Steals NY Governors' Debate (Video) | Yes, But, However!". Yesbuthowever.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  32. ^ "Autostraddle — Riese's Team Pick: Jimmy McMillan for The Rent is Too Damn High Party". Autostraddle.com. 2010-10-20. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  33. ^ a b c "Jimmy McMillan Has But One Message, People... Updated x 2". Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2010-10-21.
  34. ^ a b c McMillan, Jimmy. The Official Rent Is Too Damn High Platform. Retrieved 2010-12-01.
  35. ^ "The Anti-Defamation Page". Jimmymcmillan.org. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  36. ^ a b McMillan, Jimmy (2010-02). The Road Less Traveled. Retrieved 2011-01-24.
  37. ^ "Jimmy McMillan: Sarah Palin, 'I Love You'". Huffingtonpost.com. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  38. ^ David Goodman (2011-01-29). "Newsmaker Interview: Jimmy 'Rent Is Too Damn High' McMillan". Aolnews.com. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  39. ^ Freedlander, David (2010-12-09). Jimmy McMillan to Take The Rent Is Too Damn High to the Stage. New York Observer. Retrieved 2010-12-10.
  40. ^ Sarah Maslin (2010-10-19). "Opposing Excessive Rent, but Vague About His Own". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-27.
  41. ^ Amira, Dan (2010-10-25). Jimmy McMillan's reaction to SNL pardody: 'Election over'. New York Magazine. Retrieved 2010-10-25.

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