Posted Oct 11, 2012, 11:06 am
The Libertarian Party was created in response to a growing "big government" influence in the Republican Party. And, indeed, there was a time when the Libertarian Party really meant something; Ronald Reagan once called libertarianism "the heart of conservatism."
The Green Party grew after many of the 1990s "New Democrats" moved away from environmental issues in an effort to redefine their party as more business- and job-friendly. And while the Green Party never really developed into the political force it's founders hoped for, the sentiment was certainly more than valid. Who wants to drink contaminated water or breathe polluted air?
As a campaign manager, I've seen a lot of Libertarian and Green Party candidates over the years. Some are even honest in their beliefs—people who care deeply about small government or green energy, for instance.
But most "Green" and "Libertarian" candidates these days have nothing whatsoever to do with the party they supposedly represent; far more often they're just tools of the establishment.
A Libertarian candidate on the ballot can generally be counted on to pull one to as much as four percent of the vote away from the Republican nominee. A Green on the ballot often has a similar effect on the Democratic nominee. And both major parties know it.
Instead of honest, passionate crusaders making a valuable point at debates, more often than not what we get these days are "plants"—candidates who are quietly recruited and supported by the Democrat or Republican parties for the sole purpose of drawing votes from their legitimate rivals. It's not only dishonest, it's damaging to the integrity of our electoral process.
Now, this wouldn't really be a problem if people paid actual attention to politics. The sad fact, though, is most people would rather have a lengthy discussion about the strength of Ceelo Green's team on "The Voice" than learn about who's on their ballot and what they really stand for.
This year we have two rather perfect examples right here in Southern Arizona. Blanca Guerra is the so-called "Libertarian" running in the CD3 race between Raul Grijalva and Gabriela Saucedo Mercer. In CD1, the race between Jonathan Paton and Ann Kirkpatrick also has a Libertarian imposter, Kim Allen.
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At least Guerra has been honest about the fact that she's only in the race to take votes away from Mercer. Allen is still pretending to actually be a Libertarian, which is particularly silly after he professed support during a recent debate for a single-payer healthcare system, and the denial of permits for the Keystone Pipeline.
I know an awful lot of actual Libertarians, but I never met one who supported socialized medicine or opposed development of our natural resources. Both candidates' positions are manifestly left of center. Either would be a reasonable choice to run as a Green, frankly. But the only reason either of them is on the ballot is because it's easy (only a handful of signatures are needed to get on the ballot as a Green or Libertarian) and they can siphon votes away from Mercer and Paton.
If Guerra and Allen want a few tips, they should check out Marc Victor's website. Victor, who is running for the Senate seat left open by the retiring Jon Kyl, is an actual Libertarian—you know; stop the drug war, no federal interference on local issues, self-reliance over government handouts, audit the fed, abolish the IRS.
Of course, I'd strongly urge even my Libertarian friends to ignore him and make sure their vote counts in what is sure to be a close race between Jeff Flake and Richard Carmona. But that's beside the point. Victor is Libertarian, and has every right to be on the ballot and present his view to the public. It's hard to argue the same for pretenders like Allen and Guerra.
Now, don't get me wrong. This year, both third-party candidates in Southern Arizona's congressional races are leftists pretending to be something they are not. But this phenomenon isn't limited to the left or right. Both parties plant third-party candidates on the field from time to time. That's neither good politics, nor civics, and it needs to stop.
If either the Libertarian or Green Parties ever have any intentions of making an impact on our national debates, they need to take the lead in vetting and choosing candidates who represent their party's values, rather than allowing their spot on the ballot to be usurped by people who are nothing more than establishment tools.
Sam Stone is state director for FreedomWorks for America, a super PAC backing Jeff Flake’s U.S. Senate campaign.
Sam Stone is a Republican political consultant in Southern Arizona.
2 comments on this story
Where does Gary Johnson fall on the “true Libertarian” scale?
Johnson’s got a 3-point share of the latest Rocky Mountain poll, that shows Obama up 44-42 over Romney in Arizona.
I’VE MADE IT! Some republican hack is worried I will draw votes from the Republican candidate in CD1. He states that I’m not a true Libertarian and points out I’m against the Key Stone pipeline and I’m for a single payer health care. He is right on both.
On the Key Stone pipeline he states I “oppose development of our natural resources” Wrong! As the tar sands mined in Canada and are their natural resources, Canada needs to build their own refinery’s to process this “crude oil because crude bitumen extracted from oil sands is a viscous solid or semisolid form that does not easily flow at normal oil pipeline temperatures, making it difficult to transport to market and expensive to process into gasoline, diesel fuel, and other products. It must be either mixed with lighter petroleum (either liquid or gas) or chemically split before it can be transported by pipeline for upgrading into synthetic crude oil.
Heavy crude feedstock needs pre-processing before it is fit for conventional refineries. This pre-processing is called ‘upgrading’, the key components of which are as follows:
1. Removal of water, sand, physical waste, and lighter products
2. Catalytic purification by hydrodemetallisation (HDM), hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN)
3. Hydrogenation through carbon rejection or catalytic hydrocracking (HCR)
As carbon rejection is very inefficient and wasteful in most cases, catalytic hydrocracking is preferred in most cases. All these processes take large amounts of energy and water, while emitting more carbon dioxide than conventional oil”.
So after this nasty “crude oil” gets to the refineries in Louisiana, what then? Dump all the impurities in the Gulf? Pollute the air. Give me a break. People that support the pipeline are just ignorant of the facts.
Obama-care does not have all the answers but at least it is a start and it’s the law. If it’s repealed in situ, it is unlikely there be another health care program. The health insurance company’s premiums will continue to rise and will bankrupt the country.
Forty-fifty years ago, health care was talked about and most of the input into that bill was by doctors who listed, if I remember correctly, about 270 health care items that would be covered. Annual check ups to discover illness in early stages. Fix broken bones. Do normal surgery. Items that were experimental would be considered by the chance of recovery.
The same could happen now. Allow doctors across the nation to say what would be covered. This insurance would not be free. Individuals would have to pay for it.
I’m on the board of a small sanitary district and the district pays the $600 insurance premium for the employees. This insurance has a co pay if they go to the doctor. If hospitalization is needed there is a $750.00 deductable plus they must pay 20% of any additional cost. If the employee wants his or her family covered they have to pay the additional premium.
I believe in smaller government period. Department of Education should be eliminated. Department of Homeland security. Gone. Transportation Security Administration. Gone. Federal Aviation Agency. Gone. Drug Enforcement Agency. Gone. Internal Revenue Service. Gone. Military bases over seas closed, or the money we spend on personnel and infrastructure is paid by the country where the base is located.
How I would do all this…… I guess you will have to elect me to congress as a Libertarian to find out.