5 books to boost your knowledge of liberty

Five Books to Jumpstart Your Knowledge of Libertarianism - Remso Martinez, Advocates for Self-Government:

June 5, 2019 - "So, you want to learn more about libertarianism? Check out these books and don’t forget to take the World’s Smallest Political Quiz.

Don’t Hurt People and Don’t Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto by Matt Kibbe
"Written by the organizer behind the Tea Party revolution that ... armed us with a new generation of pro-liberty leaders in Congress and across the country, ... this is the perfect primer for anyone [who is] liberty curious and wants to lift the veil and peek into a world where it’s not cool to hurt people and take their stuff.

Anthem by Ayn Rand
"This short novella by Russian writer and philosopher Ayn Rand was dystopian before dystopian novels were cool.... Anthem puts you in the mind of a character who lives in a world where 'I' isn’t a word and free will is punishable by death....

Road to Serfdom by F.A. Hayek
"Dedicated to the socialists in all parties who refused to observe the mistakes of our past ... Hayek shows the reader how the desire for collective action leads to the enslavement of freedom itself. This book exposes the reader to the mindset of those who cry for more regulation and central control, and how their desire for order simply means more chains on the society they imagine they are freeing from the perils of an unjust world.

Free to Choose by Milton Friedman
"Milton Friedman took the world of politics and economics by storm simply by stating loud and proud that society thrives when people are left to make their own decisions.... Friedman shows how deregulation, free markets, and individual choice takes people from victimhood to empowerment when government gets out of the way....

Stay Away From the Libertarians! by Remso W. Martinez
"A shameless plug.... I take you through a brief history of the modern libertarian movement from 2012 through 2016 and show you how libertarians have changed the way millions view the relationship between themselves and the state.... [Y]ou’ll learn once and for all why lazy academics, the fake news, and statist politicians in both parties fear libertarians."

Read more: https://www.theadvocates.org/2019/06/five-books-to-jumpstart-your-knowledge-of-libertarianism/

'via Blog this'

Matt Kibbe TV show debuts Feb. 18 on BlazeTV

BlazeTV adds libertarian, comedy fare to its pro-America line-up - Washington Times - Jennifer Harper:

January 16, 2019 - "BlazeTV, the independent company launched in December by conservative titans Mark Levin and Glenn Beck, has expanded its programing to include libertarian content and humor, featuring longtime grassroots activist Matt Kibbe and comedian Chad Prather.

"'As a libertarian, I’m proud to be joining BlazeTV. I’m going to put some new ideas forward, have thoughtful conversations with smart people from different perspectives, and reach for new audiences outside of the usual silos,' said Mr. Kibbe, who founded the grassroots groups Freedomworks and Free the People, and will anchor a new offering called Kibbe on Liberty.

"It showcases his basic guiding principle — 'Don’t hurt people and don’t take their stuff' — and is set to debut on Feb. 18.

"'This isn’t just about producing quality content. As supposedly public social media platforms censor certain voices to shelter their ideological biases, BlazeTV will be a vital platform where speech is truly free,' Mr. Kibbe noted."

Read more: https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2019/jan/16/blazetv-adds-libertarian-comedy-fare-to-its-pro-am/
'via Blog this'

Matt Kibbe on the Libertarianism wiki: https://libertarianism.wikia.com/wiki/Matt_Kibbe

Documentary looks at how US politics is Rigged (video)

The Election Isn't Rigged, But The Political System Is. - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Nick Gillespie:

October 18, 2016 - "I'd like to point you to a great new hour-long documentary that explores the ways in which ordinary Americans and their concerns are systematically shut out from political discourse. Not right there at the polling place, of course, but much, much further upstream....

"Underwritten by Overstock.com's CEO Patrick Byrne and featuring a calvacade of libertarian-leaning commentators such as Matt Kibbe, Glenn Beck, and yours truly (in a brief appearance), Rigged 2016 analyzes why politics and elections never seem to engage the concerns and views of voters and citizens who refuse to identify as either Republican or Democrat. It also gets at why the two major parties are losing members like nobody's business.

"Below is the trailer and ... the website for the full, hour-long film, which you can watch for free online. "Do Not Vote For President Until You See This Film," reads the tag line. It's sage advice."

Read more: https://reason.com/blog/2016/10/18/the-election-isnt-rigged-but-the-politic
'via Blog this'

Watch complete film at: http://www.rigged2016.com/

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
'via Blog this'

Post-Paul presidential politics

Rand Paul Is Out — But Libertarianism Is Finally Mainstream - Reason.com - Matt Kibbe:

February 10, 2016 -  "As someone who left a perfectly respectable day job last year to help elect Rand Paul president, I need to find the upside. I have finally emerged from my post-Iowa fetal position to offer some observations on what liberty voters, and libertarians generally, should make of it all.

"First off, I endorse the view, ably represented by Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch, that Rand’s failure to win the Republican nomination in no way signals the end of the 'libertarian moment.' Politics is a lagging indicator of social change, and the measure of a social movement is better taken upstream from voter turnout.

"As for Iowa, let’s at least hat tip the effort. Rand Paul bested four establishment Republican Governors including Jeb Bush, placing a respectable fifth place with 4.5 percent of the vote.... Paul beat them all after being excluded from the Fox Business debate just a few weeks earlier. I’m going to call that a comeback—one small step for mankind, another bigger step for the future of liberty.

"Why? Because Rand has seeded another generation of liberty-minded young people, much like his father did in 2008 and 2012. When I was a kid, there was no broad social movement for liberty like we see today. Rand juiced the build-out of this community simply by being on the presidential stage, by offering a compelling alternative to the establishment’s failed foreign policies, and by speaking about civil liberties and the failures of mass incarceration to new audiences that few Republicans have been willing to engage with....

"I spent time on the ground talking to voters at events across Iowa.... It was clear to me before a single vote was cast that Trump had poached key parts of the broader Ron Paul coalition of 2012. More disconcerting, a number of Rand’s student activists were telling me stories about young people, energized by Rand’s 'libertarianish' message at university campus rallies, ultimately caucusing for Bernie Sanders.

"It’s good to be fundamentally skeptical of Washington insiders, to have a deep distrust of politicians and their motives. Say what you will about it, a self-avowed crony capitalist and a white male septuagenarian career politician have best tapped into this ethos....

"All of this rage against the machine is a healthy awakening against the injustices of 'the system'.... But being anti-establishment isn’t nearly good enough. Trump’s self-absorbed vision of untethered presidential power is not a step up from Barack Obama. And socialism, even of the 'democratic' variety, is still all about concentrating power (and the implied threat of violence) with Washington elites.

"We are in the midst of a fundamental paradigm shift that has broken the singular power of the two-party duopoly.... Libertarians are now mainstream, no longer relegated to basement book club arguments about the moral failings of 'minarchism.' Our values offer a serious alternative to both right wing and left wing statism....

"People, particularly young people, now live in a radically disintermediated world where we curate virtually everything for ourselves; new music, news sources, better ideas, and even spontaneously-emerging communities built on free association and shared values. Top-down political institutions, like almost everything else in our post-internet society, are bleeding power and control. Information, knowledge and power are shifting back to the end user. This disruption is an opportunity, a window to connect with a burgeoning generation of freer people who take self-determination as a given. We no longer accept authority as is—we Google it, using information and facts to challenge the status quo. Empowered consumers have broken the backs of record company moguls, mainstream media monopolists, taxi medallion hoarders, and even the Bush Family dynasty.

"The hearts and minds of young, socially connected Americans are very much up for grabs. Registered independents have become the fastest growing political block, making up a larger plurality than either Democrats or Republicans in 44 out of 50 states. Talk about a libertarian moment. The individuals that comprise this Á La Carte Generation are environmentally programmed from birth to curate their very own reality, one that is more personal, and more free."

Read more: https://reason.com/archives/2016/02/10/rand-raul-mainstream-libertarians-presid
 'via Blog this'

Cruz wins Iowa caucus, Rand Paul 5th

Rand Paul Campaign, SuperPAC Speak on Iowa and What's Next - Hit & Run : Reason.com - Brian Doherty:

February 2, 2016 - "Rand Paul's vote in the Iowa caucus tonight could have been roughly predicted from the most recent polling. It was discouraging for those who hoped for a last-minute surge to third driven by student turnout and over a million voter I.D. and GOTV [get out the vote] calls.

"Paul's campaign issued a statement tonight trying to spin the results positively, which read in part:

Rand Paul had a strong top-five finish by placing ahead of Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, John Kasich, and the last two Iowa Caucus winners tonight. The voters spoke for the first time, and they showed that they believe everyone in our country should have the liberty to make the most of their lives, not just the well-connected and the political establishment.Whether the issue is constitutional government, a balanced budget, a rational foreign policy, or preserving the entire Bill of Rights for all citizens, Rand Paul is the only one standing up for conservatives and liberty-loving Americans.

Tonight's vote reveals that the race for the White House is wide open. Dr. Rand Paul believes his voice is important to the debate, and calls on ABC and the RNC to make sure he is on the stage next weekend in New Hampshire. The results today demand it.... 

"Matt Kibbe, formerly of Tea Party-identified liberty activist group FreedomWorks and now with the Paul-supporting unaffiliated SuperPAC Concerned American Voters [CAV], ... worked on GOTV for Paul in Iowa.

"While 'we wanted Rand to do better, given where he has been it was a credible showing. I do think that Cruz and Donald Trump and even oddly enough Bernie Sanders were eating away at Rand's potential voting bloc,' Kibbe says. 'It heightens the now obvious divide between the liberty vote and the anti-establishment populist vote'....

"Kibbe is not as viscerally turned off by Cruz as many libertarians are. 'If you look at Ted Cruz' background, his training as a classical liberal is impressive," Kibbe says. 'He's read Mises and Hayek, he's read all the books [libertarians] have read and I believe he deeply understands those ideas'."

"Kibbe admits that 'I'm more ambivalent today because he has flip flopped on criminal justice and he's flip flopped on surveillance and most worrisome is, what is his foreign policy?...'

"Cruz or no, Kibbe says that 'there is still momentum to move forward [with Paul], it was a very credible performance tonight and we [CAV] will be in it as long as Rand is in it.' They are currently involved in social networking efforts in New Hampshire and ground work in Nevada....

"Kibbe says that even voters who are never going to embrace the full vision of movement libertarianism in an intellectual, bookish manner are still capturable by libertarian-leaning politicians."

Read more: http://reason.com/blog/2016/02/02/rand-paul-campaign-superpac-speak-on-iow

'via Blog this'

Jesse Benton charged with bribery over 2011 case

Rand Paul 2016: Jesse Benton, Super PAC head, indicted in payment scheme - Politico - Kyle Cheney, Katie Glueck, & Manu Raju:

 August 5, 2015 - "A close confidant of Sen. Rand Paul was indicted Wednesday for an alleged conspiracy to bribe an Iowa state senator in 2011 to shift allegiances to Paul’s father, Ron, then a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

"Jesse Benton, a longtime aide to the younger Paul who’s now helming a super PAC supporting the Kentucky Republican’s 2016 presidential bid, faces charges of conspiracy, obstructing an investigation, submitting false campaign finance reports to the Federal Election Commission and making false statements to the FBI. Two other operatives, John Tate and Dimitrios Kesari, also face charges connected to the alleged payoff....

"'Senator Rand Paul is disappointed that the Obama justice department chose to release this just prior to the highly anticipated first Republican presidential debate,' said a campaign spokesman, who asked not to be identified. 'It certainly appears suspiciously timed and possibly, politically motivated. Additionally, these actions are from 2012 and have nothing to do with our campaign'....

"According to the Justice Department, the three operatives paid more than $70,000 — concealed as legitimate campaign expenditures — to then-state Sen. Kent Sorenson in order to shift his support from Rep. Michele Bachmann to the elder Paul. Sorenson made his switch public on Dec. 28, 2011, in Des Moines. The three operatives also coached Sorenson to lie when asked whether he was offered money for his support, according to the indictment....

"The super PAC Benton runs, America’s Liberty PAC, is one of three pro-Rand Paul presidential super PACs. The other two are Concerned American Voters, run by Jeff Frazee and Matt Kibbe, and Purple PAC, run by Ed Crane. America’s Liberty PAC, however, is the one super PAC that’s been sanctioned by the Paul campaign, and on its website it describes itself as the “only Super PAC endorsed by Senator Paul.”

"The fresh headlines of the scandal, which came one day before the first Republican debate, could impact not only Paul’s presidential ambitions, but also his reelection bid for his Senate seat. The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee on Wednesday blasted out a story on the indictment with the subject line 'Hey Rand, We’ll See You When You Drop Out Of The Presidential Race!'

"Benton, 37, had been a rising star in GOP politics and is a Paul family member. (He is married to Ron Paul’s granddaughter, who is Rand Paul’s niece.) With his deep ties to the libertarian movement, Benton has long had clout among the conservative grass roots."

Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2015/08/rand-paul-2016-jesse-benton-super-pac-121034.html
'via Blog this'

NPR interviews Matt Kibbe of FreedomWorks

A Libertarian With Roots In Rock Music : NPR - Weekend edition, Sunday:

March 30, 2014 - "RACHEL MARTIN, HOST: We're going to hear now how a prominent libertarian found his political voice.... Matt Kibbe was just 13 when he fell under the spell of a certain rock band.

MATT KIBBE: Well, I was listening to a lot of Led Zeppelin, but it was the band Rush really got me starting to read and pay attention to ideas.

MARTIN: On the Rush album, 2112, the band sings of a futuristic society, in which thought and expression are controlled by a top-down autocracy.... Now, many years later, you could say Matt Kibbe has turned those early teenage notions into a career. He's the head of FreedomWorks, the grassroots organization that helped launch the Tea Party. His latest book is called Don't Hurt People and Don't Take Their Stuff: A Libertarian Manifesto.

"I asked him to talk more generally about America at this moment and whether he thinks our society already resembles the dystopia imagined by Rush."

Read more: http://www.npr.org/2014/03/30/296673083/a-libertarian-with-roots-in-rock-music
'via Blog this'

The GOP's growing "big-tent libertarian" base

GOP's "Big-Tent Libertarian" Base Home For Small-Government Advocates - Investors.com - Matt Kibbe, Investors Business Daily:

September 13, 2013 - "New polling shows that policymakers with an authentic commitment to personal freedom and non-intrusive government will thrive in the Republican Party's growing 'big-tent libertarian' base, while the big-government Old Guard will follow its own trend and disappear into political obscurity.

"FreedomWorks' national poll of 1,000 registered voters found that while the Republican Party fumbles to rehabilitate its damaged political brand, favorable opinions towards big-tent libertarian values are at the highest level in a decade. The economy, health care and jobs take top priority across the voter base, early evidence that political dynamics in 2014 will resemble the 2010 midterm elections.

"There is a realignment happening in the GOP, a return to the domestic economic policy priorities that fueled the last Republican midterm sweep. It's 2009 all over again, only this time combined with a growing distrust of an executive branch plagued with IRS targeting and NSA surveillance scandals, and selective ObamaCare enforcement.

"The perfect storm is brewing for a referendum on the unchecked authority and arrogance of big government, and Republican incumbents ignore these trends at their own peril."

Read more: http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-on-the-right/091313-671008-voters-are-tired-of-big-government-favor-libertarian-values.htm#ixzz2esfm08Ls
'via Blog this'

FreedomWorks @ 4 million - Libertarian non-profit continues soaring up social media rankings

Charity News: SOCIAL MEDIA: Freedom Works 4 million - Libertarian non-profit continues soaring up social media rankings but still way to go to surpass Lady Gaga - Alan Cole, Charity News Xperedon:

January 8, 2013 - "The libertarian non-profit FreedomWorks, that opposes authoritarian controls and celebrates community values, has reached over 4 million likes on Facebook this week, the main social media network.... It currently has 4,051,287 likes....

"The non-profit has been encouraging taxpayers to sign a petition to reject tax hikes.

"President of FreedomWorks, Matt Kibbe, recently commented that: 'Washington has a spending problem, not a tax shortage...'

"The non-profit’s social media campaigning has been partly successful due to its large grass-roots following, but also its clear communications and direct appeals via the web to an ever wider supporter base....

"Around the New Year the non-profit made a peak of about 6,000 new likes a day."

Read more: http://www.xperedon.com/news_1990
'via Blog this'