Richard Winger on C-Span's Washington Journal

Earlier this week, Richard Winger of Ballot Access News was interviewed on C-Span's morning program, Washington Journal.  Richard made his best case for ballot access reform in the face of Democratic-Republican opposition to voter choice and political competition.  From C-Span's description of the segment:

Richard Winger, publisher of the Ballot Access News in San Francisco, shares his thoughts on the role that the Independent Party plays in politics. Mr. Winger has followed the growth that third parties have rated in national and local politics, specifically looking at their ability to appear on ballots.

AK: New Poll Shows Murkowski Ahead in Hypothetical Libertarian Bid for US Senate

From the Alaska Dispatch, h/t to reader Chris who relayed the link via email:

A new poll has U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski beating Joe Miller by six percent if she runs on the Libertarian ticket. The bigger news? The Alaska Libertarian Party isn't as opposed to the idea as it sounded a few days ago. The party's candidate for senator, David Haase, said he would support Murkowski if she agreed to certain Libertarian principals.

What do a retired Superior Court Judge, a well-known 70s comic-actor, and a rock musician running for California State Senate have in common?

From the Galysh campaign:

All three support Proposition 19, also known as the Regulate, Control and Tax Cannabis Act of 2010. It legalizes various marijuana-related activities, allows local governments to regulate these activities, permits local governments to impose and collect marijuana-related fees and taxes, and authorizes various criminal and civil penalties.

Judge James Gray states, "As a retired Orange County judge, I’ve been on the front lines of the drug war for three decades, and I know from experience that the current approach is simply not working. Controlling marijuana with regulations similar to those currently in place for alcohol will put street drug dealers and organized crime out of business, while allowing police to focus on protecting the public by preventing violent crime."

Famous comedian Tommy Chong, who in 2003 was imprisoned when the feds nabbed him for selling bongs, states, "The privatized jails and the law enforcement budget pigs want to keep it illegal so they can maximize their bottom line. Don’t let this happen any longer. Vote Yes on Prop 19 on November 2!"

Musician Adrian Galysh offers a more libertarian reason for supporting Proposition 19, "People should never be prosecuted for what they own, for what they think, for what they eat, drink, or smoke, or for what they believe. They should be prosecuted only for the physical harm they do to others. We need to jail violent criminals, not peaceful drug users."

Cindy Sheehan: 'Major Hoax: Don't Get Fooled Again'

Via Peace and Freedom Blog, registered Peace and Freedom Party voter Cindy Sheehan writes at Peace of the Action:

OAKLAND, CA – August 31, 2010 – Tomorrow, August 31st, in a fake ceremony in Baghdad, the U.S. will once again declare a false end to the war in Iraq.

Cindy Sheehan’s Statement on the “End of Combat Operations in Iraq:

First of all-this was never a war, this always has been an illegal invasion and occupation of a sovereign country and it was obviously for the monetary benefit of a few and millions of people, including my family, have suffered because of it.

The first MAJOR HOAX was that Saddam Hussein’s Iraq had WMD and a connection to al Qaeda and if the US didn’t invade immediately Iraq would send “mushroom clouds, or “drones with bio-weapons to the US East Coast–the second MAJOR HOAX was that we ended the war on May 1, 2003 when then US president, George Bush, declared an “end” to “combat operations;” the third MAJOR HOAX is that the US ended a horrible dictatorship, only to be replaced with a puppet US regime that almost makes execution a national sport.

Howie Hawkins on what lies beneath Obama’s “Mission Accomplished” Speech

OnTheWilderSide:


Howie Hawkins

from Green Party New York

Obama’s speech affirmed popular slogans: bring the troops home and focus on jobs and economic recovery at home. But it was as disingenuous as Bush’s weapons of mass destruction excuse for starting the Iraq war in the first place.

The reality is quite different from what Obama said. It is only the tactics of occupation that are changing. US troops are being redeployed to an escalating war in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The occupation in Iraq is being turned over the mercenaries – the armed forces of the Iraqi government that the US trained and commands from the Green Zone and the largest embassy compound in world history, plus a very large and costly force of US private military contractors for security and special ops combat under the State Department. The overall goal remains the same as during the Bush years: domination of the region for its oil and its strategic geopolitical position.

Meanwhile, Obama talked of focusing on jobs, education, and economic recovery at home, but offered no substantive program. The reality is that when the economic needs a stimulus of public jobs programs and public spending to rebuild US manufacturing around green industries, his administration is focused on deficit reduction by cutting Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare.

The military budget is growing to maintain the occupation of the Middle East and Southwest Asia, while the domestic spending on American’s needs is being cut. That is the grim reality behind Obama’s slogans.

Libertarian Wrestler Glenn 'Kane' Jacobs On Not Sending 'Fascist Thug' Sheriff Arpaio a Donation

Via LRC blog

Writes Glenn Jacobs:

I received a solicitation for a donation to Joe Arpaio’s campaign today. The letter chronicled Arpaio’s battles with illegal immigrants, Mexican drug cartels, and “open-border” leftists. I find it alarming that a local politician is utilizing illegal immigration as a national fund-raising platform (especially a fascist thug like Arpaio). Meanwhile, we have the mosque controversy in New York, and a mosque under construction vandalized and burned in middle Tennessee.

Lew, it seems as if all that is needed is the right spark and the collectivist inclinations of so many Americans will explode into the police state that we all fear. The politicians and media have worked very hard to create the scapegoats with which to divert the public’s attention away from the failed policies of the State.

I wasn’t around in the ’60s and don’t remember the ’70s so I don’t have much with which to compare the current environment except history books, but things are starting to get really ugly, aren’t they?

And at Reason Hit & Run, Matt Welch quotes an interview with Jacobs from the Baltimore Sun:

Wrights 2012: 'Don't just turn the page, close the book on the Iraq war - and all wars'

BURNET, Tex. (Sept. 2) -- It's time do more than just "turn the page" on America's foreign wars. We should close the book and put it pack on the shelf, said potential Libertarian presidential candidate R. Lee Wrights in response to President Obama's address to the nation Tuesday night.

"President Obama said he was announcing that 'the American combat mission in Iraq' has ended and that it was time to 'turn the page' on a 'remarkable chapter in American history," Wrights said. "It is time to do more than just turn the page. It is time to close the book of war, put it back on the shelf, and never refer to it again."

"There is nothing remarkable about this chapter in American history," Wrights said. "If the president really wanted to end the war he would simply tell the joint chiefs to draw up a plan to remove every last American solider, sailor, airman and marine from the region as quickly and safely as possible."

Libertarians: Obama is shockingly pro-war

WASHINGTON - Following President Obama's "end of our combat mission" speech, Libertarian Party chairman Mark Hinkle released this statement:

"President Obama needs to stop lying. In his speech, he repeated the ridiculous and false claim that the U.S. combat mission is over in Iraq. He seems to think that if he keeps talking about the war in a nice way, then the war isn't really happening.

"Unfortunately, even though President Obama is the one person on Earth with the authority to withdraw the U.S. military from Iraq, he has chosen instead to keep over 50,000 troops there, risking their lives, and bleeding American taxpayers.

"The Republicans in Congress are just as bad. They have consistently failed to own up to the terrible financial impact of these wars, all the while claiming that they want to cut government. They want to nit-pick Obama's past statements about the war, but in fact they should be showering him with praise for doing exactly what they want.

John Jay Myers: 'Stop Stealing My Stuff'

By John Jay Myers, Libertarian for US House (TX-32):

Originally the message of the Tea Party seemed clear “Less taxes and spending”. Simple enough, Right? Somehow they have gotten distracted. Very, very distracted. I know that all Tea Parties and their participants are different, so it is not fair for me to throw them all under the bus.

So for those who are distracted; let me attempt to recapture your attention.

You wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of breaking glass, when you stumble out of your bed into the living room you find a man standing there with your TV in his arms. Of course your first reaction is to exclaim loudly and with all of your energy “Should gays be allowed to marry?” Wait, I am sorry, no you don’t, you scream “Should they build a Mosque in New York City?”, no wait, you say “What’s your stance on abortion?”

Of course not you scream “Stop stealing my stuff!”

When your City Council says they are going to use your money to build a hotel, or favor one small business over another, you need to scream “Stop stealing my stuff!”

When your State government declares eminent domain over your land so they can build roads, and then sell the land to a foreign company so it can put tolls on the roads you paid for, howl like a lunatic “Stop stealing my stuff!”

When your Federal government sends billions of dollars in foreign aid to other countries when our country is broke, or spends trillions on wars that benefit oil companies, or wants to put government in control of the entire health care industry, or when they take all the money out of the economy before a recession and give it to banks, or engage in preferential treatment of the car companies they just took over, then you should scream from roof tops “Stop stealing my stuff!”

Most people did not seem to notice that while they thought they were standing up for America, they were actually being corralled into voting for the exact same groups that got us into this mess. Has no one noticed that their Republican Congressman who was in power when the bail outs were passed is still in power. Did no one notice that these same people who are now clamoring for the Tea Parties affection doubled the debt?

My point to this is simple, if 80% of the people in America believe that our government is corrupt, what is the point of dividing ourselves? As long as you are preoccupied with these other topics, you wont have time to focus on the real issues. You can argue about gay marriage, abortion and other religions, after we get these people out of office so they will “Stop stealing our stuff!”

John Jay Myers is running for Congress in Texas 32nd district

He serves on the Texas Executive Committee and is the Vice-Chair for the Dallas County Libertarian Party.

For more information go to www.johnjaymyers.com

Darcy Richardson, Darryl Perry on IPR radio Thursday 9/9...

...at 10 PM Eastern, 9 PM Central time. IPR blogtalk is http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ind-pol-report.

Darcy Richardson is an author, historian and veteran alternative party and independent political activist, who is in the process of writing a comprehensive seven volume history of the American alternative party and independent political tradition, and is the co-founder of Uncovered Politics. He is currently running for Lieutenant Governor of Florida with Farid Khavari. He’s managed numerous campaigns, including the 1988 independent presidential campaign of former US Senator Eugene McCarthy. He also ran for office twice in the 1980s, on the ticket of Pennsylvania’s Consumer Party.

As a former senior specialist for a major brokerage firm, Richardson has more than a dozen years experience in the financial services industry. His seventh book, _Collapse: How the Managerial Class Plunged the Nation into the Greatest Depression_ is slated for publication in October 2011.

The centerpiece of the Khavari/Richardson platform is formation of a state bank to serve the financial needs of Florida’s people and the requirements of the state’s economy.

Darryl Perry is:

"Chair, Boston Tea Party National Committee

http://BostonTea.us

Managing Editor, Free Patriot Press

http://FreePatriot-Press.com

2016 candidate for President of the United States of America

http://dwp2016.org"

If you are an independent or alt party candidate, alternative party spokesperson, or author covering our subject matter, and would like to set up a time to talk on our internet radio show, give me a call at 415-690-6352 or write contact.ipr@gmail.com.

Assuming nothing has changed since we last attempted IPR blogtalk in 2009, the call-in number will be 646-200-0264.

The Democratic-Republican Party's War Against the People of the United States: the Police State and the Surveillance Society

From TocqueDeville at Docudharma:

There is no other way to put it. We are under attack. They are looting the people's real wealth. They are sabotaging our environment and looting our resources. They have engaged in information warfare to manipulate public opinion. They are setting up a mass surveillance state using telecommunications technology and the internet. They have even taken over our most sacred democratic instrument: the ballot box.

The Democratic party is complicit in all of this. They are now implementing so-called austerity measures in the US that the IMF and World Bank have been imposing on poor third world countries for decades. They have manuals for how to deal with the aftermath of austerity measures. It involves a massive police state. Mass cages. Mass propaganda. But it can't happen here? Please. It is all around you. The public (now there's a quaint word) coffers are being bled dry. They will not stop until we are a fully corporate controlled state.

Socialist Alternative: the Democrats cannot be the vehicle for a movement that demands jobs, services and an end to wars

The Socialist Alternative asks: should you vote Democrat? The answer, of course, is no:

The Democrats cannot be the vehicle for a new movement that demands jobs, services and an end to wars. Democratic politicians point at Republicans to distract us from Democratic crimes of inaction, corporate compliance, pro-war policies and hundreds of billions in bailouts. In order to stop budget cuts and the right-wing agenda we need to build a new movement in the streets. We need to build powerful coalitions of all affected community, labor and activist groups to coordinate these struggles.

AZ: Libertarian Barry Hess calls for "paring down government" in gubernatorial debate

From AZ Central:

Hess, a currency trader from Glendale, has sought to win public office for years. Over the past decade, he has run for governor and senator, and even sought the Libertarian Party's nomination for president in 2002.

On Wednesday, he clearly articulated the differences between himself and his opponents, occasionally providing some levity with well-crafted lines. He sought to separate himself from the two-party structure by saying his focus would be on paring down government.

"You can see the political division between the Republicans and Democrats is pretty obvious," Hess said. "They all promise out-of-the-box thinking, but like Janet Napolitano, all we end up with is a bigger box." Later, he added, "I am the governor who will represent you."

See Barry Hess for Governor.

CA: Green candidate for US Senate calls Boxer/Fiorina debate a "big business sham"

From News Blaze:

- The U.S. Senate debate Wednesday night between incumbent Rep. Barbara Boxer, a democrat, and Carly Fiorina, a republican, is nothing but a "sham" said Duane Roberts, the Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate today. Roberts, who has proposed a debate among all qualified candidates, said he and other independent, smaller-party candidates were not invited to the debate at St. Mary's college Wednesday.

**Laura Wells, Green Party gubernatorial candidate who's been banned from the Governor Debates, will join other pro-Democracy demonstrators protesting the closed debate.

"This is a sham debate between two multi-millionaires backed by big business interests. I doubt they are going to say much of anything about matters that affect a majority of working people here in California," said Roberts ( www.voteforduane.wordpress.com)

SC: Green candidate for US Senate opens state headquarters, will focus on education, vows to protect Social Security

From Midlands Connect:

Green Party candidate Tom Clements talked briefly on Thursday and answered questions as he opened his new office on Sumter Street next to the Roly Poly sandwich shop. "As a South Carolinian from Georgia, it's always painful to see that we're always close to the bottom," Clements explains. "I'm going to put education at the top of my agenda and healthcare, cutting the debt and protecting social security."

FL: Darcy Richardson Joins Farid Khavari's Independent Gubernatorial Ticket

A press release sent to TPID:

MIAMI, SEPTEMBER 1 -- Gubernatorial hopeful Farid A. Khavari named his running mate today, announcing that author and financial analyst Darcy G. Richardson of Jacksonville qualified for the ballot for Lieutenant Governor on Wednesday.

"Darcy's wealth of political experience and economic expertise are of inestimable value to this campaign," says Khavari, 67 of Miami. "More importantly, they will prove indispensable when we take office next January and begin the job of turning Florida's economy around."

Richardson, 54, is a nationally known figure in independent political circles, not least for _Others_, his multi-volume history of third party politics in America. He's managed numerous campaigns, including the 1988 independent presidential campaign of former US Senator Eugene McCarthy. He also ran for office himself twice in the 1980s, on the ticket of Pennsylvania's Consumer Party.

As a former senior specialist for a major brokerage firm, Richardson has more than a dozen years experience in the financial services industry. His seventh book, _Collapse: How the Managerial Class Plunged the Nation into the Greatest Depression_ is slated for publication in October 2011.

The centerpiece of the Khavari/Richardson platform is formation of a state bank to serve the financial needs of Florida's people and the requirements of the state's economy.

"The banking industry's dirtiest secret," says Richardson, "is that it's half 'socialist,' and in the worst sense of that word. While privately held at the profit end, it externalizes all the attendant risks to the public. If the people of Florida are going to bear the risks of finance, we contend that they should also reap its benefits."

Khavari and Richardson will face Democrats Alex Sink and running mate Rod Smith, a former State Senator from Gainesville, and Republican Rick Scott and his yet-to-be-named lieutenant governor in the November 2nd election.

http://www.khavariforgovernor.com/

The Angry Moderate? An Interview with Alan Reynolds, Deputy State Chairman of the California Modern Whig Party

The Modern Whig Party received a boost last week with a front page article in the Wall Street Journal that profiled the group and detailed its efforts to "tap the angry middle." The story led to coverage of the group by a number of other media sources, including the Daily Show's Indecision Forever blog, and Brian Lehrer's morning program on NPR in NYC. One of the Modern Whigs quoted in the WSJ story was Alan Reynolds, the Deputy State Chairman of the party's California affiliate. I contacted Mr. Reynolds, and he kindly agreed to answer a few questions via email. Our discussion covered his response to the WSJ article, his motivation for getting involved with the Whigs, their immediate plans in California and his take on the state's gubernatorial race, among other things.

What did you think of the Wall Street Journal article on "the angry middle"? Did you find it reasonable? skewed? accurate?

Reynolds: I think it painted a realistic view. A political party is not created overnight, nothing is. We have an uphill battle, and do not necessarily expect our numbers to be those of longer established parties. I believe our view of focusing on Methodology over Ideology to be a good one, especially in a time when practicality dictates realistic changes that people can embrace, instead of the far right or left. Also, I don't believe we are a political party for only the "mild mannered," though they are free to join with us, we believe strongly in what we stand for, but are willing to adapt.

The article quotes you saying "the cards are stacked against us." Would you elaborate on this?

Reynolds: I believe that this means that, in what is in effect a two-party system, as a third party in general, it is difficult to penetrate onto the level of the Republicans and Democrats, and as as Modern Whigs we are a new party, which makes things even more difficult. This quote from the WallStreet Journal article was actually from Andrew Evans [oops! sorry. -d.] and I asked him to address it as well. Andrew writes: "the cards are stacked against us and this means that we realize we have a lot to do to be able to be to the point where we can be an option for the American people in every race, every election. There are very difficult and biased ballot access laws, which we and other parties must overcome. We know that our goal to offer Americans non fringe, moderate, practical solutions will take time to realize but we are committed to giving our all to serve the American people."

How did you get involved with the Modern Whigs? What attracted you to them? What turned you off to the major parties?

Reynolds: During the primaries for the 2008 presidential election, I found myself not being happy with any of the major party candidates, and started to look around for alternatives. While I had taken a look at the Libertarian party and even voted for them in the past (as well as Republicans and Democrats) they did not quite fit with me. The basic tenants of the Modern Whig party did fit, and the development of the "Methodology over Ideology" works well with my personal focus on results and frustration with partisan bickering. As a party we are composed of both people on the left and right who want to focus on the issues that can be changed without being drawn to extremes on issues that are divisive. While we may individually have views on these issues, we can still work together.

What are your responsibilities as Deputy State Chairman of the party?

Reynolds: Our State Chair in California is a busy individual, as he is also our Western Region Chair and serves on the Executive committee for National. What I try to do is provide guidance and answers to interested members and those that might want to take on a more active role in the party as well as provide leadership for various ongoing issues and projects. In addition I intermittently manage a Twitter page, @CAModernWhig, and generally work with our members and leadership on whatever needs to get done.

What kind of work are you (i.e. the Modern Whigs) doing in California? What are your immediate goals?

Reynolds: Our focus is on continuing to develop our message and let people know that we are a real option for them. We are working toward our goal of becoming a qualified political party in California, which is an ongoing project and encouraging people to make their presence felt in local government, whether that is to run for office, appointed positions, or just to be involved.

While the Whigs are organizing, what would you like to see result from this year's elections in California?

Reynolds: As we have no candidates of our own running for Federal or State positions our focus is to find candidates in other parties that we feel somewhat reflect our values in order to recommend them. There is also a strong sentiment from certain members that we need to have a change in our elected officials and that most of them should be replaced with new people. Considering the state of matters in California, I do not believe this to be a surprising view. In essence we need to support candidates that will listen to the voters and legislate what their constituents believe in, of course keeping in mind both the US and CA Constitutions, whether these are Independents, Republicans, Democrats, or third party candidates. In addition we will be posting a Voters Guide on the propositions on the ballot.

In an analysis on the CA Whig Party website from July, you size up a number of candidates for CA governor, and come down in favor of Chelene Nightingale, but state you could be swayed in favor of another candidate. Have you changed your opinion in this regard, or do you still stand by that analysis?

Reynolds: The analysis you refer to specifically did not include the Republican or Democrat candidates, not because I felt either of them to be lacking, but because I felt people might already know more about them than their 3rd party counterparts. The comments made in the analysis were my personal views and meant to get people to think about their options. At this time I have not completed an in-depth additional analysis, and while none of the listed 3rd party candidates fits my views 100%, I would still lean towards Chelene Nightingale among them, but have not yet decided who I will vote for.

On the front page of the CA Whig Party website, an announcement highlights the candidacy of independent/Whig Jeff Vanke in Virginia, stating that he is "competing in what is tantamount to a two-person race against a vulnerable Republican. There is no Democrat in the race while Vanke, a moderate, is currently polling in double digits." Given that this is in fact a 3-person race, with the Republican polling 71%, Vanke at 12% and the Libertarian Bain at 7%, is this not a misleading description of the situation in Virginia? I expect misleading statements from Democrats and Republicans, but have higher expectations for independents and third parties. Would you commit to placing a more accurate description of this race on the CA Whig website?

Reynolds: I believe that the statement mentioned is intended to be read to mean that due to there being only one candidate from a "Major Party" and with the Whig candidate, Jeff Vanke, being the other candidate polling in "double digits" (at the time of the poll) the race is essentially focused on the 2 individuals in the lead.

Thanks for taking the time to answer these questions!

FL: Independent Chiles Likely to withdraw from Gubernatorial Race, but . . .

From the Buzz blog at Tampa Bay Times:

It appears that Bud Chiles' days as a candidate for governor are numbered. We are hearing considerable Buzz that Chiles is calling supporters to tell them he is ending his independent bid. An announcement is likely to come in the next two days.

But . . .

MN: Tom Horner Garnering 13% in Gubernatorial Race

From Daily Kos:

The University of Minnesota is out with new numbers in the state's interesting and competitive gubernatorial race. Unlike most pollsters, which have shown Republican Tom Emmer fading badly, the UM poll shows a coin flip, with both Emmer and Democrat Mark Dayton at 34% of the vote. Meanwhile, Independent candidate Tom Horner is at 13%, one of his better polling showings in the cycle.

MA: Stein and Cahill Will Accept Public Funding in Gubernatorial Contest

From the Boston Herald:

Independent candidate for governor Timothy Cahill has agreed to accept public financing in his campaign for governor by limiting his spending to $1.5 million. The state Office of Campaign and Political Finance announced Tuesday that Cahill and Green-Rainbow Party candidate Jill Stein both agreed to the spending limit, which allows them to collect up to $750,000 each in public funding for the general election.