RFK Jr. eying Libertarian POTUS nomination

Libertarians could supercharge RFK Jr’s campaign. But can he prove he’s one of them? | Semafor | David Weigel: 

February 9, 2024 - "In California, where Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lives, he needs 219,403 valid signatures to make the ballot — or 75,000 registrations with his new “We the People” party. In North Carolina, he’d need 82,542 valid signatures by May 5. And on Friday morning, the Democratic National Committee filed a Federal Election Commission complaint against Kennedy’s super PAC, accusing it of 'illegally coordinating' with the campaign to get him on state ballots.

"One weird trick could fix that problem. The Libertarian Party, with automatic ballot access across most of the country, will pick its nominee in 107 days. And Kennedy might go for it. 'We have a really good relationship with the Libertarian Party,' Kennedy told CNN’s Michael Smerconish last week. 'I feel very comfortable with most of the values of the Libertarian Party.'

"The ex-Democrat called for the release of Julian Assange at the New Hampshire libertarian PORCfest; he denounced 'turnkey totalitarianism' at last year’s FreedomFest. That speech earned him an invitation to this month’s California Libertarian Party convention in Orange County, where he’ll join the party’s presidential candidates in a forum, as a potential challenger. 'I’ve unironically been told that I’m platforming Bobby Kennedy,' California Libertarian Party chairman Adrian Malagon said, with a laugh. 'In what universe am I platforming a Kennedy? He’s platforming us.'

"Kennedy, who has benefitted from voter angst about President Biden’s age and Donald Trump’s rap sheet, has built a following among many Libertarians. He’s done so while holding views that contradict the party — especially after the 2022 victory of the Mises Caucus, a radical faction irritated by the nominations of ex-Republicans (former Rep. Bob Barr, former Gov. Gary Johnson) who didn’t share their more doctrinaire views. Johnson was booed at a 2016 Libertarian Party debate for supporting the 1964 Civil Rights Act and for being the only candidate against abolishing driver’s licenses.

"Kennedy’s differences run deeper. The current party platform opposes state intervention in the economy; Kennedy has proposed tax-free government bonds to help Americans buy homes. The party believes that 'people should be able to travel freely' across borders; Kennedy promises to 'close the border' with Mexico and finish the border fence with a day one executive order. The party is 'anti-war in every context,' a point its official account reiterated on X after Kennedy explained his stem-to-stern support for Israel. 'His vibes go well with the current Libertarian Party, but the policy specifics don’t,' said Brian Doherty, a senior editor at Reason magazine and historian of the movement.... 

"This week’s events showed exactly why Kennedy, the best-known third party candidate in America, is polling so much better than other outsiders in recent election cycles. In just one hour, last night, Joe Biden flubbed a reference to Egypt (he said 'Mexico') in a press conference called to dispel doubts about his mental fitness, and Donald Trump — celebrating a Nevada caucus win that was preordained by the state GOP — said 'Turkey' when he meant 'Hungary.' In that environment, third parties have an unusually strong chance to prove their relevance, and policy litmus tests and specifics simply don’t matter as much. 

"Kennedy holds some views that are antithetical to the Libertarian Party. But he’s been with them on three defining issues of the Biden era: Opposing vaccine mandates, battling tech companies over free speech, and halting any further military funding for Ukraine. And Kennedy takes Libertarians seriously. While he hasn’t been campaigning at state Libertarian Party meetings — the California convention will be his first — he’s made himself available to movement influencers. Dave Smith, a comedian and leader in the Mises faction’s LP takeover, conducted an 80-minute interview with Kennedy last week about his support for Israel. They couldn’t find common ground, but they wanted to....

"The purists are not making way for Kennedy. Michael Rectenwald, whose platform calls for abolishing the income tax and shuttering most of the national security state,... said [Kennedy], 'thinks he can ride into Washington like a white knight and fix all of our problems'.... The Mises faction’s critics are skeptical, too. Nicholas Sarwark, who chaired the LP from 2014 to 2020, ... saw opportunity for Libertarians if they welcomed 'never Trumpers' who were abou to be politically homeless; he saw far less upside if the party embraced Kennedy. 'They’re casting around for somebody who gives a shit about their stupid right-wing anti-vax politics, and nobody does,' said Sarwark.... 'It’s probably the stupidest political strategy I’ve ever seen.'"

Read more: https://www.semafor.com/article/02/09/2024/libertarians-could-supercharge-rfk-jrs-campaign-but-can-he-prove-hes-one-of-them

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. considers libertarian run | CBS 17 | February 1, 2024: 

GOP libertarians stand against Syria bombing

GOP’s war skeptics, once hopeful about Trump, wonder whether he’s changed - The Washington Post - David Weigel:

April 7, 2017 - "After the final confirmation vote on Judge Neil M. Gorsuch, Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) walked into a crowd of reporters to inveigh against the airstrikes in Syria. He’d been doing so nonstop since Thursday night — first in a statement, then on TV, then in a column decrying the 'unconstitutional rush to war'....

"Until this week, and despite Trump’s early personnel moves, libertarian skeptics of foreign intervention thought they had an ally in the White House. But in the space of 24 hours, Paul — who came off a golf trip with Trump with praise for the president — found the anti-interventionist Republican posse shrunken back to pre-Obama levels....

"With President Barack Obama in the White House, Republicans and their voters were growing more skeptical of foreign intervention. The autumn of 2013 seemed to present a pivot point, when most Republicans rejected Obama’s call for airstrikes in Syria. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), a rival for the libertarian vote, said that attacking Syrian airfields could turn the United States into 'al-Qaeda’s air force' and wondered whether Obama was asking Congress to approve military action because “his bluff was called.

"The vast majority of Republicans who opposed Obama’s 2013 strike plan have come out in favor of Trump’s — which, analysts acknowledge, was more limited in scope. An analysis by the Denver7 news channel found that every Republican member of the congressional delegation who had been critical of the Obama attack, some even calling it 'unconstitutional' without congressional approval, had backed Trump....

"To Congress’s libertarians, Trump’s decision to act without consulting Congress was an obvious contradiction of how he had campaigned. On a Friday episode of former congressman Ron Paul’s online show, Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) hammered home the increasingly fringe — but once Republican mainstream — position that striking Syria without congressional authorization risked blowback.

"'ISIS is better off today than it was yesterday,' Massie said, using another name for the Islamic State....

"Rep. Justin Amash (R-Mich.), who joined Friday’s briefing for senators, said that Trump had been clear up until he became president. He had repeatedly spoken, tweeted and recorded short videos against the idea of bombing Syria.

"'Back in 2013, the situation was fairly similar,' Amash said. 'President Obama suggested that he might attack, and [Trump] opposed it.'"

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/04/07/gops-war-skeptics-once-hopeful-about-trump-wonder-whether-hes-changed/?utm_term=.639f49d145d9
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Johnson, PACs fight to get him into debates

Libertarians hope rallies and ads can nudge them into the presidential debates - The Washington Post - David Weigel:

August 27, 2016 - "Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson ... a two-term governor of New Mexico, has avoided the fringe label that often sticks to third-party candidates. Since announcing former Massachusetts governor William Weld as his running mate, Johnson has risen in polls to the high single digits — and to the mid-teens in some swing states. His rallies draw hundreds of voters, bigger than anything he saw during his 2012 bid. He talks about 'spoiling the party,' and voters cheer.

""Despite that, Johnson is struggling to grab the prize he has eyed all year: To be invited to the televised presidential debates. He needs to close in on 15 percent in an average of polls, and he’s doing what he can. Two super PACs are trying to boost him in. It’s not clear that they can pull it off....

"The Commission on Presidential Debates, which has controlled the process since 1988, has held fast to its 15 percent threshold. A Johnson-backed lawsuit against that threshold was thrown out this month, though, and the voters filing into Johnson-Weld rallies this week were acutely aware that their man might be kept offstage....

"Two libertarian efforts are underway to boost Johnson past the debate commission’s 15-percent hurdle. Purple PAC, steered by former Cato Institute president Ed Crane, began a $1 million ad buy this week, with cable spots casting Johnson as an 'honorable choice' who favors tolerance and free markets.... Alternative PAC, launched by former FreedomWorks president Matt Kibbe, is spending $50,000 to kick-start a Web campaign aimed at millennials....

"As Purple PAC’s Crane noted, the two standard-bearers for libertarianism have become some of the least ideological candidates in America.... That’s led to steady criticism from more traditional libertarians, who pounce on every Johnson or Weld sop to the center as a gaffe. Weld, who signed a gun-control bill as governor, struggled to win the Libertarian vice-presidential nomination.... After Johnson refused to rule out a tax on carbon — only if it was revenue-neutral and it replaced income taxes — he was criticized by libertarians on social media.

“'I’m still on the fence about whether I’m going to cast a write-in vote for None of the Above or myself,' said Darryl Perry, a New Hampshire voter who ran against Johnson for the Libertarian presidential nomination. 'I know a few [people] who have said, "Well, he’s the lesser of the evils." The lesser evil is still evil in my eyes.'

"But the dazzling possibility of the debate invite — something no Libertarian candidate has ever achieved — has kept most fellow travelers on board.... At one rally, in Concord, close to 300 people stood in a steady and meteorology-defying rain to hear Weld and Johnson speak about the six-lane highway between the parties.

"'Standing in the rain,' Johnson said with disbelief. 'You honor us. You really do.'"

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/libertarians-hope-rallies-and-ads-can-nudge-them-into-the-presidential-debates/2016/08/27/2517567c-6b9d-11e6-8225-fbb8a6fc65bc_story.html
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Purple PAC spending $1M on TV ads (video)

Super PAC goes on the air for Gary Johnson as he struggles for debate access - The Washington Post - David Weigel:

August 25, 2016 - ""Purple PAC, the Libertarian-friendly super PAC steered by former Cato Institute president Ed Crane, has put $1 million into cable TV spots that will run for at least 10 days.

"The goal: boosting former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson's name recognition to get him polling close enough to 15 percent to cross into the televised presidential debates.

"'This thing can really catch fire," Crane said in a short interview. 'If Gary is in the debates against two people who are very unpopular, it could be quite a dramatic change in how voters look at the election'....

"But to achieve that, Johnson needs to crack 15 percent support — something no third-party candidate has done since 1992, and something made trickier by the splintering of the anti-Trump vote....

 "Meanwhile, a new Quinnipiac poll found Johnson at 10 percent in a four-way presidential race. Six times as many poll respondents — 62 percent — said that Johnson should be onstage at the debates."

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/08/25/super-pac-goes-on-the-air-for-gary-johnson-as-he-struggles-for-debate-access/
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Johnson in "most negative race of my career"

Libertarian Party faces a nomination fight in a #NeverTrump world - Washington Post - David Weigel:

May 13, 2016 - "Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico and 2012 Libertarian Party nominee for president, may have found his moment.... .... One small problem: Johnson is not the Libertarian Party’s nominee for 2016. Not yet. When the party meets at the end of the month, in Orlando, its hundreds of delegates will not be bound to any candidate. And Johnson has been under assault, for months, by two rivals who say he would blow the election.

"'It’s the most negative race of my career, by far,' said Johnson in an interview this week.... 'This is very personal, and I don’t get it. My defense is: None of it is being thrown back at them. You want to talk about the issues? Then fine, fine. But holy cow! It’s silly, just silly.'

"As the Libertarian Party faces perhaps the biggest opening of its 40-year history, it’s hosting a contest between the amiable left-libertarian Johnson, the youthful party activist Austin Petersen, and the larger-than-life anti-virus pioneer John McAfee. Johnson’s 2012 performance — a record 1.3 million votes for the party — has been dismissed by challengers who think he’s too compromised or easygoing to seize the moment....

"The Libertarian nomination seems even more valuable now, with a March poll by Monmouth University putting Johnson — by far the best-known candidate — at 11 percent in a race with Clinton and Trump. Johnson, as the only candidate to serve in elected office, says he could build on that and crack the 15 percent threshold for entering the presidential debates. McAfee and Petersen are convinced that he would waste it. This is no year for an 'experienced' candidate, much less one who spent the past few years in the edible marijuana business....

"At the highest-profile moment of the race so far, a debate on Fox Business, Petersen attempted to trip up Johnson with libertarian logic puzzles. His supporters have widely circulated the resulting videos, in which Petersen’s bumper sticker-perfect answers run against Johnson’s attempts to talk through the issues.

“'Should a Jewish baker be required to bake a Nazi wedding cake?' asked Petersen in a discussion about religious liberty. 'That would be my contention,' said Johnson....  'How about the utility that is privately owned, and because it’s the only market where I can buy my electricity, they’re gonna cut me off?' 'This betrays a fundamental lack of understanding of the free market,' said Petersen.... Later, Petersen goaded Johnson over a libertarian heresy – questioning whether people adjudicated mentally ill should be allowed to purchase firearms....

"In an interview this week, Johnson acknowledged that the campaign had been negative and denied that Petersen had gotten under his skin. 'I think I do a pretty good job of communicating what it is I want to communicate,' he said. The problem was that he wanted to deal with real-world implications, not theory, on something like guns being denied to dangerous people. 'We should absolutely be open to a discussion on how that might get accomplished. And having vetoed as many bills as I’ve vetoed, I’ve not seen any proposals that might preclude me from having a gun for failing some test. So, open to a discussion? Yes!'”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/05/13/libertarian-party-faces-a-nomination-fight-in-a-nevertrump-world/
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Cruz: give Nevada federal land to state (video)

Cruz hits Nevada airwaves with a libertarian land-rights pitch - Washington Post - David Weigel:

February 18, 2015 -"Sen. Ted Cruz is gearing up for the sleepy, overshadowed Nevada caucuses with a campaign tour and a new TV spot — one that demonstrates how he's trying to own the 'liberty lane' of the primaries now that Sen. Rand Paul is out of the Republican presidential race.

"In 'Nevada Land,' Cruz (R-Tex.) pledges to give 'full control' of Nevada land to the state, putting him in league with hard-line conservatives and libertarians from the grass roots to the American Legislative Exchange Council.

"'Eighty-five percent of Nevada is owned and regulated by the federal government,' Cruz says in the ad. "And Donald Trump wants to keep big government in charge. That's ridiculous'....

"Pulling back land rights from Washington has been a cause for Western Republicans for a generation, epitomized by the high-profile crusades of the Bundy family to claim land rights over territory claimed by the feds. Cruz and Paul (R-Ky.) suggested that Cliven Bundy's 2014 standoff with federal agents came from a legitimate anger....

"Cruz's endorsers in Nevada include Republican state Rep. Michele Fiore, an ally of the Bundys who became a mediator when Ammon Bundy led a temporary takeover of an Oregon wildlife refuge. And the movement to give lands back to the states is supported by some of the most powerful and deep-pocketed libertarian donors in America.

"It's unclear whether that can boost Cruz in Nevada. A CNN-ORC poll this week found Trump 28 points ahead of Cruz in that state. Local Republicans say that the Texan and Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) are much better organized than Trump in the state, with local offices and a canvassing team trying to turn out voters for the easily forgotten caucuses. A Cruz surprise might depend on the sort of rural libertarian voters who gave GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul strong finishes in 2008 and 2012."

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/02/18/cruz-hits-nevada-airwaves-with-a-libertarian-land-rights-pitch/
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Rubio camp dodges absenteeism issue by shooting messenger

How a libertarian TV host became the focus of a Bush-Rubio fight - Washington Post - David Weigel:

January 14, 2016 - "Atlanta-based TV commentator Ben Swann is used to seeing his work recycled. Early in his career, in New Mexico, he racked up awards for spot news reporting. After President Obama took office, he launched a video series called 'Reality Check,' the sort of behind-the-news feature that assures his audience that they are being rescued from the lies of the day.... The twist: Swann is an extremely skeptical libertarian....

"In 2013, he filmed a short independent documentary about the 'Rethink 9/11' campaign in New York, which had bought a billboard to drum up support for a fresh investigation into the collapse of the 7 World Trade Center building.... Swann admitted that the video could hurt him....  'Probably the people we got the most pushback from were libertarians, who said: Hey, don't talk about this. You'll look like you're crazy,' said Swann. 'Everybody who asks those questions gets smeared. All of a sudden, you're a truther'....

"Wednesday afternoon ... the New York Times's Maggie Haberman spotlighted Swann's cameo in an ad by the pro-Jeb Bush super PAC Right to Rise. Swann's October 'Fact Check' segment on Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio's voting record in the U.S. Senate was the one RTR used to quickly explain his absences. Matter-of-factly, Haberman noted that Swann had 'examined questions about whether 7 World Trade Center could have collapsed as authorities said it did, and allegations that the gunman in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings didn’t act alone.' Swann told The Washington Post that he did not receive a request for comment until the post went up....

"But just the whiff of "9/11 trutherism" pulled Rubio's campaign into the fray. Rubio's rapid response pro, Joe Pounder, cited it as more proof of Bush's desperation.

.@JebBush so desperate to launch false attacks on @marcorubio that they are using a 9-11 and Sandy Hook truther http://nyti.ms/1JLdHN9
5:28 PM - 13 Jan 2016

"Here was an ad hominem attack, defined. No one had disputed Swann's 'Reality Check' segment — and no one was really explaining how he talked about conspiracy theories. Consistently, he has explored them as a reporter, asking why other people are asking questions. He is as likely to debunk the questions as to leave them open....

"After Swann saw his reputation battered on Twitter, he noticed that Pounder, in his old role at the oppo shop America Rising, had promoted his work at least twice.... In 2012 ... it did not matter that Swann was a libertarian-leaning reporter who would check into oddball theories instead of quickly dismissing them. In 2016, with Rubio under attack, this began to matter a great deal."

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/14/how-a-libertarian-tv-host-became-the-focus-of-a-bush-rubio-fight/
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Republican Liberty Caucus endorses Rand Paul

Rand Paul wins support of GOP ‘liberty’ caucus - The Washington Post - David Wiegel:

January 12, 2015 - "The Republican Liberty Caucus, a 25-year old union of the GOP's libertarian-leaning activists, has endorsed Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) for president over Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). Coming just hours before Paul gets a Senate vote on his legislation to audit the Federal Reserve, his campaign is calling this a victory in the 'liberty lane' of the Republican primary.

"'Senator Paul is the candidate of choice among our state charters and membership at large,' said RLC National Chairman Matt Nye in a Tuesday morning statement. 'Senator Paul has been a consistent favorite with our members since he announced his candidacy."

"As Paul's presidential campaign has worked to regain footing in the primary, it's beseeched libertarian-leaning Republicans not to join Cruz's bandwagon. That effort has largely succeed, with some close calls. In October, the Paul campaign worked hurriedly to win a straw poll at the RLC's New Hampshire-based convention, where Cruz made a surprise appearance. When a confusing two-ballot system handed Paul the win, Cruz's campaign declared partial victory anyway, noting that "51 percent" of the combined ballots were marked for Cruz.

"In the ensuing weeks, despite well-received debate performances, Paul continued to lag behind Cruz. On Jan. 3, RLC National Director Steve Hoffman told the blog Conservative Fifty that he was personally switching from Paul to Cruz....

"Paul has sharpened his rhetoric about Cruz; in a series of half-festive, half-revealing New Years tweets, he resolved 'to give @TedCruz more lead time before I announce my policy positions, so he can replicate them faster.' Had the RLC issued no endorsement, after endorsing Paul's father in the 2012 primaries, it would have hinted at serious defections from his base. But two-thirds of RLC members, many of whom entered or re-engaged with politics because of Ron Paul's presidential campaigns, prevented catastrophe.

"Cruz's campaign, which has alerted reporters to any defections from Paul's camp, was sanguine about the RLC vote....

"Paul's campaign, meanwhile, was boasting of an unconditional victory.

"'As the only liberty-minded candidate,' said Paul spokesman Sergio Gor, 'Senator Paul is very pleased and grateful to the Republican Liberty Caucus.'"

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/01/12/rand-paul-wins-support-of-gop-liberty-caucus/
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Rand Paul budget deal video gets 19 million hits

Rand Paul’s viral video surprise - The Washington Post - David Weigel:

"Last week's 'filibuster' of the deal to raise the debt limit was widely seen as a bust for Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). With great fanfare, one day before the CNBC presidential debate, Paul said that he would take the floor and make life difficult for the deal's backers 'until we talk about proposals.' In the end, he talked for less than two hours -- and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) arrived to talk even more.

"Then, to the Paul campaign's surprise, one video of his speech transformed into a hit. Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a member of Paul's 2010 Tea Party class, shared the longest stretch of the Paul speech on Facebook. 'I was proud to vote with Senator Paul on his point of order that would have protected Social Security, and I ask you to help me shine a light on what Washington has tried to hide from you in the darkness of night,' Lee wrote. 'If everyone who sees this message shares it, it will reach millions of Americans.'

"Paul's campaign had not uploaded much of the speech to its YouTube account; none of the clips that made it up got more than 3,500 views. But over two days, the Lee video got more than 19 million impressions. (By contrast, the most popular YouTube video posted by Cruz has nearly 600,000 YouTube views.)

"'Virality means increased traffic, sign ups, and of course digital donations,' said Paul's digital strategist Vincent Harris. '[It's] a huge number in a short amount of time by any standards, especially considering the fact the campaign didn't pay a cent to promote it. Seems to be the most 'viral' moment since the senator stood up for life against Debbie Wasserman Schultz in New Hampshire months ago in a video that went around as well. It happened because people online appreciate Senator Lee, who shared the clip, and the senator's message on spending and our broken congress.'"

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2015/11/02/rand-pauls-viral-video-surprise/
Watch video here: https://www.facebook.com/senatormikelee/videos/1028817943816565/?permPage=1
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PATRIOT Act extension blocked in U.S. Senate

Randstand: Republican Presidential Candidate Leads Bipartisan Opposition to PATRIOT Act - Bloomberg Politics: David Weigel, with Derek Wallbank & Terence Dopps:

May 23. 2015 - "Saturday morning, Rand Paul set off a few parliamentary explosions in the Senate.... Paul used a range of parliamentary maneuvers to block the Senate from extending the Patriot Act, the contentious anti-terror law that expires June 1, and forced his Kentucky colleague, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to call senators back for a rare Sunday session on May 31....

"Saturday during a marathon session in which senators hustled to wrap up matters before their vacation, ... McConnell failed to marshal enough votes to pass the Patriot Act extension.... He then asked for unanimous consent to approve an extension of the law until June 8, a move which would have given the Senate a week after returning from vacation to craft a deal.

"Paul stood up. 'Reserving the right to object: We have entered into a momentous debate,' Paul said.  South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham, sitting a row in front of him, rolled his eyes....

"Before this, Paul and his allies — especially Oregon Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat — had been trying to negotiate for roll call votes on amendments that they wanted to add [to] the Patriot Act. According to a Senate staffer who had knowledge of the talks but who is not permitted to discuss them publicly, they foundered, with opponents and supporters wanting to see where the votes were before they really negotiated. On the floor, Paul proposed that the six amendments he'd been advocating could be boiled down to votes on 'two amendments on a simple majority vote.'

"That didn't happen, so Paul and his across-the-aisle allies dug in. 'I renew my request with an amendment to extend the provisions until June 5,' said McConnell. Wyden objected. 'I renew my request with an amendment to extend the provisions until June 3,' said McConnell. New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich, a Democrat who, like Wyden, had joined Paul in a 10-1/2-hour speaking marathon against the bill on Wednesday, objected.

"The upshot was that the Senate will return on May 31, a Sunday, the day before the Patriot Act is due to expire. Instead of a vote one week before the deadline, there would be a vote hours before the deadline. Backers of the bill hope the coming week will be used to work out a deal to extend the law.... But Paul signaled via social media that he'll also be using the time to build opposition to the Patriot Act....

"In Philadelphia, on Monday, Paul acknowledged that he did not have the votes to win the amendments he wants, but hoped he had enough support outside the Capitol to make the process infamous.... In Philadelphia he repeated a common make-my-day anecdote about just how ready he was to go beyond the Patriot Act's renewal deadline, if it meant he could have a debate and end the bulk data collection.

"'One senator came up to me and said, "If you defeat the Patriot Act, what will happen? How could we possibly survive?"’ Paul recalled. 'And I said maybe, just maybe, we could rely on the Constitution for a few hours.'"

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-05-23/rand-paul-blocks-patriot-act-with-help-from-democratic-friends

Human Events on Paul’s "Libertarian Meltdown"

POTUS 2016: Hillary’s Mob, a Cruz Missile and Rand’s Libertarian Meltdown | Human Events - Brian Darling, "Daily Events":

March 27, 2015 - "Libertarians are absolutely freaking out about Rand Paul these days.

"First, they melted down when he wrote a bill declaring war on ISIS. The bill also removed the 2001 Afghanistan and 2002 Iraq Authorizations for the Use of Force (AUMF), prevented the Obama Administration from using old AUMFs to fight new undeclared wars and limited the battlefield to Syria and Iraq. David Weigel of Bloomberg wrote that it limited the President’s war powers....

"Next, Sen. Paul signed Sen. Tom Cotton’s (R-Arkansas) open letter to the leaders of Iran saying that any treaty or oral agreement that qualifies as a binding agreement between the nations would have to be submitted to the Senate pursuant to the Constitution for ratification. Justin Raimondo of Antiwar.com wrote that Paul was 'the Neville Chamberlain of the liberty movement.' Libertarians ... ignored the fact that the letter’s contents were an accurate description of the constitutional authority of a president.

"Finally, Paul filed an amendment to the budget this week to make cuts to programs to pay for new military spending.... Nick Gillespie of Reason wrote a good analysis of the amendment while other libertarians were throwing [Paul] under the bus. The Amendment assumed that if the sequester was eliminated and projected levels of spending on defense were restored, cuts were necessary to pay for the new spending. Paul cut $21 billion in foreign aid, $14 billion from the National Science Foundation, $10 billion from the EPA, $20 billion from the Department of Education and $41 billion from HUD.

"On this common sense amendment, Senator Paul only received 4 votes (Sens. Paul, Enzi, McConnell and Vitter). Every Senator, and presidential aspirant, who voted against this amendment, believes that defense spending should not be offset. Ironically, this was the most libertarian amendment offered during the budget debate."

Read more: http://humanevents.com/2015/03/27/potus-2016-hillarys-mob-a-cruz-missile-and-rands-libertarian-meltdown/
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The libertarian network behind Rand Paul

The Libertarian Network That Rand Paul Hasn’t Walked Away From And Can’t Totally Control - BuzzFeed News - Rosie Gray & Kate Nocera:

February 22, 2015 "Last month, Rand Paul greeted a crowd of like-minded supporters: gun-rights enthusiasts with a libertarian bent in New Hampshire, the state where the Republican senator seems most likely to chase presidential primary votes.

"Event organizers wouldn’t let press into the event, devoted to guns, but reporters were able to see Paul greeting supporters in a black letterman-style jacket bearing the letters “NAGR.”
The acronym stands for National Association for Gun Rights — an alternative group to the behemoth National Rifle Association, the group that NAGR says just isn’t committed enough to the Second Amendment.

"Paul routinely signs his name to their mailers. He’s helped fundraise for the group on conference calls. But NAGR is just one of the wide network of libertarian activist groups that Paul remains aligned with, even as he prepares for a presidential bid this year.

The informal network of groups — NAGR, the Campaign for Liberty, the National Pro-life Alliance, and the National League of Taxpayers — are something of a holdover from Paul’s more libertarian purist father. The groups operate independently from one another and from Paul, but their connections to the family run deep. Their activists provided a foundation of operative support for Ron Paul’s presidential campaigns. But they didn’t stop when the elder Paul retired: The groups fundraise aggressively and many have used Rand Paul’s name to solicit donations and raise their profile....

"Voters on their massive distribution lists get communications with Paul’s name or messages signed by him, gaining exposure and a fundraising base for him. An email from the National League of Taxpayers for example, will go out under Paul’s name and ask supporters to sign a petition supporting a balanced budget amendment and then say contributions to the group are “urgently needed.”

"Rand Paul’s connection to the network is no real secret — the libertarian groups were the subject of stories from reporters like David Weigel and others last year. The question in many of those stories was the same: If and when would the senator walk away from the groups.

"A year later, the answer seems clear: Rand Paul isn’t walking away from the groups, and they’ll continue to use his name on their promotional materials, even if he can’t control what they do."

Read more: http://www.buzzfeed.com/rosiegray/the-libertarian-network-that-rand-paul-hasnt-walked-away-fro
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Snowden and Ron Paul kick off ISFL conference

Edward Snowden and Ron Paul Kick Off Libertarian Student Conference With a Little Kerfuffle About Russia - Bloomberg Politics - David Wiegel:

February 12, 2015 - "'You're going to make me blush,' said Edward Snowden.

"It was a little after 6 p.m., and the NSA [National Security Agency] whistleblower's face and shoulders were gazing out, billboard-sized, at hundreds of cheering young libertarians. Snowden was beamed in to talk to the largest-ever International Students for Liberty conference, newly relocated to Washington's largest hotel. Snowden, whose highest degree was a GED, was honored as an honorary alumnus of the eight-year old organization. For 15 minutes he restated a case against the surveillance state that had no rebuttal in the room....

"As he honed in on his argument, Snowden tailored it to young libertarians – most of them college students. 'I think many of the people in this room take a more pro-liberty pro-rights perspective than others in the U.S. political agreement,' said Snowden. 'There’s an argument to be made that perfect enforcement of the law is not a good thing. In fact, it’s a very serious threat ... law is a lot like medicine. When you have too much it can be fatal.'

"In a small moment of irony, the Moscow-bound Snowden remembered how he'd talked to colleagues at the NSA, and found them quietly agreeing with his worries, but unready to expose the agency. 'We had more on Americans than we had on Russians, for example,' he said. 'Should we be focusing on ourselves more than we focus on our adversaries?'....

"After Snowden wrapped, a slightly smaller audience remained in chairs to hear former Texas Congressman Ron Paul chat with Fox News commentator Andrew Napolitano and Reason.com editor Nick Gillespie. 

"'You know, my name was connected to Edward Snowden,' said Paul. 'They really wanted to blackball him, to destroy him, so they said: "He donated to the Ron Paul campaign!"'

"Paul called Snowden a truth-teller, and asked why whistleblowers like him were demonized.

 "'They end up being called the evil people, they're evil,' he said. 'Edward Snowden can't even come back to this country. They say he's treasonous, because he's telling the truth. This is why organizations like this are successful.'"

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-02-14/edward-snowden-and-ron-paul-kick-off-libertarian-student-conference-with-a-little-kerfuffle-about-russia
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Libertarian-Democratic civil rights alliance emerging

Rand Paul's Crazy Dream of a Libertarian-Democratic Alliance on Civil Rights Is Actually Happening - Bloomberg Politics - David Wiegel:

January 29, 2015 - "On the morning before attorney general nominee Loretta Lynch would face Congress, Kentucky Senator Rand Paul re-introduced a bill that would tie her hands. Paul and a crew of congressmen — Minnesota Representative Keith Ellison, Michigan Representative Tim Walberg — had resurrected the Fifth Amendment Integrity Act. If passed, it would restrict the government’s ability, from the Department of Justice on down to local cops, to seize property from criminal suspects.

"'We’ve had protests across our country, and people think it’s about one or two instances,' Paul said from the rostrum. 'No. It’s one thing after another. Let’s say you’ve got a poor family in aneighborhood in a big city, and grandmother owns the house. The 15-year old son is selling marijuana. They catch him. They take the house! The house was the only stabilizing thing in a family that was having trouble.'

"Ellison, a black Democrat who was the first Muslim elected to Congress, stood by Paul as he summoned the ghosts of the Civil Rights movement.

"'Martin Luther King talked about there being two Americas, where one America was treated in a just fashion and one wasn't,' Paul said. 'At one point it was based on color, and it was awful. Now it’s not so much based on color on purpose, but there is an inadvertent sense to the war on drugs that has allowed people of color to be caught up in this.'

"This was Rand Paul, national figure and likely presidential candidate, and Democrats needed him. And this was still somewhat new to them. Paul had begun his Senate career in 2011 by slicing up red meat, introducing a doomed bill to ban abortions and a budget proposal that zeroed out foreign aid. He’d started the second Obama administration with a campaign of outreach to black students and black leaders, and a vocal campaign to restore the voting rights of felons. Democrats could say this and the media shrugged; Rand Paul said it, and the notebooks came out."

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/features/2015-01-29/rand-paul-s-crazy-dream-of-a-libertarian-democratic-alliance-on-civil-rights-is-actually-happening
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U.S. House chairmanships go to libertarians' foes

The Hawks Strike Back: Libertarians Routed in GOP Committee Races - David Wiegel, Bloomberg Politics:

November 19, 2014 - "There is no more acrimonious relationship in the House GOP conference than the one between Michigan Representative Justin Amash and California Representative Devin Nunes. After Amash nearly succeeded in passing a bill that would have de-funded the NSA's metadata collection program, Nunes basically called him a traitor. 'This is a guy willing to work with San Francisco Democrats to protect baitfish,' he told Politico, 'and at the same time he’s Al-Qaeda’s best friend in the Congress'....

"On Tuesday, Nunes was elected to chair the House Intelligence Committee. 'Over the past four years, Devin has been instrumental in ensuring that our intelligence professionals have the resources they need to keep America safe,' said Speaker John Boehner in a statement.

"Amash didn't respond to a request for comment, but there was more bad news for the libertarian wing of the GOP on Tuesday. In a true upset, Texas Representative Bill Flores overcame South Carolina Representative Mick Mulvaney to take over the conservative Republican Study Committee. According to Lachlan Markay's reporting, Mulvaney was done in by hawkish conservatives who had organized for months against the elevation of a more libertarian-minded member. In a July letter, 25 hawks stated 'that any candidate for Chairman of the Republican Study Committee be thoroughly vetted to have demonstrated a clear, principled and unequivocal voting record in support of our national security.'

"That functionally meant Mulvaney. He was one of a loud but small minority of Republicans who argued that defense cuts needed to be part of a fiscally responsible budget. Kentucky Senator Rand Paul campaigned for him. Last week, Mulvaney was spotted in the hotel where Paul had gathered supporters to talk about his progress so far and the possibility of a 2016 White House run."

Read more:
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2014-11-19/the-hawks-strike-back-libertarians-routed-in-gop-committee-races

District court judge strikes down DC gun-carry ban

Tom Palmer: Meet the libertarians who keep beating D.C.'s gun laws in court, like in the Heller case and Palmer v. D.C. David Wiegel, Slate:

July 28, 2014 - "At the end of last week, Senior District Court Judge Frederick Scullin Jr. handed a huge victory to D.C.'s outnumbered supporters of unfettered Second Amendment rights. The district's handgun restrictions, wrote Scullin, flew in the face of precedent. 'In light of Heller, McDonald, and their progeny,' wrote Scullin, referring to other cases that rolled back the gun laws, 'there is no longer any basis on which this Court can conclude that the District of Columbia's total ban on the public carrying of ready-to-use handguns outside the home is constitutional under any level of scrutiny.' The District was violating the Constitution by refusing to let people from other states open-carry or conceal-carry their guns....

"Palmer v. District of Columbia is mostly interesting as the second example in just a few days of libertarian lawyers dunking on the liberal state. Tom Palmer, listed first among the plaintiffs, is the director of the libertarian Cato University program, and a vice president of the Randian Atlas Society. He was a plaintiff in the Heller case, too; in attorney Alan Gura's words, he was 'a gay man who had previously, in California, fended off a hate crime using a firearm that he happened to have on him.'"

Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2014/07/28/meet_the_libertarians_who_keep_beating_d_c_s_gun_laws_in_court.html
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Read the decision: http://ia600408.us.archive.org/2/items/gov.uscourts.dcd.137887/gov.uscourts.dcd.137887.51.0.pdf

David Weigel interviews Justin Amash, his "Critic of the Year"

Libertarian congressman Justin Amash: Critic of NSA, immigration, budget deal - David Weigel, Slate:

"Justin Amash kicked off 2013 with an act of pointless, doomed rebellion. The congressman from Michigan, a Republican first elected in 2010, had just been removed from the budget committee... After the new Congress was sworn in, Amash joined a crew of conservatives to vote against John Boehner for Speaker of the House....

"By the summer, Amash had normalized relations with his leadership and won a vote on an amendment to defund the NSA’s domestic surveillance. When the amendment nearly passed, it altered the way official Washington discussed the NSA, changing the story from senators vs. Snowden to an actual controversy that ran through party lines. Three months later, the 33-year old congressman drew a wealthy and establishment-friendly Republican primary challenger. This was covered as a problem for the Tea Party, but it seemed awfully selective. Of all the 'unreasonable' Republicans to go after, the one sweating a challenge was the libertarian who explained his votes on Facebook."

Read more: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/12/libertarian_congressman_justin_amash_critic_of_nsa_immigration_budget_deal.html
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Sarvis achieves 10% poll average, still excluded from final debate

Robert Sarvis: Libertarian candidate hits 10 percent in Virginia, won't be invited to debate - David Wiegel, Slate:

"The latest RealClearPolitics average of polling in Virginia's race for governor puts Democrat Terry McAuliffe at 46.4 percent, Republican Ken Cuccinelli at 36.8 percent, and Libertarian Robert Sarvis at 10 percent. All year, channel WDBJ7, the sponsor of the final debate (it's tomorrow), had said that any candidate polling at 10 percent or more would make it onstage.

"But no, Sarvis won't be there. The cutoff for inclusion in the debate was Oct. 10, two weeks before the event (as if anything could change a campaign in two weeks). On that date, Sarvis was polling at an average of 9 percent, so he was out.

"'We all know what happened here,' said Sarvis after the decision came down. 'As the goalposts kept changing over the past couple weeks, it became clear that the decision would be made on the basis of measures that have the patina of objectivity, but in fact are designed to exclude.' The last poll before the deadline, a Politico/PPP survey gave Sarvis 12 percent, so the network ran with the average that added in older, lower numbers."

Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2013/10/23/libertarian_candidate_hits_10_percent_in_virginia_won_t_be_invited_to_debate.html
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Americans Elect gives Oklahoma ballot access to Gary Johnson

Zombified Corpse of Americans Elect Gives Oklahoma Ballot Access to Gary Johnson - David Wiegel, Slate:

"Back in May, as Americans Elect's national organization collapsed, ballot genius Richard Winger and I wondered whether the local organizations could give their ballot lines to other candidates. After all, "Americans Elect" was legally on the ballot in nearly 30 states, and it was illegal to take them off. Would they just field no candidates? Or would enterprising third partiers take their ballot lines?

"The second one. From the inbox:

"'The nonpartisan organization Americans Elect has submitted the names of presidential electors to the Oklahoma State Board of Elections who have pledged to support former New Mexico Governor and Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson for President and Judge Jim Gray for Vice President. The nomination by Americans Elect ensures that Gov. Johnson's name will be on the November ballot in Oklahoma.'

"The Sooner State has strict ballot access laws, and no Libertarian nominee had fulfilled them since 2000, when Harry Browne got 0.5% of the vote."

Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/08/08/zombified_corpse_of_americans_elect_gives_oklahoma_ballot_access_to_gary_johnson.html
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Ron Paul Wins Minnesota Delegates by a Landslide

Ron Paul Wins Minnesota Delegates by a Landslide - David Wiegel, Slate:

April 23, 2012 - "Over the weekend, Minnesota held congressional district conventions. Now, the state's February caucus -- one of the trio of non-binding contests Santorum won early that month -- went 45 percent for Santorum, 27 percent for Paul, and only 17 percent for Romney. The Associated Press and other groups went on to estimate that Santorum would win 17 of Minnesota's delegates, Paul would win 10, and Romney 6. Wrong. Ron Paul dominated the CD conventions. According to a tweet from RNC committeewoman Pat Anderson, Paul took 20 of the 24 delegates available in the CDs.

"Pat Anderson <@patandersonmn> 'Ron Paul gets 20/24 Congressional District delegates. CD4 3, CD2 3, CD8 2, CD1 2.'"

Read more: http://www.slate.com/blogs/weigel/2012/04/23/ron_paul_wins_minnesota_delegates_by_a_landslide.html
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