The Battle of Aspen
Encyclopedia
"The Battle of Aspen" was an article published in Rolling Stone
#67, dated October 1, 1970 and written by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
. The cover of the magazine ran the teaser "Freak Power in the Rockies", and the article was later reprinted in The Great Shark Hunt
with that same title.
The article's subject is the 1969 mayoral election in Aspen, Colorado
, in particular the candidacy of Joe Edwards, a lawyer, 'biker' and non-conformist resident of Aspen. It also details the Freak Power platform Thompson himself was to adopt while running for Sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado
the subsequent year.
s', 'heads', and 'dropout
s' from the surrounding areas - Freak Power, as it was dubbed. Thompson, who became de-facto campaign manager
for Edwards during the race, devotes much of the article to the local politics of Aspen and the entrenched politicians it supports. Simultaneously a screed against politicians who sacrifice the quality of life
of their constituents for short term gain or notoriety, and an outline of optimism regarding the possibility of the marginalized to take power, the article details the campaign from its inception through the run-up to election and ends with a consideration of the results and the impact they may have had.
, a higher level of organization than the previous Freak Power campaign, more controversy and danger as well as some frivolous moments. These would include:
"3. "It will be the general philosophy of the sheriff's office that no drug worth taking shall be sold for money. My first act as sheriff will be to install on the sheriff's lawn a set of stocks to punish dishonest dope dealers."
Ultimately, the 'Thompson for Sheriff' campaign was also unsuccessful, partly due to a Republican/Democratic agreement not to stand against each other in certain key elections in order to allow all 'Non-Thompson' votes to count towards one candidate and partly due to an article Thompson wrote for Rolling Stone shortly before the election, revealing his strategy.
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
#67, dated October 1, 1970 and written by Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter S. Thompson
Hunter Stockton Thompson was an American journalist and author who wrote The Rum Diary , Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail '72 .He is credited as the creator of Gonzo journalism, a style of reporting where reporters involve themselves in the action to...
. The cover of the magazine ran the teaser "Freak Power in the Rockies", and the article was later reprinted in The Great Shark Hunt
The Great Shark Hunt
The Great Shark Hunt is a book by Hunter S. Thompson. Originally published in 1979 as Gonzo Papers, Vol. 1: The Great Shark Hunt: Strange Tales from a Strange Time, the book is a roughly 600-page collection of Thompson's essays from 1956 to the end of the 1970s, following the rise of the author's...
with that same title.
The article's subject is the 1969 mayoral election in Aspen, Colorado
Aspen, Colorado
The City of Aspen is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Pitkin County, Colorado, United States. The United States Census Bureau estimates that the city population was 5,804 in 2005...
, in particular the candidacy of Joe Edwards, a lawyer, 'biker' and non-conformist resident of Aspen. It also details the Freak Power platform Thompson himself was to adopt while running for Sheriff of Pitkin County, Colorado
Pitkin County, Colorado
Pitkin County is one of the 64 counties of the State of Colorado of the United States. The county is named in honor of the late Colorado Governor Frederick Walker Pitkin. The county population was 14,872 at U.S. Census 2000. The county seat is Aspen...
the subsequent year.
Background
Though unsuccessful, the Edwards campaign was notable for its attempt to garner nearly all of its support from 'freakFreak
In current usage, the word "freak" is commonly used to refer to a person with something unusual about their appearance or behaviour. This usage dates from the so-called freak scene of the 1960s and 1970s. "Freak" in this sense may be used either as a pejorative, a term of admiration, or a...
s', 'heads', and 'dropout
Dropping out
Dropping out means leaving a group for either practical reasons, necessities or disillusionment with the system from which the individual in question leaves....
s' from the surrounding areas - Freak Power, as it was dubbed. Thompson, who became de-facto campaign manager
Campaign manager
A campaign manager is a paid or volunteer individual, whose role is to coordinate the campaign's operations such as fundraising, advertising, polling, getting out the vote , and other activities supporting the effort, directly.Apart from the candidate, they are often a campaign's most visible leader...
for Edwards during the race, devotes much of the article to the local politics of Aspen and the entrenched politicians it supports. Simultaneously a screed against politicians who sacrifice the quality of life
Quality of life
The term quality of life is used to evaluate the general well-being of individuals and societies. The term is used in a wide range of contexts, including the fields of international development, healthcare, and politics. Quality of life should not be confused with the concept of standard of...
of their constituents for short term gain or notoriety, and an outline of optimism regarding the possibility of the marginalized to take power, the article details the campaign from its inception through the run-up to election and ends with a consideration of the results and the impact they may have had.
Results of the mayoral campaign
In both the 1969 Mayor's election and the 1970 Sheriff election, Edwards and Thompson narrowly lost to more conservative candidates. A coalition of the Democratic and Republican candidates during the Mayor's election (along with mail votes and alleged vote-fixing) managed to defeat Edwards by 6 votes (although there were 5 absentee ballots for Edwards, but they did not arrive in time to count), which Thompson said had confirmed his suspicion that both Aspen and America at large could be more radical than he had imagined, and thus that a "Freak Power" campaign on a local or national scale could work.Thompson's campaign for sheriff
The next year, therefore, Thompson put together a campaign to elect himself as Sheriff. It combined aggressive radicalismRadicalization
Radicalization is the process in which an individual changes from passiveness or activism to become more revolutionary, militant or extremist. Radicalization is often associated with youth, adversity, alienation, social exclusion, poverty, or the perception of injustice to self or others.-...
, a higher level of organization than the previous Freak Power campaign, more controversy and danger as well as some frivolous moments. These would include:
- Legalization of drugs on a recreational basis (although profiteering dealers would be prosecuted harshly.)
- Thompson did make a concession on the drugs issue - he promised that if elected, he would not eat mescalineMescalineMescaline or 3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine is a naturally occurring psychedelic alkaloid of the phenethylamine class used mainly as an entheogen....
whilst on duty.
- Thompson did make a concession on the drugs issue - he promised that if elected, he would not eat mescaline
- "1.) "Rip up all city streets with jackhammers and sod the streets at once."
- "2.) "Change the name Aspen to Fat City. This would prevent greed heads, land rapers, and other human jackals from capitalizing on the name 'Aspen'. These swine should be fucked, broken, and driven across the land."
"3. "It will be the general philosophy of the sheriff's office that no drug worth taking shall be sold for money. My first act as sheriff will be to install on the sheriff's lawn a set of stocks to punish dishonest dope dealers."
- Firing the majority of the conservative county officials and bureaucrats.
- Thompson shaving his head bald and referring to the crew-cut, ex-army, Republican incumbentIncumbentThe incumbent, in politics, is the existing holder of a political office. This term is usually used in reference to elections, in which races can often be defined as being between an incumbent and non-incumbent. For example, in the 2004 United States presidential election, George W...
as "My long-haired opponent." - The distribution of Aspen Wall Posters and flyers across the county.
- Threats received by Thompson during the campaign, including one sent to City Hall following a dynamiteDynamiteDynamite is an explosive material based on nitroglycerin, initially using diatomaceous earth , or another absorbent substance such as powdered shells, clay, sawdust, or wood pulp. Dynamites using organic materials such as sawdust are less stable and such use has been generally discontinued...
theft in the County, insisting that the explosives would only be used if Thompson was elected. This led to Thompson's house and campaign HQ at Woody Creek taking on the aspect of an armed camp on election night, with guards patrolling the grounds with guns and flashlights.
Ultimately, the 'Thompson for Sheriff' campaign was also unsuccessful, partly due to a Republican/Democratic agreement not to stand against each other in certain key elections in order to allow all 'Non-Thompson' votes to count towards one candidate and partly due to an article Thompson wrote for Rolling Stone shortly before the election, revealing his strategy.