Saturday, October 18, 2014

Libertarians appealing to fed-up U.S. voters

Fed up voters in Illinois (and around US): Why Libertarian may tip governor's race | Fox News - Douglas E. Schoen:

October 16, 2014 - "In a year of unusual candidates, Libertarian Chad Grimm may be the most atypical of the bunch.

"The 33-year old gym manager from Peoria is polling at 7%, more than twice the margin by which Democrat incumbent Pat Quinn leads Republican challenger Bruce Rauner....

"He is pro-life, pro-gun, and anti-tax, but also pro-marijuana legalization, pro-marriage equality, and he has derided the wealthy Rauner as a 'billionaire venture capitalist.' Grimm promises to lead Illinois into an era of 'less taxes, less prisons and less red tape.'

"America doesn’t have much experience with Libertarians. We know Ron and Rand Paul by now and they’ve both raised the profile of Libertarianism tremendously. That said, candidates like Grimm still lack a natural constituency who will support them.

"It follows that the fact that Grimm is polling at 7%, enough to decide the outcome of the election and then some, begs the question of what’s going on with our two-party system.

"To this end, Grimm is benefitting from the same pervasive dissatisfaction with American politics that is shaping races from Kansas to South Dakota to Maine.

"Voters are angry and frustrated with the state of politics in America. And it looks like many of those who may have once held their noses and voted for a Democrat or a Republican are finally starting to get serious about other options.

"Over 40% of Americans are now identifying as independents. We’re seeing their voting power in action in both Kansas and South Dakota’s senate races where independents Greg Orman and Larry Pressler are not only in contention, but leading in some polls.

"But in Illinois, where politics is notoriously rough and four of the last seven governors have wound up in prison, any candidate who wasn’t a Democrat or a Republican has been forced off the ballot, except for Grimm."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2014/10/16/fed-up-voters-in-illinois-and-around-us-why-libertarian-may-tip-governor-race/
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