Breitbart: Democrats Sabotaged The Cooch With The Libertarian Candidate

For months the Tea People have been screaming the Libertarian candidate Robert Sarvis is Nader-ing Ken Cuccinelli out of the governor's mansion. Today on Breitbart:

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News on Tuesday, Wes Benedict, co-founder and President of the Libertarian Booster PAC that spent $11,454 to circulate petitions necessary to get Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Robert Sarvis on the ballot in Virginia said "[w]e probably wouldn’t have spent the $11,000 on Sarvis if we had not received the $150,000 from him [major Democratic donor Joseph Liemandt].” We’ve gotten support from the right and the left," Benedict said, adding that "I don’t think the intention was to make Cuccinelli lose but I have no problem if the perception is Sarvis caused Cuccinelli to lose. Republicans deserve to lose lots of election for supporting bailouts and for supporting a nominee for president whose Romneycare plan helped deliver Obamacare."

From the comments at the above-linked article: "I still find it interesting that Republican votes are syphoned off by a Libertarian who is pro abortion, pro gay marriage, pro gun control, pro legal drugs, pro immigration reform, and pro small military. Just what did he offer to Cooch voters? Or did they just hate Cooch that much?"

Occupy The Debates

A coalition of Occupy activists and other groups is calling for presidential debates that include candidates from third parties.

We, the undersigned, demand presidential debates that include the real choices before the voters this November. The debates must include every candidate who is on enough ballots to win the White House and who has demonstrated a minimal level of support -- meaning either 1% of the vote in a credible national poll, or qualification for federal matching funds, or both. In 2012, the Green and Libertarian party candidates both meet all of these criteria. We call on the national news media, the League of Women Voters, and every other civic organization that speaks up for the rights of regular people to organize a 2012 presidential debate that includes all the qualified candidates. We call on the Commission on Presidential Debates to change its arbitrary rules to include all the qualified contenders. And we urge our fellow Americans to rise up and demand democracy in our presidential elections, beginning today with the presidential debates. These debates belong to the people, not the politicians or Wall Street.

Notable signees thus far include the co-founder of Code Pink and Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine.

Gary Johnson, Libertarian Spoiler?

Will Libertarian Party presidential candidate siphon off enough Romney votes to swing a few states back into blue territory for President Obama? Fox News worries about a reverse Ralph Nader for the GOP:

The Libertarian Party is now touting that possibility. An emailed statement from the organization earlier this week carried a rather sensational subject line: "Libertarian Presidential Candidate Gov. Gary Johnson Could Deprive Mitt Romney of 5 battleground states, 74 Electoral Votes, 27% of the Electoral Votes needed to win in 2012." Libertarians reasoned Johnson, then, "could determine the winner" of the election. It's impossible to gauge at this point what effect Johnson could have, but of course it's not unprecedented for a third-party candidate to tilt the scales. In 1992, third-party candidate Ross Perot won roughly 19 percent of the popular vote, which many people think cut into GOP incumbent George H.W. Bush's take and put Democratic candidate Bill Clinton in the Oval Office with just 43 percent of the vote. Though Johnson is polling barely above 5 percent nationwide, Romney and Obama are separated by single digits in the battleground states of Colorado, Florida, Nevada, North Carolina and Virginia.

The above-linked article adds another wrinkle regarding Colorado: "The survey found Obama leading Romney 49-43 percent, but his lead was cut to 46-42 when voters were given the Johnson choice." (Tipped by JMG readers Wayne and PGHMike)

Libertarian Candidate Slams Obama

"Instead of insisting on equality as a U.S. Constitutional guarantee, the President has thrown this question back to the states. When the smoke clears, Gay Americans will realize the President’s words have gained them nothing today, and that millions of Americans in most states will continue to be denied true marriage equality . I guess the President is still more worried about losing Ohio, Colorado, North Carolina and Virginia than he is in doing the right thing. What is the President saying — that he would eat a piece of cake at a gay wedding if the state the happy couple lives in allows it ?. Where is the leadership? While I commend him for supporting the concept of gay marriage equality, I am profoundly disappointed in the President." - Libertarian Party presidential nominee Gary Johnson.

Libertarian Candidate Gary Johnson: I'm The Strongest Advocate For Gay Marriage

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson won the nomination of the Libertarian Party last week, less than two months after officially ditching the GOP. Speaking on the radio yesterday, Johnson proclaimed himself the strongest candidate on same-sex marriage.

"I think I do better than Obama on civil liberties, I think I crush him when it comes to dollars and cents," Johnson said. "I think I do a lot bettrer than Romney on dollars and cents but I think I crush him on civil liberties." Asked if he was the best candidate on gay marriage, Johnson said "There's no question unabashedly let's have marriage equality now, gay rights are constitutionally guaranteed."

RELATED: Johnson has been endorsed by GOProud's Chris Barron, who formerly backed Herman Cain.

NORTH CAROLINA: Libertarian Party Comes Out Against Gay Marriage Ban

Johnson/Aniston 2012

Libertarian Party presidential candidate Gary Johnson says actress Jennifer Aniston would be a great running mate for him. But if she's busy, he'd also take game show host Drew Carey. Last week former GOProud chairman Chris Barron endorsed Johnson.

I simply can’t put the square peg in the circle hole. I am firmly committed to defeating Barack Obama and turning back his disastrous policies, and I wanted to believe that I could support whomever the Republican Party nominated. Unfortunately, I cannot in good conscience do that. Let me be crystal clear: I am speaking only for myself and not for GOProud, the organization that I co-founded. I fully expect the GOProud Board will endorse the eventual nominee of the Republican Party. I, however, will not cast a vote in favor of that.

I believe Barron had previously endorsed Herman Cain and was also recently seen literally waving a banner for Mitt Romney. Barron has not yet commented on the Johnson/Aniston ticket.

Gary Johnson To Run As Libertarian

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson will drop out of the GOP primary race and run as a Libertarian. Johnson was the lone GOP candidate to endorse same-sex marriage. And most of you say, "Gary who?"

Johnson will seek the Libertarian nod at the party’s national convention in Las Vegas in May. Party officials said last month that they are holding out hope that Paul and former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura would contend for their nomination, though Paul is now the GOP front-runner in Iowa and Ventura is vacationing at his home in Mexico, where he does not have a telephone or an Internet connection. Libertarian executive director Wes Benedict said Johnson will need to compete for the nomination at the party’s convention in Las Vegas the first weekend next May, but was happy to have him join the process. “I’m always delighted when the Republican Party drives Republicans out of their party and into the Libertarian Party,” Benedict said.

Johnson's name will not appear on the ballot in several key states where he is already listed as a Republican.

RELATED: Johnson's statement on gay marriage: "For a very long time, society has viewed gay marriage as a moral and, yes, religious issue. Today, I believe we have arrived at a point in history where more and more Americans are viewing it as a question of liberty and freedom. That evolution is important, and the time has come for us to align our marriage laws with the notion that every individual should be treated equally."

ALSO RELATED: Upon the withdrawal of Herman Cain, former GOProud head Chris Barron endorsed Johnson.

Libertarian Candidate Calls For Assassination Of Obama And His Children

Failed Libertarian candidate Jules Manson yesterday posted this remark on Ron Paul's Facebook campaign page: "Assassinate the fucken nigger and his monkey children." Last year Manson ran unsuccessfully for the city council of Carson, California.

Manson is not the first Ron Paul supporter tied to racism. Paul famously took a picture with, Don Black, a former KKK grand Wizard and founder of the white supremacist site, Stormfront, who also raises money for Paul on his site, which Paul has refused to give back Paul has also been taking heat for his racist newsletters, written in the 80s and 90s which he has denied writing but given no reasonable explanation for. Ron Paul is also a supporter of the John Birch Society, a organization that has produced several of the intellectual leaders of the white supremacist movement.

I'm betting Mr. Manson is meeting the men in black right about now.

MINNESOTA: Libertarian Party Rebukes GOP Over Proposed Marriage Ban

The Libertarian Party of Minnesota has "rebuked" the GOP for the campaign to put a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage to a statewide vote.

The proposed Gay Marriage Ban would expand government control and restrict the freedom of consenting adults to live their own lives as they choose. Libertarians believe that marriage is a private matter between individuals. We believe that marriage is a fundamental human right, and that all personal relationships, including marriage, should be at the sole discretion and agreement of the individuals involved, as well as any family, friends, or religious institutions they may choose to involve. Government has no business restricting or interfering with marriage. This ban would create a caste system by dividing society into two classes: those who are permitted to marry, and those who are not. We also oppose any attempt to place a marriage ban before voters, as the trappings of democracy do not legitimize infringements upon personal liberty; a 51% majority does not have the right to force its will upon the other 49%. We instead support a free society, where 1% can still be free to live their own lives as they choose, even if 99% might disapprove. Furthermore, we call upon legislators to expand liberty by repealing the existing statutory gay marriage ban.

Libertarian Party To Gays: Leave Your Abusive Democratic "Spouse" And Join Us

The Libertarian Party has launched a campaign to lure gay voters, saying, "Like abused spouses who keep returning to their aggressors, gay voters keep handing their votes to the Democrats who abuse them." The statement continues:

The Libertarian Party (LP) wants to break this self-destructive behavior and offers LGBT voters a better alternative. LP Chairman Mark Hinkle said, "Exit polls indicate that Democrats get over 70% of LGBT votes in federal elections. Those voters must really love the Democrats' rhetoric, because they certainly aren't seeing any action. "President Obama and the Democrats had almost a year of complete control of the federal government: the Presidency, the House, and a filibuster-proof 60 votes in the Senate.

"They could have repealed 'don't ask don't tell.' They could have gotten rid of the Defense of Marriage Act. But they didn't do either of those things. That's a complete and total betrayal of all the promises they made to gay and lesbian voters for years. "After a carefully orchestrated failure in the Senate, the Democrats are now blaming Republicans for blocking the repeal of 'don't ask don't tell.' Of course, three Democrats just voted against it too, including Majority Leader Harry Reid. Reid claims he voted for procedural reasons, but the whole situation seems calculated to look like they're trying to help, while making sure they don't actually help." Unlike the Democratic and Republican Parties, the Libertarian Party believes that gays and lesbians deserve equal treatment under the law.

The statement concludes that the Libertarian Party "neither supports nor opposes gay relationships."

Obviously the Libertarian Party seeks to capitalize on LGBT disenchantment with the Obama administration and further splinter the gay vote to the benefit of the GOP. Nothing more, nothing less. Most self-described libertarian candidates, of course, actually run on the GOP ticket. (Witness today's post about Colorado's Stephen Bailey.) Virtually no officially Libertarian candidate ever becomes viable in a general election. Talk about throwing your vote away!

But just for the sake of argument, let's tick off the official Libertarian agenda as posted on their website:

1. Abolish welfare.
2. Abolish Social Security.
3. Abolish the IRS.
4. Abolish the FDA.
5. Allow insurance companies to exclude any disease.
6. Dismantle the public school system.
7. Allow machine gun ownership and open-carry anywhere.
8. End foreign aid to starving nations.
9. Sell all national parks to private groups.

To be fair, the Libertarian Party does have reasonable positions on immigration reform, privacy, and the war on drugs. But the essential takeaway from reading their platform is this: "If you are impoverished, starving, desperately ill, unemployed, or uneducated...tough shit. Don't come to the government with your lazy unpatriotic hand out. Every American for himself. Get the fuck out of here."

Gay Libertarian Marc Delphine To Run For U.S. Senate From Oregon

Openly gay financial planner Marc Delphine has filed his intent to run for the U.S. Senate as the Libertarian candidate from Oregon.

Delphine is the first openly gay candidate to run for federal office in Oregon’s history. Per a press release, he “is also the only challenger to Ron Wyden who has served as an elected official having been elected to the Tigard Water Board and a local school committee in the Beaverton School District.” Delphine will formally announce the campaign launch in the State Capitol tomorrow morning, during which he’ll emphasize “Principle-Centered Leadership.” The platform highlights “individual liberty, personal responsibility and equal opportunity.”

Judging by the "Civil Liberties" portion of his campaign site, Delphine appears to be a (relatively) mild Tenther.

Your Rights Are At Risk Under Obama

Over the past few years, we have seen repeated government attempts to circumvent or even blatantly disregard the most basic of our guaranteed personal liberties. Rarely a day passes where there isn’t some major media mention of Guantanamo Bay, the Patriot Act, the Real ID Act, secret prisons, the use of torture or domestic spying. Under Obama, just as under President Bush the government may still snoop into the most personal of your mail or your e-mail and you won’t even know they were there. People are arrested and held without trial or legal representation. Sometimes they are even tortured. They can now use your cellular phone as a bugging device, even if you aren’t currently talking on it at the time. It is essential that we repeal the Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act and that we restrain the Executive Branch to the limitations set forth in our Constitution.

Delphine states support for abortion rights, same-sex marriage, and gender identity/sexual orientation protections. But he also calls for the complete deregulation of the health care industry, including an end to requiring insurance companies to cover specific illnesses and disabilities.

Man With Assault Weapon At Obama's Event Was Planted By Wingnut Radio Host

It turns out that the man with the assault rifle who appeared outside of the president's town hall event in Arizona yesterday was planted by a teabagger Libertarian wingnut internet radio host. Shocker!

The host, Ernest Hancock, says, "We're up against a tyrannical government that will rob the next generation as long as they can get away with it. If you go to FreedomsPhoenix.com, the top story is the interview I had with this young man. Quite simply, he understands that his generation is going to be plundered until there's nothing left to plunder. When you do that, at some point, there will be resistance."

Hancock is a Ron Paul supporter (again, SHOCKING) and has been an apparently perennial candidate for Arizona Secretary of State. Check out his website for a month's worth of crazy.

Mike Gravel Joins Libertarian Party

Mike Gravel, everyone's favorite wacky idealist (and BFF of the gays), is ditching the Democrats to run for president under the banner of the Libertarian Party. In other momentous switches, the NYPD will change the color of parking tickets from safety orange to burnt orange. (And when Gravel is elected, we'll be doing away parking tickets entirely. The government should not be in the business of telling Americans where they can park!)

I really shouldn't mock Mike Gravel. After all, he is one of only two Democratic presidential candidates who have signed off on every bullet point on the Homosexual Agenda: marriage equality, ENDA¹, hate crimes, DADT, putting a Judy Garland Monument on the National Mall².

Last summer when I met Gravel at an appearance before the only there for the open bar politically charged Gays Of Chelsea, he spoke eloquently about how love is the only important thing in the world, and how as president, he'd work for the equality of all Americans, "Be they gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transvestitite." Are travestitites the ones that wear their hair UP? Or is that the transvestimites? Check amongst yourselves.

¹After I told him what it was.
²To balance that dreary Korean War thing.