Posted on 10/31/2004 12:43:54 AM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
There's more than one Texan on the ballot for president this year.
Libertarian Michael Badnarik — the only third-party or independent presidential candidate on the Texas ballot — is from Austin.
Badnarik campaigned in Houston on Saturday and will spend the rest of his time on the trail in his home state.
"I'm a legitimate candidate from a legitimate party," he said at a gathering of about 25 people at a Clear Lake-area Fuddruckers.
Badnarik is actually on the ballot in more states than Ralph Nader. Badnarik is on 48 ballots. Nader is on 35.
Election Day could be a watershed year for the party, Badnarik said, if it is able to garner 1 million votes.
He's been traveling the country since January; he packed up his place in Austin, put all of his belongings in storage and hit the road.
Within five months he put 25,000 miles on his car.
He tries to get media attention wherever he goes, often doing six interviews a day with local media.
He has been largely ignored by the national press.
Badnarik was arrested in St. Louis for trying to gain admittance to the presidential debate.
"It's been like living on a roller coaster without getting off," he said of his bid for president.
He's spent about $1 million on his campaign, with $300,000 going toward TV ads in a few states, primarily New Mexico, Nevada and Arizona.
Badnarik is running, he said, because he can't vote for President Bush or Democratic candidate John Kerry and respect himself in the morning.
He cannot support a candidate who will continue the war in Iraq or operate government in a deficit, he said.
Badnarik, a computer consultant, stresses individual rights over government intervention, and limited regulation of business.
He says the war in Iraq is a failure and that there is no exit strategy. He has maintained that Libertarian philosophy supports gay marriages, arguing that government should not decide who can engage in a marriage contract.
The federal government's job is limited to three things, he said — national defense, coining money and operating the post office. He says the government should not have a Department of Education, the Food and Drug Administration or the Environmental Protection Agency.
Badnarik says he wants to cost both Bush and Kerry the election, but at the same time he isn't packing his bags for the White House just yet.
"We are just beginning this fight," he said. "We will continue to exist, and we will restore liberty."
kristen.mack@chron.com
Clymer.
LOL! Which would be why he and his people are running their ads only on conserative stations in Washington state...where the LP played spoiler before.
I would vote libertarian if they weren't isolationist... I really don't identify the "religious right" aspect of the republican party.
Interesting.
Badnarik will garner the fewest votes ever for a Libertarian Presidential candidate. I doubt he will recieve more than .05% of the vote, or 600,000 votes
I'd be more libertarian if they weren't as robotic as socialists, i.e. let the starving die, who cares, and when they go there'll be no more starving. Yes I know I'm oversimplifying but I had a fight with the woman and am cranky. Where's that cough syrup?
Or I suspect, with the "religious socialist fervor" of the Democratic or Green Parties.
what a joke. If they want to have an impact they should run a candidate in the GOP primaries.
"The federal government's job is limited to three things, he said — national defense,"
Yet their position is basically open borders and amnesty. Yeah, that's a brilliant way to keep america safe!
While I hold a lot of walter E williams / goldwater type libertarian positions, I find it impossible to align myself with them at this time. They're acting like children who want a toy and have been told 'no' buy their parents.
The problem with this puff piece on the LP is that the LP put out their own press release last week. In it they clearly stated that their objective was prevent President Bush from getting reelected. Now they appear to be trying to spin away from that.
You're right.
Use some Vicks vapo rub.
Hmmm. I've never seen a whole rollercoaster track that was level and ground level.
Even more interesting and believable!
And Nader has a much larger constituency. The Greens have sure been lackadaisical about making their applications to appear on the ballot, stick.
"I'm good enough, and I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me."
I thought about voting Libertarian this year, but when I found out they were going to change the way the WOT is going to be fought, I have decided no way in heck I'm going to vote for those losers..
Perhaps. But Losertarian votes cost the GOP two senate seats by siphoning off conservitive voters. A Pox on them.
I suspect that's because you, like I, in the end love America more than you love your own personal self-interests.
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