PROVO — The harpmaking shop behind Jeremy Friedbaum's modest split-level home sits idle. He doesn't trust himself to use the power tools of his trade. He's not at his sharpest right now. He lacks energy. He gets dizzy when he stands up.
Going without food for more than three weeks will do that to a person.
The Independent American candidate for governor is 25 days into a planned 40-day hunger strike in protest over not being invited to the gubernatorial debates.
"That pushed me over the edge," he says during an interview in the motor home he'll soon have to sell to make ends meet. His wife, Robin, prefers he meet the press outside the house.
Friedbaum has dropped from a robust 252 pounds to a sagging 216 since he last ate at 10 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 8. He's no longer a hunk of beef. He's a side of ribs. His sustenance consists of herbal tea sweetened with stevia extract and a daily pack of vitamins. He swears he hasn't sneaked a Twinkie or a hamburger.
And the all-or-nothing earnestness he puts into this cause and others suggests he isn't cheating.
Friedbaum, 45, says he deserves a place in the debates due to his 1998 showing against Republican Rep. Chris Cannon in the 3rd Congressional District. Then a Republican, the virtual unknown who said God inspired him to run, picked up 25 percent of the primary election vote.
Since switching to the Utah-bred Independent American Party, an ultraconservative organization steeped in religious and constitutional philosophies, Friedbaum says media attention dried up. That coupled with the debate snub was too much.
"I think the Republicrats (his term for Republicans and Democrats) are holding on to power in the same corrupt, greedy way that Milosevic or Fidel Castro or General Jiang are trying to hold on to their exclusive power in government," he said.
His blatant publicity stunt aside, Friedbaum has issues — of the political variety. He advocates one Senate seat for each of Utah's 29 counties, the state taking control of all public lands and direct government payments to parents to educate children as they wish. He opposes "forced" fluoridation and favors the official English initiative.
KSL-TV, which is among several television and radio stations sponsoring debates, invites candidates who have reached a certain threshold of public support such as an opinion poll might reflect. Friedbaum garnered 2 percent support in the latest Deseret News/KSL survey. Con Psarras, KSL managing editor, said factors such as Friedbaum's weight loss or hunger don't come into play.
"Do we feel obligated to save his life by inviting him to the debates? No," he said.
Friedbaum criticizes the media for not reporting on his candidacy, yet he has done little to spread his name to the electorate. He has not raised any campaign funds because he won't accept donations. He expects to spend a few hundred dollars of his own money on fliers. Much of his campaigning consists of going to organized events and forums toting his "I am hungry for a real debate" sign.
State Independent American Party Chairman Will Christensen said he would rather have reporters treat the party as "real." But "if we have to push the point and Jeremy is willing, I'm willing" to condone extreme measures. Plus, Christensen said, it seems to be working.
The idea for a hunger strike, Friedbaum said, came to him after prayer and a restless night, though he concedes "I really didn't think this out too much."
Friedbaum said he decided to deprive himself of food until the final gubernatorial debate Oct. 19. The significance of that date, which would make it a 40-day fast, wasn't lost on the devout convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints whose grandfather was a Jewish rabbi.
"That's a good round number," he mused. "That's Moses' number."
Painted as a religious zealot in his previous bid for office, Friedbaum is unconcerned about how he and his religion might be portrayed as he looks to attract national headlines. "Do people think Gandhi was some crazy Hindu?" he asks, before thinking and adding, "I guess some people thought he was."
Friedbaum isn't under a doctor's care during his fast because none would see him. "They thought I was nuts," he said. "They said, 'Don't do it.' "
But he did it anyway. And the father of four children ages 11, 8, 5 and 20 months has thought about the fact that it could kill him.
"My own father died when I was 4 years old," he said. "The last thing I want to do is have that happen to my children."
Nevertheless, he presses on, carried by the pangs of having to stand for something and the "obstinacy of will," which he calls as much a blessing as a curse.
Friedbaum says he would worry more about his health if he actually wins the election. The governor's mansion, he said, is only a few blocks from Crown Burger.
E-MAIL: romboy@desnews.com