Posted on 05/28/2002 4:07:09 PM PDT by Dave S
Tuesday, May 28, 2002 By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos
WASHINGTON — The non-interventionist, free-marketing Libertarian Party is spoiling for a fight.
The Libertarian Party is planning to challenge several incumbents in November in a so-called national "spoiler" strategy that could put vulnerable Republicans on more shaky ground and help stir the suspense over whether the GOP can hold a House majority and wrest back the Senate from Democratic control.
"We recognize there is a window of opportunity that did not exist up to this point," said Ron Crickenberger, political director for the Libertarian Party, which has about 30,000 members and contributors in the United States.
Crickenberger doesn't like to use the term "spoiler", but said the Libertarians see an opportunity to siphon off votes in critical districts as part of a national strategy to turn over the House and change domestic policy. All but one of the five districts targeted are Republican-run, and the incumbents are all on the hit list because of their heavy-handed support for the war on drugs and against the legalization of marijuana, a key issue for the Libertarians, whose bedrock beliefs are less government and personal freedoms.
"In this country, what we’ve looked at is how out of touch the drug policy is with the public polling," Crickenberger said, noting that so far eight states have passed medical marijuana laws despite a federal ban. A Pew Research Center/Gallup poll conducted in March showed 73 percent of voters support the medical use of marijuana with a doctor's prescription.
Among the candidates targeted for defeat are Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Tex., and Rep. Tim Hutchinson, R-Ark.
Also on the list is Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., who is locked in a tight primary race with Rep. John Linder. Whoever wins the primary is a surefire winner in this heavily Republican conservative 7th District, though Crickenberger would like to see both of them go.
"If we can take out, or help to take out a few of the drug war leaders in the course of the general election, we feel we will have a big impact on the issue in Congress," he said.
In a recent statement, Barr said he didn’t have the time to worry about the Libertarians, with whom he doesn’t agree on many issues.
"The centerpieces of the Libertarian agenda include legalizing drugs, gambling, prostitution and pornography, as well as halting all restrictions on immigration," he said.
"These issues do not represent 7th District values, and I ask that all our candidates clearly and publicly distance themselves from these issues, and demand an end to involvement in our primary by the Libertarian Party."
Cleland, although taking "every candidate seriously," according to press secretary Jamal Simmons, is undeterred by his Libertarian opponent. He is in a tough re-election fight with whoever wins the much-anticipated Republican primary between Rep. C. Saxby Chambliss and State Rep. Robert Irvin.
"Max Cleland is ready to campaign against any candidate from any party in the fall," said Simmons. "He’s ready to take his 20-year record in national and state office and take it to the voters and win."
Libertarian candidates, who serve in 301 elected offices throughout the country, have acted as spoilers before. In 2000, Libertarian candidate Jeff Jared collected 64,000 votes in the Washington state Senate race that led to a recount and a 3,000-vote upset win by Democrat Maria Cantwell over Republican incumbent Sen. Slade Gorton.
And since the 2000 presidential election that saw Green Party candidate Ralph Nader strake off enough votes for former Vice President Al Gore to lose Florida, and thus the election, the impact of third parties is apparent.
"It isn’t a focused strategy of ours to target incumbents for defeat," said Green Party political director Dean Myerson. "But when you run strong, people lose"
Analysts say they doubt that the Libertarians will be able to pull off the spoiler strategy based on the drug issue alone.
"If I were a candidate I wouldn’t exactly shudder, but if I were the Libertarians I would give it a go," said Thomas Mann, co-editor of The Permanent Campaign and Its Future, who added that while the third party might not topple the incumbent, it might rattle some cages.
"You should be running to educate the people," said Stephen Hess, a political analyst with the Brookings Institution, who called the spoiler strategy "despicable and beneath the Libertarians.
"If everybody tried this trick it would be a country of multi parties in the worst sense," he said.
But Crickenberger said the founding fathers envisioned a "rotating process" that allowed for fresh ideas and new faces in Congress, and Myerson agreed, saying without a full multi-party process, smaller groups will continue to play the spoilers.
"It doesn’t have to be the this way, but as long as it does were going to run candidates," Myerson said.
The centerpieces?? This is their central reason for being? You destroy the free market candidate in order to promote an end to the drug war?
I think their intention is to remain small and irrelevant, forever. And besides, the above list is more appealing to the Libertinians within the Leftist Party, than it is to Republicans. We all know there's more to Libertarianism than this list of indulgences. What a stupid political approach.
Not True, Paul has had libertarian candidates challenge him in the past.
Wait, we have restrictions? Oh he must be talking about legal immigration.
Keep you G-D mitts off of me...brother!
Given that there is hardly a difference between the candidates that the Republican and Democratic parties run I can see how you could vote for a Democrat over a Libertarian. The Democratic candidate's views would likely be more in line with your own.
The LP is an anti-Christian...
The LP may be an anti-Malcom party but it is certainly not anti-Christian.
I've never seen the first post by an LP cultist that would ever persuade me to vote LP...
Either you've never seen a Libertarian post or you're opposed to repealing the income tax, abolishing the IRS, repealing gun-control laws, abolishing the Federal Reserve, withdrawing from the U.N., ending all foreign-aid, closing down the Dept. of Education, closing down the Dept. of Agriculture, etc.
Are there any Republicans running for office that support these ideas?
Just look at all the success of fighting for freedom from within the Republican Party.
The RP is a political machine controlled by well-funded special interest groups with an agenda. You're not going to take over the party and institute a limited government agenda.
If the RP runs candidates who will reduce government, repeal taxes, and repeal unjust laws, then they have nothing to fear from Libertarians.
Perhaps. But, voting against new gun-control legislation is one thing. Repealing existing gun-control is another. Has Bob Barr made any concerted effort to repeal and federal gun-control legislation?
Incidentally, Bob Bar has voted for legislation unfriendly to gun owners:
H.R. 424, introduced by Rep. Chuck Schumer (D-NY), February 24, 1998.
Amendment added to H.R. 1501, introduced by Rep. Bill McCollum (R-FL), June 16, 1999.
Libertarians want to trash him over pharmaceuticals?
Bob Barr also votes for continued funding of the Depts. of Education, Health & Human Services, Labor, and Agriculture just to name a few.
What is a true Conservative (as opposed to a false one).
The nice, calm, rational little squibs you've posted, are what the LP purloined from the Republicans. They are the causes / positions, which make the LP seem to be almost okay. We both know ( at least I do, dear ) , that the LP threads on FR, mostly ( something like 99 % of them ) revolve solely about dope and the WoD !
Now, if one looks at the majority of the planks in the LP platform, one sees a far less and UNCONSERVATIVE message. Legalization of ALL illegal substances, the legalization / decriminalization of prostitution, the sale of all highwars, roadways , and publicly held lands, an almost total removal of ALL military, abortion for anyone at any time ... even partial birth abortion is okay, pornography ( even KIFFIE porn ! ) is hunky dory, age limits are disolved ( yeah, that means that pedophillia s also on the approval list ! ), children who can reach the lever, should be allowed to vote, and lest we forget, ALL " nonvilolent " criminals should be set free. This, whether you are willing to admit it or not, is a recipe for chaos and itter destruction !
Now, throw into the mix this new little, at long last , finally publicly admitted to ( many Libertarians have said it on FR, for years now ) wrinkle , and it's obvious that what Libertarians REALLY are, are bloody dogs in the manger ! Yes, they prefer to have a Dem president and Dems controlling both Houses , with the probability of the SCOTUS being packed with VERY Liberal Judges. If THAT is Conservative, then I am Queen Victoria of England . : - )
I like this in principle but in reality in a close race you are voting for the greater of the 2 evils. But it's your vote. So vote for the commie or your choice instead of the semi-commie unless your man wins.
The Liberitarian Party - Conservatives Fifth Column.
Yeah, ain't smoking drugs so cool indeed. That sure is not a sin, nor is it going to cause sin.
and liberatarians are virgin maries angels from the sky....
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