Libertarian @ MindSay

Just horrible. Bob Barr is being interviewed here. I'm not the biggest Barr fan, but I like him a little more after listening to him deal with this guy asking irrelevant questions.

Chopper



Just one time! One time, I would love to see a candidate not only admit to his flaws but stand up for them! It wasn't the NRA thing that caught my attention (nor is that flaw, although I know some of you think it is I'm sorry to say), it was the prostitute thing.

I don't think I ever have or will see a candidate who does this. But you know what? I'd be hard pressed to vote against a candidate who did. If Bill Clinton had come clean and said, "Yes, I have smoked pot. I experimented with it when I was young" I might have voted for him. I might have voted for Bush, too, if he had admitted to some of his flaws, and we all know he has many.

Yeah, surprise! I didn't vote for Bush. Either time. I'm the freako who votes for third party candidates, Libertarian.

Anyway, that video had me pumped up. I didn't agree with all his opinions - I don't have issues with gay people and am pro-choice - but when that prostitute thing hit, I was cheering. I'll admit it started when he farted after hearing Hillary's name, but I digress.

It amazes me that they come up with fictional characters of this nature and people react well to them, then candidates don't take a hint. Hey Obama, McCain, try being honest and admit to something. You're both human, you've both done stupid shit, let's hear some of it! Be honest! Tell us about the time you snorted coke when you were 19! Admit to playing with yourself in the men's room once! Admit to checking out women way younger than you - yeah, I'm looking at you, John - and maybe copping a feel. You aren't perfect. Anyone with an IQ over 40 knows that! Just admit to ONE stinkin' thing and maybe I'll pay attention.

I was going to make a post about the recent decision of the Democratic National Committee to seat all the delegates of Michigan and Florida with half-votes, but I am growing extremely tired of this ridiculousness, especially with the Clinton campaign.  Every week I'm plagued by Clinton supporters on CNN, sporting new and ever-more complicated "Hillarithmetic" in order to bend the numbers in a way that suits her.   Watching the DNC hearings today made me want to be on that panel so I could say "I think we all need to acknowledge the elephant in the room.  The only reason we are here today is because Hillary Clinton fell behind in February.  If she was ahead, then none of you Clinton supporters would be here to demand all your votes be counted.  So let's stop trying to put up the facade that this is about democracy and unity.  This is Hillary Clinton throwing a temper tantrum."

But, I wasn't in the room, so the voice of common sense was tragically absent.  At any rate, I'm tired of this bickering as the Democratic Party slips further and further away from my desire to vote for them.  So, I thought it might be a little bit of fun to have a nice breakdown of the presidential candidates you don't see on the news.

Bob Barr
Name:  Robert Laurence "Bob" Barr, Jr.
Age: 59
Birthplace: Iowa City, IA
Nominating Party: Libertarian
Career History: Represented Georgia's 7th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1995-2003 as a Republican.
Running Mate:  Wayne Allen Root
Quote: "A man faithful to the constitution doesn't stop criticizing presidents when the letter after their names change"

Recently named as the Libertarian Party's nominee, Mr. Barr is a recent convert to the party.  As a Republican in the House of Representatives, he supported the War on Drugs, the war in Iraq, the Patriot Act, and authored the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act which made same-sex marriages illegal in all states.  However, he is most known for his roles in the Waco hearings and the Clinton impeachment.

Since leaving congress in 2003, Barr has become a vocal opponent of the Bush administration.  During the 2004 election, he publicly endorsed the Libertarian candidate.  In 2006, he announced that he himself was a "card-carrying libertarian," and has been working to undo many of the old laws he himself proposed and authored.

Barr opposes the Iraq War, gun control, abortion, and nationalized health care.  He supports a restoration of Habeas Corpus for all prisoners of the U.S., strict border control, and strong national defense.

Chuck Baldwin
Name: Charles "Chuck" Baldwin
Age: 56
Birthplace: LaPorte, IN
Nominating Party: Constitution
Career History: Pastor of the Crossroad Baptist Church in Pensacola, FL; Radio host
Running Mate: Darrell Castle
Quote: "...thousands of principled people will not be bullied into voting for the 'evil of two lessers' being shoved down our throats by the two major parties."

Baldwin was also a Republican at one time, aiding the Reagan and Bush campaigns in Florida.  However, after deeming the 2000 Bush/Cheney ticket to be "too liberal," he broke with the Republican Party.

Early in 2008, Baldwin was a strong supporter of the Ron Paul campaign, writing many favorable columns including one entitled "Conservative Republicans Have Only One Choice."  He is strongly anti-abortion, supporting congressman Paul's bill to overturn Roe vs. Wade and rule that unborn fetuses and persons under the law.  His other stances also mirror that of the Texas congressman, though he is overtly religious in his campaigning.

Ralph Nader
Name: Ralph Nader
Age: 74
Birthplace: Winsted, CT
Nominating Party: none (Independent)
Career History: Green Party nominee for president in 1996 and 2000.  Reform Party endorsed in 2004.  Many years of consumer advocacy
Running Mate: Matt Gonzalez
Quote: "For almost seventy years the life insurance industry has been a smug sacred cow feeding the public a steady line of sacred bull."

Ralph Nader became famous for his 1965 book Unsafe At Any Speed, a scathing criticism of the safety flaws in the Chevrolet Corvair and other models sold by General Motors Corporation.  The book eventually led to the passing of the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act in 1966.

Nader first ran for president thirty years later in 1996 as the nominee from the Green Party and garnered 0.71% of the popular vote.  In 2000, he experienced greater success, getting on the ballot in 44 states, but with only 2.74% of the popular vote failed to garner federal public funding for the Green Party in the next election and become a viable to threat to any other candidate.  There was, however, some backlash regarding his 2000 campaign.  Some detractors claim that his campaign pulled just enough votes away from Al Gore to cause his loss, though others are quick to point out that Gore still won the popular vote, and it was ultimately the supreme court's decision anyway.

Nader's key issues include an initiative to fight corporate interests in Washington.  He also promotes a single-payer national health care system, an end to the definition of a corporation being a "legal person," and a tax on carbon polluters and wall street speculation.

Cynthia McKinney
Name: Cynthia McKinney
Age: 53
Birthplace: Atlanta, GA
Nominating Party: Green
Career History: Represented Georgia's 4th/11th congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1993-2003, and 2005-2007 as a Democrat
Running Mate:  None currently chosen
Quote: "Eight generations of African-Americans are still waiting to achieve their rights - compensation and restitution for the hundreds of years during which they were bought and sold on the market."

McKinney was the first African-American woman to represent Georgia in the U.S. House of Representatives.  Though it seemed like her position in the House was entrenched, in 2002, she was defeated by challenger Denise Majette.  It is claimed that this was a result of new laws allowing Republican voters to cross-over into the Democratic congressional election, skewing the results as revenge for her anti-Bush sentiment.  She won her seat back in 2004.  She won again in 2006, but with less than 50% of the vote, forcing her and her challenger into a run-off.

McKinney supports abortion rights as well as stem cell research.  Additionally, her campaign promotes social welfare programs, stating that the funds for such programs are being "misallocated."  She supports affirmative action, medical marijuana legalization, regulation of gas and electricity prices, and a repeal of NAFTA.

Brian Moore
Name: Brian Patrick Moore
Age: 64
Birthplace: Oakland, CA
Nominating Party: Socialist
Career History: Member of the Washington DC Advisory Neighborhood Commission
Running Mate: Stewart Alexander
Quote: "...the two party political system, and our capitalistic economic system, are not addressing nor are they resolving the problems domestically nor internationally."

Moore holds a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University.  He has also worked in the Peace Corps and in the HMO/Managed care industry for over 20 years.

Moore's platform calls for an end to the Iraq War, withdraw of all American troops from abroad,  cutting the U.S. military budget by 50%, public ownership of all natural resources, national health care, and an increase of health and safety regulation in the American workforce.  He opposes fur trade, corporate farming, nuclear power, and private ownership of the internet infrastructure.

Fellow Ron Paul supporters, it is with some degree of angst and trepidation that I approach you today. We are in a moment of crisis, as we dare not retreat in our fight, yet we know not where to go from here. Hopefully, we can come to a concept of our possible future course in this hour of need.

In the Christian tradition, Jesus stayed among his disciples for a time after his resurrection. He stayed long enough to rekindle their passion and to restore their hope. Even so, he did not dwell among them for a long time, and, upon returning to Heaven, He gave them this admonition, 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ... And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.' After this happened, He departed, and the Apostles were left to carry His message to the world.

Brothers and sisters of the Revolution, we are standing on that same mountaintop two thousand years later. Our hero, our leader belongs now to the ages. He will be remembered as a hero if we are successful, but he will not be the president. The Republican Party has bypassed a great man and teacher for a charlatan. This does not change our calling, however.

We have felt the fire of displeasure from the establishment. We have felt the fire of their wrath. We have been called traitors, anarchists, and worse. We have driven the demons of elitism and power-madness back into their bulwarks of party power, and they tremble at our approach. Through it all, we have retained our honor and our conviction, and, if we have been beaten, it has never been done fairly. Why should we let this cause die in a moment of confusion now that our leader has been removed?

Ron's fight continues, but it continues from the floor of the St. Paul GOP Convention and on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives. Our fight goes on unabated. Consider the evidence:

• The War Continues
• The Interventionism Continues
• Frivolous spending remains alive and well
• Our Dollar's Value Keeps Dropping
• Federal Surveillance Increases
• The REAL ID Act is upon us
• The North American Union is near
• Our border is still wide open
• Corporations are picking our bones clean

Your nation needs you, friends, even if Ron no longer can benefit from your labors personally. We cannot vote for McCain or Obama, so they are out. You have three options left:

First, you can do nothing. This is the road some will choose, but it does not fulfill the obligations of conscience. This option negates all of our efforts to date.

Second, you can write in 'Ron Paul' in November. Unfortunately, the deck is stacked against you. Lest you be deceived, this is not a Constitutional Republic. Your voice will not be heard, and such a vote will be counted as an 'error' or will not be counted at all. It isn't fair, nor is it just, but it is how things work as of today. Thus, option two reverts to being option one under a different guise, an exercise in futility.

Third, you can choose another course. Right now, there are two freedom candidates from whom to choose: Bob Barr, the Libertarian, and Chuck Baldwin, of the Constitution Party. Your voice will be counted in this third option, and you will make a difference.

The Good Doctor told us that this day would come. He left us with no illusions about the importance of this struggle, and he knew that it must outlive his campaign. It is time to take his words and put them into action. We stand on the mountain now, but the time for standing here in pain and confusion is over. The next move is our own, and none but ourselves can continue this fight.

I am a Libertarian, but I do not care which side you choose, only that you retain your fire and passion and put it to good use. It's what Ron told us to do mere months ago, and it is time to make our move. We have been frozen, mocked, and reviled together. Let it not have been in vain.

We have just over 160 days until that fateful day in November. That is not a lot of time, friends. Whether or not we make our voices heard, America will go to the polls. Whether we keep Ron's fire alive or let it die, we will inaugurate a new president in just a few short months.

If we desire to have an impact, we must plot our own destiny. There are two candidates who embody the elements of the Ron Paul platform, and we would do well to shed the trappings of mourning and return to the trenches. This is not a time to weep over the loss; it is now the hour in which we must begin the next battle. Be cognizant of your losses and pain, but relish, for a moment, the glory of our shared victory: We bested the establishment in their own house under our own power, underfunded, undermanned, and outgunned; now, let us do the same thing in the electorate at large.

I call on you each to pick up your political arms once more, that the cause of liberty may not fade with this campaign. Dr. Paul was not the cause: his platform was. Yet, his platform was a mere mortal document comprised of ideas, but the ideas are timeless and potent, an unquenchable fire that can only be extinguished by our own inaction. Those ideas still hold a special enchantment for each of us, for our own beautiful and unique reasons. Let those reasons guide you now in this moment.

In the annals of history, we need not stand in shame for our defeat here. When others folded in weakness, we remained true to each other, ourselves, and our cause. Each of us stood boldly under persecution, discouragement, and defeat, and they could not break our spirit with all their weapons. Our ideas continue unabated, and no mere party structure can contain them, nor can it halt their advance.

We must take the fight to the streets once more. This is an honor worthy of Dr. Paul's legacy, accorded to us, his worthy supporters. Do you see the followers of the 'has-beens' summoned by their souls to such a great struggle that it transcends the fortunes of their respective candidates? Indeed, you do not! Take this gift as a badge of honor: you still have a cause, and it didn't begin or end with one campaign. It began when the first man threw down the yoke of slavery to a tyrant, and it will never end.

In the fight to come, we may struggle under the banner of Barr or Baldwin, but we fight with the courage of Ron Paul, in the memory of the Good Doctor, and in the Spirit of '76. To arms, brave warriors. Your nation needs your resolve this summer. As we speak, the forces of totalitarianism are in disarray, and we may yet strike them a fatal blow if we have the clear vision to do so. May we never have cause to sound 'retreat' when the enemy is in such a state!

Our victorious moment will come, and, when it does, Dr. Paul will be among us and in our hearts. Let us be worthy messengers in his cause until that day, and let us make him the Founding Father of a great movement among men and women who, bereft of one leader, chose their own course to freedom and restored their liberties for themselves, their posterity, and the world. Rally, once more, to the flag, and we will carry the day.

     That's right.  The former Alaskan Senator has switched parties to seek the Libertarian presidential nomination.

   I don't really know what to say here...um...This is the biggest thing to happen to the Libertarian party since Ron Paul left?