Tuesday, November 29, 2011

The conservative case for a Gary Johnson 3rd-party run

The Conservative Case for a Gary Johnson Third-Party Run | ConservativeHQ.com - Andrew Davis:

November 29, 2011 - "In 2010, the Tea Party showed the Republican Establishment just how powerful it was.... However, the lessons of 2010 seem to have faded, and Republican leaders are back to their old tricks.

"What will it take to get them to listen to the grassroots? Nothing short of removing the power they’ve used to stay at the top.

"That is where Johnson comes in. His mass appeal, especially to fiscal conservatives who feel betrayed by the Republican leadership’s wishy-washy stance on spending cuts, ... could be doomsday for a content-free Republican candidate.

"This is what has the Republican establishment abuzz -- especially since they were the ones who forced Johnson into this position.

"Should Johnson run as a Libertarian, the only way to neutralize his campaign would be to nominate a fiscally conservative equal like Ron Paul, or have Paul as a Vice Presidential candidate. However, Paul is no favorite to the establishment, and has been boxed-out of the nomination process nearly as much as Johnson (although Paul was allowed to appear on stage at the debates).

"Without question, third-party candidacies -- even Johnson’s -- will likely never have much of a chance to win outright as long as ballot access laws inhibit the ability of third parties to participate equally in the democratic process. However, this is not to say that strong third-party bids are without purpose, and can’t be used as weapons to effect positive change within the major two parties. While Johnson’s third-party bid may be a long-shot electorally, its potential to weaken -- if not destroy -- the Republican establishment is much more real.

"Support of Johnson would not even have to be an endorsement of the Libertarian Party, or of third parties in general. It could simply be a wake-up call to the Republican establishment that their time has come, and that conservatives are no longer satisfied with candidates simply because they have an “R” next to their names."

Read more: http://www.conservativehq.com/article/5665-conservative-case-gary-johnson-third-party-run
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Saturday, November 26, 2011

Ex-Gov. Johnson may run as Libertarian - UPI.com

Ex-Gov. Johnson may run as Libertarian - UPI.com:

"SANTA FE, N.M., Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, a long-shot candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, is considering running as a Libertarian.

"'I feel abandoned by the Republican Party,' Johnson told The New Mexican of Santa Fe in a phone interview. 'The Republican Party has left me by the wayside. If I'd  have been included in 16 of the last debates we wouldn't even be having this conversation.'...

"While Johnson did better than former U.S. Sen. Rick Santorum and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman and tied with businessman Herman Cain in a CNN poll in August, he has not been included in more recent polls. He blames the national news media for deciding who the candidates are and the Republican National Committee for giving the press that power."

Read more: http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2011/11/26/Ex-Gov-Johnson-may-run-as-Libertarian/UPI-32371322334887/#ixzz1eqUVCQDw
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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Libertarians not anti-government - Clovis News Journal

Libertarians not anti-government - Clovis News Journal - Kent McManigal, FNM columnist

November 24, 2011 - "Recently in this column ... I have been addressing the misconceptions I have heard repeated about libertarians. I think it’s important to understand your libertarian neighbors, rare though we may seem at first glance to be....

"A misconception regarding libertarians I run into a lot is that we are “anti-government.” That isn’t necessarily true. The root of the matter is that libertarians are pro-liberty, and since government is generally anti-liberty it makes us appear, to some observers, to be anti-government....

"You can be anti-government without having the slightest libertarian leanings, and there are plenty of libertarians who still think it is possible to increase liberty through guiding government in ’the right direction.’ I happen to disagree ... but I’d enjoy being proved wrong."

Read more: http://www.cnjonline.com/articles/libertarians-45826-balloons-week.html
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Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Libertarian Ron Paul a hit with young voters due to drug, anti-war stances - Winnipeg Free Press

Libertarian Ron Paul a hit with young voters due to drug, anti-war stances - Winnipeg Free Press - Lee-Anne Goodman, Canadian Press:

Nov. 23, 2011 - "At 76, Ron Paul is the oldest of the Republican presidential candidates. And yet he's making a bigger connection with young voters than any of his rivals for the nomination.

"Paul's stance on America's so-called war on drugs, in particular, has earned him an avid following among young fans.... The Texas libertarian's comments on the futility of the so-called war on drugs in the latest Republican presidential debate on Tuesday night is the type of messaging that resonates with youth, as does his bashing of two overseas wars he says are needless, monstrously expensive and a major threat to civil liberties.

"'The federal war on drugs is a total failure,' Paul said to applause from the crowd in Washington."

Read more:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/world/breakingnews/libertarian-ron-paul-a-hit-with-young-voters-due-to-drug-anti-war-stances--134421633.html
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Sunday, November 20, 2011

Ron Paul Out Of Step On Gay Marriage Amendment At Christian Forum

Ron Paul Out Of Step On Gay Marriage Amendment At Christian Forum:

"Texas Rep. Ron Paul was the only candidate at a Christian forum on Saturday opposed to amending the U.S. Constitution to define marriage as a heterosexual union. Also appearing at the Thanksgiving Family Forum in Des Moines, Iowa were Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann....

"Paul, who has previously said he's personally opposed to gay people marrying, said that the role of government is to preserve liberty, not mold people or society.

"'Our values should come from our family and from our church. But once we say, "Well, the liberals are doing this because they want this economic interference and we're going to have perfect balance and fairness.", they overdo it. But you can overdo it on both sides. You can say, "Well we're going to make people better by having more laws."'

“'The law can't reflect the morality of the people. If you do that, you have embarked on [a course] where you sacrifice liberty,' he added."

Read more: http://www.ontopmag.com/article.aspx?id=10131&MediaType=1&Category=26
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Saturday, November 19, 2011

Johnson largely ignored as presidential primaries near - Las Cruces Sun-News

Johnson largely ignored as presidential primaries near - Las Cruces Sun-News - Milan Simonich:

Nov. 18, 2011 - "Former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson, uninvited to 11 of 13 televised debates, says his campaign for president is dying. He described himself as underexposed and mistreated, and said he probably cannot continue in the race much longer.

"'There are five debates prior to the New Hampshire primary (on Jan. 10). If I'm shut out of all five, I don't see that I stand a chance in New Hampshire,' Johnson said Friday in a wide-ranging, 50-minute interview....

"Johnson said that, without a consistent presence in televised debates, voters throughout the country do not know who he is, much less what he stands for.

"He said he had been 'purposefully excluded' from debates in which he met the standard for inclusion.

"Dating to May, Johnson said, CNN blocked him from a debate it sponsored in New Hampshire, even though he qualified under the benchmarks of being an announced candidate with 2 percent support in three national polls during the month.

"At other points, Johnson said, he was even in polls with former restaurant executive Herman Cain and ahead of former Utah governor Jon Huntsman and former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum. Johnson complained that they were included in debates but he was not."

Read more: http://www.lcsun-news.com/las_cruces-news/ci_19371010
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Thursday, November 17, 2011

Four-way GOP dead heat in Iowa - Bloomberg

Romney Two-Way Race Now Four-Way Republican Dead Heat in Iowa - Bloomberg - John McCormick:

Nov. 15. 2011 - "Herman Cain, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich are in a dead heat as the top choices for Iowans likely to attend the Jan. 3 Republican presidential caucuses.

"A Bloomberg News poll shows Cain at 20 percent, Paul at 19 percent, Romney at 18 percent and Gingrich at 17 percent among the likely attendees with the caucuses that start the nominating contests seven weeks away....

The poll reflects the race’s fluidity, with 60 percent of respondents saying they still could be persuaded to back someone other than their top choice, and 10 percent undecided. Paul’s support is more solidified than his rivals, while Cain’s is softer."
Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-11-15/romney-two-way-race-is-now-four-way-republican-dead-heat-in-iowa-caucuses.html#gdpa

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Sunday, November 13, 2011

Ron Paul’s campaign slams CBS News/National Journal for ’90 measly seconds’ | The State Column

Ron Paul’s campaign slams CBS News/National Journal for ’90 measly seconds’ | The State Column:

"Texas Congressman Ron Paul, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, participated in the CBS News/National Journal GOP debate in Spartanburg, South Carolina on Saturday night....

"Ron Paul 2012 Campaign Manager John Tate slammed CBS News/National Journal for not allotting enough time to the Texas Congressman. '90 seconds. That’s how much of the first hour of tonight’s GOP debate was given to Ron Paul. 90 measly seconds out of 3,600 seconds,' Tate said in an email to Paul’s supporters on Saturday. 'It literally made me sick watching the mainstream media once again silence the one sane voice in this election,' Tate posited. "

Read more: http://www.thestatecolumn.com/articles/ron-pauls-campaign-slams-cbs-newsnational-journal-for-90-measly-seconds/#ixzz1deBwYj2y
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Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Republican Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson on Technology | socalTECH.com

Republican Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson on Technology | socalTECH.com - Benjamin F. Kuo:

Nov. 2, 2011 - "In an interesting diversion from our usual interviews with startup entrepreneurs and investors, we had the chance to sit down earlier with Republican Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson, the former Governor of New Mexico, to talk about his online town hall with Los Angeles-based Yowie later today (at 5pm PST). Johnson spoke to us about his online outreach efforts, and how he's hoping those efforts will bring some visibility to his campaign."

Read interview: http://www.socaltech.com/republican_presidential_candidate_gary_johnson_on_technology/s-0039142.html
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Monday, November 7, 2011

Costa Rican police raid Libertarian Movement office, arrested 2

Police raid Libertarian Movement Party office, two arrested / Top Story / Current Edition / Costa Rica Newspaper, The Tico Times - AFP:

Nov. 4, 2011 - "Agents from the Judicial Investigation Police and the Chief Prosecutor's Office's financial crimes unit Friday arrested two officials from the Libertarian Movement Party, or ML, and charged them with defrauding the government of hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign fund reimbursements after the party allegedly billed the government for dozens of political workshops that never took place....

"Carlos Solano, the party’s secretary of training, told prosecutors last Monday that 194 campaign workshops, for which the ML billed the Supreme Elections Tribunal ₡210 million ($412,000), never happened.... Solano said that in order to fake the workshops’ attendance documents, he and another employee, Luis Chavarría, collected signatures and identification numbers 'at any cost' between June 2009 and January 2010, leading up to the 2010 elections. Chavarría is an adviser to congressman Adonay Enríquez."

Read more: http://www.ticotimes.net/Current-Edition/Top-Story/Police-raid-Libertarian-Movement-Party-office-two-arrested-_Friday-November-04-2011
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Sunday, November 6, 2011

Ferguson thanks supporters - Brantford Expositor

Ferguson thanks supporters - Brantford Expositor - Ontario - Rob Ferguson, Letters to the Editor:

"I would like to say what an honour it was to be the Libertarian candidate for the office of Member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Brant.

"I would like to thank all those who supported me through this campaign; I was proud to serve as a candidate. I would like to thank my wife and family for their support, without which I would have never filed for the position.

"I would like to also thank the Ontario Libertarian Party for all of their support during the campaign."

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Newsom, Johnson Drug Conference: Is Legalization The Answer To The War On Drugs?

Newsom, Johnson Drug Conference: Is Legalization The Answer To The War On Drugs? (POLL) - Kathleen Miles, Huffington Post:

Nov. 4, 2011 - "It is rare for a politician to openly advocate the legalization of drugs as the solution to the country's drug problem. But that's just what California Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom and former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson did this week at the four-day International Drug Policy Reform Conference in downtown Los Angeles....

Republican candidate Johnson, a libertarian often compared to Ron Paul, stood in front of the conference audience and promised that if he was elected president, he would fully pardon anyone in prison for a non-violent marijuana crime....

Lt. Gov. Newsom said in his remarks that California ... will 'certainly be on the front lines of reconciling the abject failure that has been 40 years, this failed war on drugs.'.... Newsom revealed to the crowd that many politicians believe in legalization but are afraid to voice that position, Intersections South LA reports. 'My gosh, if I could just tape-record the private conversations, it would just break your heart,' Newsom said. 'We know better, we're just not doing better.'"

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/04/newsom-johnson-drug-conference_n_1076573.html
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Friday, November 4, 2011

Annual Liberty Seminar and Convention | Ontario Libertarian Party

Annual Liberty Seminar and Convention | Ontario Libertarian Party:

"Annual Liberty Seminar and Convention
Saturday November 5, 2011 - 9:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Riviera Parque Convention Centre
2800 Highway #7 West, Vaughan, Ontario, L4K 1W8

The Liberty Seminar will present two speakers.
  • Gerry Nicholls, author of Loyal to the Core, and ‘one of Canada’s top five political minds.’ He will discuss the October 6 election and offer suggestions about what we might do before the next election....
  • George Bragues, (University of Guelph-Humber) associated with Ludwig von Mises Canada (LvMIC).... Watch his presentation The Financial Crisis 2007-2008."

Every three years the Party holds a convention to elect a Leader, Deputy Leader and members of the Executive Committee ... for a three year term....

Candidates for Election - 2011 Convention....
  • Party Leader: Sam Apelbaum, Jean-Serge Brisson, Phil Miller, Greg Pattinson, Allen Small
  • Party Deputy Leader: Paolo Fabrizio, Heath Thomas

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Thursday, November 3, 2011

Gary Johnson 'the marijuana guy' takes 2012 pitch to L.A. - latimes.com

Gary Johnson 'the marijuana guy' takes 2012 pitch to L.A. - latimes.com - Kate Linthicum:

Nov. 3, 2011 - "An advocate of small-government and tax reform that would tax consumption, instead of income, Johnson’s libertarian leanings have drawn comparisons to Ron Paul, whom he endorsed for president in 2008.

"But he is best-known nationally for his stance on marijuana.

"Johnson has been calling for the legalization of the drug since 1999, during his second term as governor. He says he smoked marijuana recreationally when he was younger, and used it more recently to help with the pain after a paragliding accident in 2005. Wherever he goes, Johnson says, people point and say: 'That’s the marijuana guy.'

"But he says he’s OK with that, since many Americans support looser drug policies. In a recent magazine interview, Johnson said marijuana smokers may be 'the largest untapped voting bloc in the country.'"

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-pn-johnson-marijuana-20111103,0,6498502.story
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Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Ron Paul: Occupy movement is ‘very good, and very risky’ | Iowa Caucuses

Ron Paul: Occupy movement is ‘very good, and very risky’ | Iowa Caucuses - Mary Stegmeir:

Nov. 1, 2001 - "Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul said Tuesday that he had mixed feelings about the Occupy Wall Street movement.

“'I think it’s both very good, and very risky,' he said in an interview with The Des Moines Register. 'I think there are a few that attend these rallies that actually want more government — they want to just tax people more and believe if we just taxed the 1 percent, it could solve all the problems.

“'That, to me, is a risky idea.' Paul continued. 'But I think that the majority of them think government is the problem and taxes are too high and they know that the Federal Reserve plays a role in this, which, of course, is something I agree with.'...

Paul continued to pitch his 'Plan to Restore America,' released last month. The proposal would cut $1 trillion in federal spending during the first year of a Paul presidency by eliminating the federal departments of energy, housing and urban development, commerce, interior, and education.

Read more: http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/11/01/ron-paul-occupy-movement-is-very-good-and-very-risky/
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Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Ron Paul dominates Iowa straw poll, Libertarian Party courts him

Ron Paul dominates Iowa straw poll, Libertarian Party courts him - Michael Krebs, Digital Journal:

Oct. 31, 2011 - "Republican presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul easily defeated his rivals in [an] Iowa straw poll on Saturday, as the Libertarian Party's leadership began openly pressing Paul to run under their ticket.

"Iowa's National Federation of Republic Assemblies Presidential Preference Convention and Straw Poll released its results on Saturday, and Republican presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul was by far the favorite, taking a commanding 82 percent of the vote ... with restaurant executive Herman Cain taking a distant second place at 14.7 percent.

"But while Paul's Iowa results were impressive, it is widely believed among those in the Libertarian Party that he will not receive the Republican Party's nomination. And for this reason, the Libertarian Party has begun to court Paul openly.

"As ABC News reported on Monday, the Libertarian Party's leadership would be more than happy to have Ron Paul run on their presidential ticket. 'Absolutely, that would be fabulous,' Jim Lesczynski, media relations director for the Manhattan Libertarian Party, told ABC News."

Read more: http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/313643#ixzz1cVmN7dJL
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