IN: Libertarian Strategy and Social Liberalism

From the Courier Press:

Though the Indiana Libertarian Party has not landed a candidate for the 2012 governor's campaign, it has identified an opening to influence the race. On social issues, the major parties' leading candidates Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Pence and Democratic former Indiana House Speaker John Gregg take conservative stances. So the Libertarian candidate could be the only one who offers a significantly different position on issues such as abortion and gay marriage.

An Organized Protest Vote in 2012?

From FireDogLake:

our political system is controlled by legalized bribery of various forms.  Politicians feel free to act in their own interests after getting elected rather than actually representing the people who elected them.

More and more Americans from all across the political spectrum are waking up to this fact.  This is leading to both cynicism and sometimes a sense of hopelessness. I strongly believe the first step we need to take as a citizenry is to join together in a way that sends a strong and clear message to our country and the world that says Americans want a government that is actually responsive to the people that are governed. . . .

In this post I will lay out a strategy that I believe is pragmatic, practical, and has a reasonable chance to work.  The basic idea is to run a campaign not for a particular candidate but instead against both the Democratic and Republican parties.  The genesis for this idea is that both parties are rather hopelessly corrupt and non-responsive to the citizens at this time, yet the structure of our system does not offer meaningful opportunity for 3rd party or independent candidates . . . 

CO-3: Independent Announces Campaign for Congress

From The Pueblo Chieftain:

Less than a year after Republicans took control of the 3rd Congressional District with the election of Scott Tipton, a Pueblo woman announced her candidacy for Congress by saying the two-party system is broken.

 Tisha Casida is running for Congress as an independent candidate.  "There are things I like about all the parties," she said in her announcement Friday. "But the problem is the two-party system is not doing anything to solve our current economic problems."

 Casida said her campaign is less about challenging Tipton and more about finding ways to bring "prosperity and liberty back to Colorado." . . .

Check out Casida's campaign site.

VT: Independent Candidate for State Senate Calls for Obama's Impeachment

From Robert Wagner's campaign website:

As your Independent candidate for the Vermont Senate for Addison County and Brandon, I am calling for the impeachment of the federal president. I am calling on my learned colleagues currently sitting in the Legislature, to direct this impeachment under Jefferson’s Rules.

Nobody is above the law, nobody.

For not only continuing but compounding the Bush-era coup of our Republic, this man deserves to have every single law-abiding citizen turn his back on him. On his hands is the blood of every Vermonter who has died or will die in these oil wars: Iraq, Afghanistan and now Libya.

He is also responsible for:

• The deaths, maiming, torture, homelessness of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in these and other countries.
• The continuing genocide against North American Indians, Pashtun tribespeople, and anybody else who gets in the way of Big Oil, uranium extraction, pipeline deals…
• Propping up an infinite growth economy based on cheap (often stolen) oil. Peak Oil is now past, and with it the brutality that built that economy and nearly ruined the planet on which we live.

Any congressman that votes to fund any illegal, unconstitutional war is also party to war crimes. Notably, Rep. Ron Paul (R) has consistently refused to fund these wars. Rep. Peter Welch (D) has also begun to question the legitimacy of this funding, and has voted against it.

I understand that many of you here in Addison County had high hopes in the ‘changing of the guard’. I regret to inform you that those hopes of reform… have failed. We must maintain the moral high ground, even if this man has failed to represent us honestly.

Time to Break the Mold

From the West Virginia Mountain Party's Jesse Johnson, in the Register Herald:

The other thing is overcoming business as usual with the two-party system. I think that every American and every West Virginian looks at the two-party system, looks at the Democrats and Republicans and says, “We have a problem.”

There’s corruption, and both parties have sold out to Wall Street. We’re having billion-dollar elections now, and this is absolutely insane.

If we have public financing of elections, which is one of the things that I would certainly do, and a restoration, somewhat, of the fairness within the media in regards to those elections. In ’87, I believe it was, the Fairness Doctrine was eradicated, so there is no equal time for anything other than the two-party system. So, if you control, it’s just like a ball team. If you own the stadium and you have two teams come in, whether they are shirts and skins, or whatever, if you are on those two teams, you are going to profit.

That’s what we get handed to us repeatedly. Here are two seemingly different choices, but they line up the same. You saw that with the U.S. Senate race. The New York Times showed that Joe Manchin and John Raese were the two closest as far as platforms of any two Democrats or Republicans in the nation. They acted in the media as if they were drastically different. They weren’t.

I’m giving West Virginia a true opportunity to define itself as a leader, truly define itself as a state that respects fairness, truly define itself as a state that is willing to break that broken mold of business as usual in politics and take the opportunity to find out if their vote really counts.

Pirate Party Recognized in at least Two States, Florida Pirate Prepares for 2012 Campaign

The Pirate Party is now an officially recognized political party in at least two states.  The Massachusetts Pirate Party was certified in February, and just last month another state chapter was officially recognized in Florida.  From the announcement at the party's website:

As Chairman of the Florida Pirate Party, I am very pleased to announce we have achieved an amazing feat: We are an officially recognized political party in the state of Florida. This is an amazing achievement, and is due in no small part to Vice Chairman Bradley Hall, Chris Sheats of the Pirate Party Washington, and Christopher Ochman, a tireless pirate supporter in Virginia.

However this is a small step in what is sure to be a long and tiring journey for us all. We created this party because as I type this, entertainment industry lobbyists, information technology firms and authoritarian regimes around the world are currently working to bring the flow of information and ideals under their control. They view unencumbered free communication as a threat to their profit margins, or their grasp on power.

The Florida Pirate Party, like the worldwide Pirate movement exists as the protectors of freedom of press and expression across any and all methods of communication. We stand against the efforts of the RIAA and MPAA to make governments their personal minions for censorship. We stand against the unconstitutional pursuit by the United States Department of Justice to seize web domains without just cause or due process.

We stand for openness in government. All our leaders must be held accountable. A democracy that keeps secrets from it’s citizens is no democracy at all.

We stand for the reform of intellectual property laws. Lifetime plus 70 years of copyright is ridiculous. We believe in expanding the public domain and creative commons.

We believe the future should be a place where someone can surf the internet without wondering who is watching, or use the phone and not wonder if someone is listening. We should not live in fear of our government or our internet service provider.

And the Florida Pirates are wasting no time beginning their ballot access drive.  The state party's chairman, Ryan Moffitt, has already announced his candidacy for a seat in the Florida House, and begun the petition campaign to appear on the ballot:

It is my pleasure to announce that I have begun my campaign to become the Florida state House Representative from District 86, and become the first Pirate Party candidate for political office in the United States.

Once the paperwork has been certified by the Division of Elections, I will be cleared to gather donations, and begin gathering voter petitions to get a spot on the ballot in the 2012 general election. . . .

Let this be the beginning of the end of the monopolist copyright industry. Let this be the beginning of the end of back room deals and secret operations. Let this be the beginning of the end of warrantless wiretapping and censorship.

With your help, we can bring the state of Florida into the new digital age, in a free and open manner run by the people, and for the people. We can end the old ideals, and the old guard who believe communication and creation should stay in the domain of ivory towers, marble halls or glass office buildings. The future belongs to us, the people.

Cross-posted from Poli-Tea.

NC: Democrat Heath Shuler to Face Independent Challenger from the Left

From the Smoky Mountain News:

A liberal Asheville city council member announced this week he’d run as an Independent in 2012 against U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, potentially eroding Shuler’s Democratic base and making for a tough re-election bid for the three-term congressman.

A former editor for the Asheville-based newspaper Mountain Xpress, Cecil Bothwell acknowledged he has an uphill battle . . . .

to even get on the ballot as an Independent, Bothwell must by Jan. 1, 2012, garner enough voter signatures to equal 4 percent of the total number of registered voters in the 15-county congressional district — about 20,000 signatures. Then, to win, he must battle an experienced candidate with the ability to raise plenty of money to fund his re-election efforts against Shuler, who’s war chest will easily top $1 million by the time campaign season starts.

In response to the article, Bothwell has apparently responded, writing:

 I take exception to the headline that characterizes me as a "far-left liberal."

I want to reign in the Wall street crooks who have beggared those of us in the American working class. I believe we should impose the 40 percent tariff on imports that we had for 200 years before NAFTA and bring jobs back to America. I say we should end the failed war on drugs and invest in education and treatment instead of prisons. I believe it's time to stop spending money on wars of choice and spend money rebuilding America.

Libertarians to Hold Convention in Las Vegas

From the LA Times' extremely hostile report:

Finally, the desert city of Las Vegas breaks the ice and gets its first national political convention. The Libertarian Party will gather there the first week of May 2012 to nominate its national ticket of guaranteed losers.

The Libertarians' choice of Nevada along with the Republicans' choice of Tampa for their 2012 nominating convention in late August means the country's two major parties have now settled on their meeting sites.

The only one left is the fringe third-party Democrats, who haven't agreed yet on one of four cities: Cleveland, Charlotte, Minneapolis and St. Louis.