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Libertarians could be spoilers in key Senate races
Politico ^

Posted on 10/15/2012 2:30:04 PM PDT by Arthurio

Democratic hopes of maintaining a razor-thin Senate majority may hinge on an unexpected outside force: Libertarians.

In the battlegrounds of Montana, Arizona and Missouri, polls show the Libertarian nominee poised to siphon a fraction of the vote — a small fraction, but potentially enough to tip the outcome in a cliffhanger. And with the battle for the Senate shaping up to be a coin-flip proposition, no factor — not even fringe candidates with little more than a Libertarian label to propel their campaigns — is too insignificant to dismiss.

Given the small-government mantra of Libertarian voters, Democratic officials see the development as a major boon.

Read more: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1012/82379.html#ixzz29PEPJZAA

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 2012issues; thirdparty
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To: 429CJ
"I am a libertarian myself and anyone who votes for anyone besides Romney has s**t for brains."

Wow. What a positive, intellectual argument for Willard. You must be a charter member of MENSA.

21 posted on 10/15/2012 3:57:12 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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Comment #22 Removed by Moderator

To: 5th MEB; discostu

Hi newbie.

I’d take the time to explain what “/s” meant in my post, but I’ll let disco tell you. After all - HE is the one you need to be ranting at.

Hey disco... Grab the lube and tell the newbie what a sarc tag is.

(lololol)


23 posted on 10/15/2012 4:07:23 PM PDT by Responsibility2nd (NO LIBS. This Means Liberals and (L)libertarians! Same Thing. NO LIBS!!)
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To: Arthurio
Why is it that the Democrat Party is almost always referred to as the "Democratic Party"?

You never see or hear the Republican Party referred to as the "Republicanic Party".

24 posted on 10/15/2012 4:29:32 PM PDT by elkfersupper ( Member of the Original Defiant Class)
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To: Arthurio

Blah, any cute Libertarian chics? :P


25 posted on 10/15/2012 4:31:29 PM PDT by AmericanSamurai
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To: SampleMan
Leftists have been very successful being incremental

Leftists are successful because government is a religion substitute for them.

Libertarians are the closest thing there is to dogged resistance to the leftists. They are the only real "counter-leftists" who are both persistent and consistent.

26 posted on 10/15/2012 4:37:26 PM PDT by elkfersupper ( Member of the Original Defiant Class)
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To: discostu

If you don’t see much difference between Obama and Romney, then you need to see this. And I do my research, also. None of this is based on anything Romney has SAID, it is purely based on his actions as Governor.


Here is the Club for Growth on Romney’s term as Governor, quotes regarding cutting size of government, entitlement reform, tax reform.


“On balance, his record comes out more positive than negative, especially when one considers that average spending increased only 2.22% over his four years, well below the population plus inflation benchmark of nearly 3%.”

“Governor Romney receives credit for reducing actual spending unilaterally in Fiscal Year FY2003, even though he entered office halfway into the fiscal year, because of the tremendous spending cuts he forced down the Legislature’s throat in January of 2003. Facing a $650 million deficit he inherited from the previous administration, Romney convinced the unfriendly State Legislature to grant him unilateral power to make budget cuts and unveiled $343 million in cuts to cities, healthcare, and state agencies. This fiscal discipline continued in 2004, in which Romney continued to slash “nearly every part of state government” to close a $3 billion deficit.”

“To his credit, Romney attempted to cut down on government spending by streamlining many duplicative and wasteful elements of Beacon Hill. Some of his more ambitious proposals were rejected by his über-liberal Legislature. These include: his plans to overhaul the wasteful Boston Municipal Court and close underused courthouses; merge the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority with the Highway Department; decentralize management of the University of Massachusetts; streamline the Alcoholic Beverage Control Commission; and phase out the obsolete Worcester State Hospital where employees outnumber patients nearly 3 to 1.”

“Governor Romney successfully consolidated the social service and public health bureaucracy and restructured the Metropolitan District Commission. Romney even eliminated half of the executive branch’s press positions, saving $1.2 million. He also used his emergency fiscal powers to make $425 million worth of cuts in 2006, taking particular aim at local earmarks, instead of allowing the Legislature to dip into the state’s $1.2 billion rainy day fund. While there is no question that Governor Romney’s initial fiscal discipline slacked off in the second half of his term, on balance, he imposed some much-needed fiscal discipline on a very liberal Massachusetts Legislature.”

“Romney fought for legislation that would bring Massachusetts’ welfare system up to date with federal standards by increasing the number of hours each week recipients must work and establishing a five-year limit for receiving benefits. Much to his credit and to the dismay of many Massachusetts liberals, Romney successfully forced Medicaid recipients to make co-payments for some services and successfully pushed for legislative action forcing new state workers to contribute 25% of their health insurance costs, up from 15%. Governor Romney also deserves praise for proposing to revolutionize the Massachusetts state pension system by moving it from a defined benefit system to a defined contribution system.”

“In May of 2004, Mitt Romney proposed cutting the state’s income tax rate from 5.3% to 5.0%—a measure Massachusetts voters had approved in a 2000 referendum, but was blocked by the State Legislature in 2002. The proposed tax cut would have provided $675 million in relief over a year and a half. When the Massachusetts Legislature refused to budge, Romney proposed the same tax cut in 2005 and again in 2006 with no success. Romney was more successful when he took on the State Legislature for imposing a retroactive tax on capital gains earnings. After a bloody fight, Romney succeeded in passing a bill preventing the capital gains tax from being applied retroactively, resulting in a rebate of $275 million for capital gains taxes collected in 2002.”

more at link....

http://www.clubforgrowth.org/whitepapers/?subsec=137&id=905


27 posted on 10/15/2012 4:47:33 PM PDT by Tamzee (The U.S. re-electing Obama would be like the Titanic backing up and ramming the iceberg again.)
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To: discostu

On RKBA:

Obama:

In 1996, signed issues statement supporting banning all handguns

In 2000, co-sponsored a bill to restrict buying handguns to 1 per month.

In 2004, voted against a bill protecting a homeowner if they had to use an illegal gun to defend against a home invasion

In 2005, voted against a bill protecting gun manufactures and dealers from civil liability for guns later used in crimes.

In 2008, supported the D.C. handgun ban argued in Heller vs. D.C.

http://www.ontheissues.org/2012/Barack_Obama_Gun_Control.htm

Romney:

Endorsed by the NRA. Also backed by GOAL, the Gun Owners Action League in Massachusetts who states:

“During the Romney Administration, no anti-Second Amendment or anti-sportsmen legislation made its way to the Governor’s desk. Governor Romney did sign five pro-Second Amendment/pro-sportsmen bills into law. His administration also worked with Gun Owners’ Action League and the Democratic leadership of the Massachusetts House and Senate to remove any anti-Second Amendment language from the Gang Violence bill passed in 2006. A summary of this legislation follows.”

(The “assault weapons ban” that Romney signed as Governor was actually BACKED by the gun lobby there because it LOOSENED the existing restrictions.)

http://www.goal.org/newspages/romney.html


28 posted on 10/15/2012 4:49:29 PM PDT by Tamzee (The U.S. re-electing Obama would be like the Titanic backing up and ramming the iceberg again.)
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To: discostu

You called Romney a socialist. A socialist would never have acted as Romney did on the following:

vetoed in-state tuition for immigrants -http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/23/romney-had-mixed-record-on-immigration-in-mass/

arranged federal agreement for Mass State Police to arrest and seek deportation of suspected illegal aliens - http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/07/23/romney-had-mixed-record-on-immigration-in-mass/

vetoed immigrants from receiving state assistance for healthcare - http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060413/NEWS/304139962&cid=sitesearch

filed legislation to reinstate capital punishment - http://www.conservapedia.com/Mitt_Romney

tried twice to pass tort-reform in 2003 and 2006 - http://www.clubforgrowth.org/whitepapers/?subsec=137&id=905

vetoed union card-check bill that would allow union organizing without secret ballot - http://www.clubforgrowth.org/whitepapers/?subsec=137&id=905


29 posted on 10/15/2012 4:52:21 PM PDT by Tamzee (The U.S. re-electing Obama would be like the Titanic backing up and ramming the iceberg again.)
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To: Tamzee

He is a Socialist. Vetoes by a MA “Republican” Governor are worthless.


30 posted on 10/15/2012 5:11:29 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: fieldmarshaldj

No, dear, he is not. And some of the vetoes held if you bothered to read the other posts I offered, or actually clicked any of the links to do some intelligent research.

But you aren’t ACTUALLY interested in intelligent research, are you.... You have a completely different agenda from what I’ve seen.


31 posted on 10/15/2012 5:18:59 PM PDT by Tamzee (The U.S. re-electing Obama would be like the Titanic backing up and ramming the iceberg again.)
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To: Tamzee; EternalVigilance; BlackElk

Listen, honeybunch, I’ve known Willard for 18 years. I’m quite familiar with him personally, his record in office and the agenda he has pursued, and I’ve spent 6 solid years on a nearly daily basis enlightening (warning) folks about him in thousands of postings. He’s a Socialist. You want to pimp for him, that’s fine, but don’t try to blow sunshine up our butts. You want to make the claim he’s better than Zero, be my guest. But this “race” is still a Communist vs. a Socialist. A Democrat run-off, to put it bluntly.


32 posted on 10/15/2012 5:36:22 PM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: GraceG
Libertarians need to stop spoiling in the generals and start working more in the primaries to get libertairan minded Dems and Repubs on the tickets..

Yes, precisely my point.

33 posted on 10/15/2012 6:03:40 PM PDT by SampleMan (Feral Humans are the refuse of socialism.)
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To: Arthurio

I run in Libertarian circles and I am generally sympathetic to many of their positions, mostly economic and domestic. Libertarians add life and fresh ideas to intellectual debates and primary elections. But in general elections, Libertarians serve only to elect Democrats. In November, Libertarians are spoilers.


34 posted on 10/15/2012 6:08:41 PM PDT by Always A Marine
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To: Always A Marine

In national elections libertarians usually get .75-1.25 percent.

How many dems lost because of that vote?


35 posted on 10/15/2012 6:15:17 PM PDT by morphing libertarian
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To: morphing libertarian; Sparticus
In national elections libertarians usually get .75-1.25 percent. How many dems lost because of that vote?

I think you meant to ask how many Republicans lost because of the Libertarian vote. Several down-ballot races - including Slade Gorton's razor-thin loss to Maria Cantwell in Washington back in 2000.

36 posted on 10/15/2012 6:26:49 PM PDT by Always A Marine
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To: Always A Marine

Onei


37 posted on 10/15/2012 7:03:29 PM PDT by morphing libertarian
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To: discostu

No discostu, I’m not name calling. I am labeling. Your story sounds very nice. But in this election it is just nuts.

Sorry if I hurt your tender feelings.

Obama with a second term with no worries about the next election will do so much damage with his ‘executive orders’ that he MUST BE STOPPED.

Vote for the 3rd party if you will. Just know that you, discostu are an idiot.

Sorry about the name calling. Not.


38 posted on 10/15/2012 7:13:56 PM PDT by 429CJ (.)
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To: discostu

No discostu, I’m not name calling. I am labeling. Your story sounds very nice. But in this election it is just nuts.

Sorry if I hurt your tender feelings.

Obama with a second term with no worries about the next election will do so much damage with his ‘executive orders’ that he MUST BE STOPPED.

Vote for the 3rd party if you will. Just know that you, discostu are an idiot.

Sorry about the name calling. Not.


39 posted on 10/15/2012 7:13:59 PM PDT by 429CJ (.)
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To: discostu

No discostu, I’m not name calling. I am labeling. Your story sounds very nice. But in this election it is just nuts.

Sorry if I hurt your tender feelings.

Obama with a second term with no worries about the next election will do so much damage with his ‘executive orders’ that he MUST BE STOPPED.

Vote for the 3rd party if you will. Just know that you, discostu are an idiot.

Sorry about the name calling. Not.


40 posted on 10/15/2012 7:14:07 PM PDT by 429CJ (.)
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