Wylie up to 13% in FL poll, locked out of debate

Fla. Gov Race: Libertarian Candidate Improves, Scott & Crist in Virtual Dead Heat - JP Updates | JP Updates - Boruch Schubert:

October 7, 2014 - "The new Republican-oriented analytics firm Optimus has released a poll tracking the race for governor of Florida, and it appears to sound a positive note for little-known candidate Adrian Wyllie.

"The latest numbers show the Libertarian attracting 13 percent support from likely voters, an improvement of two percentage points since the firm’s previous poll. The increase is even more notable compared to Wyllie’s standing when 0ptimus first dropped his name into the mix back in mid-August, when he registered 9 percent of voter support.

"Unfortunately for Wyllie, he is being locked out of the gubernatorial debates due to his poor standing; in fact, the Florida Press Association has just ruled that he cannot participate in its Oct. 15 debate between Gov. Rick Scott and Democratic challenger Charlie Crist because Wyllie would have had to register 15 percent in a poll that was taken before Sept. 30 by an independent pollster.

"Crist and Scott continue to be virtually deadlocked at 40-39 percent.

"'This week, the two candidates stayed neck and neck, and the only "mover" in the race was Wyllie, who showed gains just outside the margin of error,' noted 0ptimus’ founder and analyst Brian Stobie, according to the Miami Herald.  'We view this is a backlash to the two highly negative campaigns saturating Florida airwaves, particularly from those in our modeled undecided voter universes, who seem to be leading this trend toward Wyllie.'"

Read more: http://jpupdates.com/2014/10/07/fla-gov-race-libertarian-candidate-improves-scott-crist-virtual-dead-heat/
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MN LP governor candidate gets Star-Tribune op-ed

The Libertarian Party alone now offers a true alternative | Minneapolis Star Tribune - Chris Holbrook:

October 3, 2014 - Tom Horner has recently been trying to convince us that Jeff Johnson and his big government GOP solutions are what Minnesota needs.... The opposite is true. Apparently, Libertarians are the only ones left to offer smaller-government solutions....

"I hope people look at a third-party option with conviction. The Libertarian Party has been proposing a 10 percent government budget reduction across the board upfront, and then an audit to find more to reduce, in addition to incrementally converting to a “fair tax” system instead of our current income tax seizure system. These steps would save the median earner in Minnesota $1,750 a year.

"If the Tom and Jeff show really wants to boost businesses and jobs in Minnesota, freedom to engage in voluntary transactions on Sundays would help; ending the prohibition on fireworks, marijuana, and other victimless crimes would help, and not trying to legislate morality would help. They seem to be interested only in boosting their partisan power, which rewards special interests."

"Lastly, the 'oh yeah, this is bad, too' commentary in Horner’s article on the GOP solution to fix the education gap by installing new principals is a joke.... Libertarians instead advocate more options for parents, like home school, on-the-job training credits, expanded vo-tech and a voucher system.

"A different style of big government overreach is not what Minnesota needs. Less government overreach is, and the Libertarian Party seems to be the last man standing to offer that."

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/opinion/commentaries/278083291.html
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The 5 best libertarian TV shows ever (video)

The 5 Best Libertarian TV Shows Ever - Reason.com - Nick Gillespie & Meredith Bragg:

October 1, 2014 - "Here are five television shows all libertarians should watch.

"The Prisoner (1967-1968). The Prisoner follows a British secret agent who wants to walk away from it all but ends up a captive of the very government he once served. Late ‘60s psychedelia. Paranoia....

"House of Cards (2013-present). What more do you have to say about a political soap opera in which a disgruntled congressman lies, cheats, and murders his way to the Oval Office in just two seasons?...

"Penn & Teller: Bullshit! (2003-2010).... Bullshit! trained a skeptical eye on everything from bottled water and feng shui to the war on drugs and the death penalty....

"The Wire (2002-2008). Widely considered one of the greatest TV shows of all time, this Baltimore-based drama ... explores and analyzes class, race, and politics from multiple viewpoints and perspectives....

"South Park (1997-present).... Trey Parker and Matt Stone have taught us all real media literacy by showing us how to identify and spot phony philosophizing, moral panics, and self-interested crusaders a mile way."

Read more: http://reason.com/reasontv/2014/10/01/the-5-best-libertarian-tv-shows-ever
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Libertarian 'third force' emerging in U.S. politics

American Way: between Democrats and Republicans, a libertarian "third force" is emerging - Telegraph - Peter Foster:

October 4, 2014 - "On the surface, American politics often seems so tribally divided between Democrat and Republican, Liberal and Conservative that there is little point in even bothering with the shades of grey in between..... But ... the failures of first the Bush and now the Obama administrations have seen the emergence not of a third party in US politics but a libertarian 'third force' that could yet influence the outcome in 2016.

"Listen carefully and libertarian ideas – with a small 'l' – can be heard shaping many of the big issues of the day, from marijuana legalisation, to penal reform; from digital privacy issues in the wake of the Edward Snowden revelations to whether or not to bomb Syria....

"The libertarian sentiment reflects the pitchfork politics that gave rise to the Tea Party on the right and the Occupy movements on the left that were both fuelled by public disillusion with the power of conventional politics to deliver anything other than the stagnant status quo.

"Measuring the potential electoral impact of libertarianism is difficult precisely because it cuts across traditional party lines, which is both its protean strength and political weakness in an era of big money politics.

"Put a capital 'L' on libertarianism and it largely evaporates – Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party candidate in 2012, won only 1 per cent of the popular vote (1.2m people), but research by the Cato Institute, the libertarian think-thank, points a much deeper pool of Americans with libertarian leanings.

"When they asked voters if they considered themselves 'fiscally conservative and socially liberal – also known as libertarian', some 44 per cent of Americans were happy to be placed in that category.

"The politician most obviously trying to capitalise on the idea that Americans aren't quite so easily pigeonholed into red and blue boxes is Rand Paul, a Republican senator from Kentucky who the bookies rate as a leading contender for 2016.

"As the son of veteran libertarian Ron Paul, his formula will be to bring libertarian ideas off the fringe – where his cranky dad always languished – and into the mainstream, tapping that well of disaffection that resonates across party lines.

Read more: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/us-politics/11140657/American-Way-between-Democrats-and-Republicans-a-libertarian-third-force-is-emerging.html
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Dalton GA mayor endorses Libertarian for governor

Former GOP governor candidate backs Libertarian | Georgia News - Kathleen Foody,  Associated Press:

October 3, 2014 - "A former Republican candidate for governor is backing the Libertarian candidate on the Nov. 4 ballot.

"Dalton Mayor David Pennington lost a long-shot bid to replace Gov. Nathan Deal as the party's nominee in May, earning about 17 percent of the primary vote. He attacked the governor's fiscal policy during the campaign, appealing to conservative voters.

"Libertarian candidates could play a role in both the race for governor and Georgia's open U.S. Senate seat....

"On Friday, Pennington endorsed Andrew Hunt and says voting for a third-party candidate isn't a waste. Pennington says he won't tell anyone else who to support and expects people to vote their conscience."

Read more: http://www.news4jax.com/news/georgia-news/former-gop-governor-candidate-backs-libertarian/28394208
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Conservatives, libertarians must unite to win, say GOP strategists

Strategists Say Libertarians & Conservatives Must Unite to Win - Josh Siegel:

September 30, 2014 - "Doug Stafford says he and his boss, Sen. Rand Paul, got into politics the same way: through their church, which inspired them to develop pro-life principles.

"Stafford, the executive director of RAND PAC and a close adviser to Paul, sat on a panel this past weekend at the Values Voter Summit in Washington, D.C., a gathering of social conservatives. "

"Stafford was there to sell Paul, the Kentucky Republican with a libertarian streak, as a potential 2016 presidential candidate who can bridge the divide between conservatives and libertarians....

"This week, Paul will travel to North Carolina to appeal to libertarian-leaning voters in a state with a hotly contested Senate seat.

"Republicans are worried that third-party candidate Sean Haugh, a Libertarian running for Senate in North Carolina, could siphon votes from Thom Tillis, the Republican who is challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Kay Hagan.

"If Republicans are to take control of the U.S. Senate, experts say, they will likely have to overcome third-party candidates, many being libertarian, who could play spoiler and take away votes.

"The best way to do that, Republican strategists say, is to project the similarities of conservatives and libertarians, so as not to give voters a reason or alternative to vote outside of the two major parties."

Read more: http://dailysignal.com/2014/09/30/political-strategists-plot-libertarians-conservatives-can-unite-take-back-white-house/
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Robert Sarvis denies "Democratic plant" rumors

Libertarian Sarvis denies being in cahoots with Democrats - Roanoke Times: Politics - Marcus Schmidt, Richmond Times-Dispatch: 

September 30, 2014 -  "Libertarian Robert Sarvis, the only third-party candidate on the ballot in Virginia’s U.S. Senate race, vehemently denies allegations that his Senate campaign and his 2013 gubernatorial bid were meant to help Democrats defeat Republican candidates.

"'It’s just an absurd claim and just a way to scare people,' Sarvis said in an interview Tuesday with editors and reporters at the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

"The rumors date to a story posted by the conservative blog The Blaze shortly before Election Day last year, when Sarvis ran for governor against Democrat Terry McAuliffe and Republican Ken Cuccinelli....

"The blog said that Texas-based software billionaire Joe Liemandt was the major benefactor to the Libertarian Booster PAC, which had contributed $11,454 to Sarvis’ campaign to pay for signature collection, yard signs and campaign materials....

"But in 2012, ABC News reported that Liemandt had also contributed between $100,000 and $200,000 for President Barack Obama’s re-election bid.

"But Sarvis on Tuesday denied that Democrats were actively backing his last campaign and are behind his Senate bid, hoping that his participation in the race will weaken support for Republican Ed Gillespie, who wants to defeat Sen. Mark Warner.

"'We can put the truth out there, but we still get a lot of responses from conservatives who claim that I was a Democratic plant and that I am again this year,' he said. 'The most you can do is to say, well, it’s not true.'

"Wes Benedict, executive director of the Libertarian National Committee and founder of the Libertarian Booster PAC, also denied allegations that his PAC only supported Sarvis’ gubernatorial bid as a tool of moneyed Democratic Party interests."

Read more: http://www.roanoke.com/news/politics/libertarian-sarvis-denies-being-in-cahoots-with-democrats/article_c378acdf-992b-5fec-87a5-1127685381f1.html
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