-Caveat Lector- ------- Forwarded message follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 21 Mar 2001 10:37:22 -0500 (EST) To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: Survey: The GOP's Libertarian Problem From: Libertarian Party Announcements <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Send reply to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Friends: Are Libertarians "a problem?" The answer, according to the Republican Party, is a resounding yes. That's why GOP operatives are holding a high-level strategy meeting in Washington this week. An article in National Review online says the fact that "Libertarian Party candidates are seriously hurting Republicans may be the most underreported political phenomenon of the last two election cycles." Some Libertarians see this as a problem. They worry that we may be helping to elect the worst of the two major party candidates. Other Libertarians see this as a sign of our growing strength and influence. They believe we should actively contest as many races as possible. What do you think? After reading the National Review article (appended below), please visit http://www.dehnbase.org/poll.cgi?n=2 and participate in our short online survey. After the survey is complete, we'll email you a copy of the results. Thank you for your participation and support. Ron Crickenberger Libertarian Party Political Director ========== begin National Review Online article ============= The GOP's Libertarian Problem Nader wasn't the only spoiler. By NR's John J. Miller & Ramesh Ponnuru March 19, 2001 2:25 p.m. Chuck Muth of the Republican Liberty Caucus is in Washington, D.C., this week to meet with GOP operatives on what may be the most underreported political phenomenon of the last two election cycles: Libertarian Party candidates are seriously hurting Republicans. While much has been said about Ralph Nader arguably keeping Al Gore out of the White House -- the Green Party nominee drew more than 97,000 votes in Florida, for example -- hardly anybody has noticed how Libertarians have put Republicans on the brink of losing the Senate. In both 1998 and 2000, a Republican candidate for Senate lost to a Democrat by a margin much less than the Libertarian's total vote. The most recent victim was Slade Gorton of Washington. In a final tally that took weeks to add up and confirm, he lost to Maria Cantwell by 2,228 votes. A Libertarian candidate, Jeff Jared, hauled in 64,734 votes. Two years earlier, Republican John Ensign lost to incumbent Democrat Harry Reid in Nevada by a measly 428 votes, in a race that saw Libertarian Michael Cloud draw 8,044 votes. If Ensign had won that race beating a man who is the second-ranking Senate Democrat, no less -- and another Republican had picked up the seat Ensign came back to win last year, there would be two more Republicans and two fewer Democrats in the chamber. Instead of a 50-50 split, Republicans would have a 52- 48 majority. There would be no morbid Strom Thurmond death watch. The problem isn't just confined to the Senate. The GOP arguably would also control two more House seats if no Libertarians had run last fall. Rep. Steve Kuykendall of California lost re-election against Jane Harman by 4,452 votes; Libertarian candidate Daniel Sherma attracted 6,073 votes. In New Jersey, Democratic Rep. Rush Holt fended off Republican Dick Zimmer by 651 votes. Worth Winslow of the Libertarian Party attracted 1,225 votes. "Libertarians need to understand that they're nothing but spoilers," says Muth. "And Republicans need to learn how to earn their votes." Libertarian voters wouldn't necessarily support Republicans in the absence of an alternative. Many might not turn out at all. Others would choose another minor party, such as the Greens, in order to register disapproval with the two major parties. A few might even vote for Democrats. But in the main, Libertarians are freedom-loving, small- government advocates who would find a more natural home in the GOP than almost anywhere else. "Exit polling shows that we take twice as many votes from Republicans as from Democrats," says Libertarian Party spokesman George Getz. The proof may be found in the 1992 Georgia Senate race, in which no candidate won a majority. Republican Paul Coverdell led the pack with 49 percent, Democratic Sen. Wyche Fowler nipped at his heels with 48 percent, and Libertarian Jim Hudson took 3 percent. In a runoff between the two leaders, Coverdell prevailed 51 percent to 48 percent. Hudson had endorsed him, and Libertarians like to think that their flock accounted for Coverdell's 3-point jump in the runoff. That's a rare case of Libertarians helping a Republican -- but only after forcing a near-death experience. The Georgia runoff might easily have gone the other way. In this age of Senate power sharing and a razor-thin GOP House majority, Republicans can't ignore the Libertarians. If they do, it may cost them dearly. ========== end National Review Online article ============= What do you think? Should Libertarians run active campaigns in as many races as possible, even if this sometimes results in the election of the worst of the two major party candidates? Please visit http://www.dehnbase.org/poll.cgi?n=2 and participate in our short online survey. After the survey is complete, we'll email you a copy of the results. Thank you again for your participation and support. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBOrj059CSe1KnQG7RAQGboAP/bGze9BkVLSGptNhKHKlnDT5nVIiQGxb8 QZ2o9FcpNrgHrglVU1JVOyV8plsr/jMWc5aZGQdeeY85XzAEmsnw/mcKNeq+If+b q8oYigVDTel+6OQRQyNBgt9Cl59ZTyPWoed+/EiU5AryTUkSSE1uBZ3ynMsCLabC KBEywJH/2ww= =Mubm -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The Libertarian Party http://www.lp.org/ 2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100 voice: 202-333-0008 Washington DC 20037 fax: 202-333-0072 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- For subscription changes, please use the WWW form at: http://www.lp.org/action/email.html Alternatively, you may also send a message to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> with just the word "subscribe" or "unsubscribe" in the subject line. ------- End of forwarded message ------- T' A<>E<>R Forwarded as information only; no endorsement to be presumed + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is distributed without charge or profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving this type of information for non-profit research and educational purposes only. + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + Integrity has no need of rules. -Albert Camus (1913-1960) + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + The only real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes. -Marcel Proust ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The libertarian therefore considers one of his prime educational tasks is to spread the demystification and desanctification of the State among its hapless subjects. His task is to demonstrate repeatedly and in depth that not only the emperor but even the "democratic" State has no clothes; that all governments subsist by exploitive rule over the public; and that such rule is the reverse of objective necessity. He strives to show that the existence of taxation and the State necessarily sets up a class division between the exploiting rulers and the exploited ruled. He seeks to show that the task of the court intellectuals who have always supported the State has ever been to weave mystification in order to induce the public to accept State rule and that these intellectuals obtain, in return, a share in the power and pelf extracted by the rulers from their deluded subjects. [[For a New Liberty: The Libertarian Manifesto, Murray N. Rothbard, Fox & Wilkes, 1973, 1978, p. 25]] <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/">www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. 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