A “Big L” on the Campaign for Liberty

In case you were living under a rock for the last week or somehow without the ability to access United Liberty via the Internet, a group of us visited the Minneapolis-St. Paul area to provide photo and live blog coverage of the happenings.  As a card-carrying member of my state and national Libertarian Party, visiting a rally to return the GOP back to its roots may seem like I was a fish out of water.  Lucky for me, Ron Paul’s message of liberty and adherence to the Constitution transcends party lines toward a very well-organized movement to restore American freedom.

From my arrival at the Leadership Summit, I felt very welcome among the Ron Paul faithful.  Don’t get me wrong…  I am very well-acquainted with Dr. Paul’s message, and I voted for him in Georgia’s presidential preference primary.  His candidacy brought about some much-needed attention to the liberty message, especially when the Libertarian Party struggles with things like ballot access and discord within itself.

After years of working to grow the Libertarian Party and fight every draconian ballot access law the Republicans and Democrats have created to maintain their power, it was refreshing to see a faction of “the enemy” that was working toward similar goals as I have.  Attending the Leadership Summit on Monday, I was able to see the well-thought plan from a very organized structure to promote many of the same ideals I have been fighting for from the outside.  After seeing the positive results from a very hands on approach in many precincts during the presidential primaries, the Campaign for Liberty aims to replicate their success in voting districts in which they were able to literally go door to door promoting the message of liberty.  In those areas, Ron Paul’s campaign placed first or second.  Unfortunately, the network of liberty-minded individuals was not very well organized or in place to perform those same actions nationally.  The Campaign for Liberty aims to change that, and the organization they are proposing and planning may have the numbers necessary to achieve their aim.

The allegiance of many supporters, coupled with the ability to raise record amounts of money from them will bring about much-needed attention and support for their activities.   The quality of the events they are behind will also show the extent of their organization, something the numerous Libertarian Party events I have attended lack.  The recognition of their power by the GOP may actually result in changes to the party platform, since the party needs to hold onto every vote before they wander away to the Constitution or Libertarian parties.

The most interesting aspect of the entire event in Minneapolis was the plan to work within the local and state Republican parties to steer them toward the liberty movement.  That almost seems odd to me considering how many of the speakers and Dr. Paul himself were very open about attacking today’s GOP.  The liberty message I received in attendance at the Rally for the Republic and the Leadership Summit events is very similar to the message I believe in as a Libertarian.  The only difference I see is the method of delivery.  Libertarians are working against the system as outsiders trying to takeover the system, while the Campaign for Liberty’s delegates have a foot in the door as Republicans, and they can work within it.

The power shown at the Rally for the Republic has caused this “Big L” to spend some time soul-searching about which movement will be able to achieve liberty ideal most effectively.  As of today, I am holding on to my LP membership, but I am certainly ready to be a part of the rEVOLution.

Cross Post: United Liberty

Barr and Pennsylvania LP Sued Over Ballot Access in Pennsylvania

On Monday, Victor P. Stabile, Cumberland County GOP chairman, on behalf of the John McCain campaign, filed with the court of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania a petition to have Bob Barr removed from the ballot in that state.  For those of you who receive the Campaign Updates from Russ Verney and Shane Cory via e-mail, you are already aware of the lawsuit’s existence.  Earlier today, the campaign received a copy of the suit which alleges that an intentional substitution violation of Pennsylvania law was committed as the Libertarian Party attempted to gain the 24,666 required signatures for inclusion on the ballot.  The signature requirement for third party candidates and independents who seek ballot access in Pennsylvania is greater than TWELVE TIMES the number required for either the Democrats or the Republicans.  The campaign and the state party were able to collect over 47,000 valid elector signatures since February, when this massive undertaking began.

The Sean Haugh from the Libertarian Party responded to the claim with this:

The challenge to the substitution process is completely frivolous.  It flies in the face of extremely well-established case law, as the McCain campaign and the Republican Party know full well, and may well be dismissed out of hand by the Commonwealth Court.  The lack of
moral integrity from the McCain campaign doesn’t surprise me, but the sheer lameness of this tactic does.  It shows how pathetically desperate the McCain campaign is to stop Bob Barr.

Back in 2000, when faced with similar shenanigans, John McCain was quoted as saying:

”We all know that the Berlin wall is down . . . People should be able to get on the ballot in states…   Everybody knows that I am a legitimate candidate.  I should be on the ballot.”

Interestingly, it appears that this is another issue that he has changed, or refined, positions on since it no longer applies to him.  Hypocritical, to say the least.  Maybe changing positions on ballot access every eight years is what it takes to be a “maverick.”

You can read the lawsuit in its entirety here.

Cross-posted at the Barr blog.

FairTax Cartoon

I came across a funny cartoon in regard to the FairTax that I wanted to share.

H/T: Red Planet Cartoons