So Proud Of The Libertarian Ticket

I just wanted to express how excited I am about the Libertarian Party's ticket this year. Sure, I'm a partisan Libertarian and prone to voting 'L' regardless on the basis that a weak Libertarian candidate is still more in line with my policy preferences than strong Democrats or Republicans. This year, though, offers a string of strong Libertarians that I am genuinely proud of.

I will get to vote for the following:

Gary Johnson, President
James Gray, Vice President
Andy Horning, US Senate
Chard Reid, US House District 5
Rupert Boneham, Indiana Governor
Brad Klopfenstein, Indiana Lt. Governor

There isn't a one of them I wouldn't like to see in office. All are capable. All have been successful in their endeavors outside of politics. All of them are genuinely interested in building our state and nation, and making it a better place- making it freer, making it more growth friendly, eliminating cronyism. Each of them would do better by Indiana or the country if they were elected than their Democratic or Republican opponents.

I hope your will vote for these good people next Tuesday. I will be proud to do so. Proud!

Meet-Up With Rupert

I remember my reaction when I first heard that Rupert Boneham had an interest in seeking the Libertarian nomination for Indiana Governor. I thought, "Oh, great. A reality show TV star. We work so hard, so long to be taken seriously, and we'll be cast as a joke party." He had no prior involvement in politics, but he is instantly recognizable by many thanks to his appearances on the show "Survivor".

The thought of the publicity he could bring to the Libertarian Party looked like a plus. People who would otherwise not be checking out the LP now would, and that's great. But what about his policy positions? If you see a tie-dyed tank top on a man everywhere he goes, is it because that's how he's come to brand himself, or is it that he's a bit of a pothead? Does he know anything about libertarian philosophy or policy solutions?

The Hamilton County LP hosted its monthly Meet-Up last night, and Rupert spoke for about 15 minutes. The biggest issue for Rupert? Getting government out of charities. He went on to detail how state and federal agencies have interfered with the business of his charity, Rupert's Kids, draining it of money and time, replacing those things with nothing. He works with troubled youth, with the intention of setting them up with life skills, including vocational trades. He speaks knowingly, and with passion for the kids in his programs. He observed over time that private charity succeeds when it moves kids out of their programs and into the adult workforce. Government charity has the effect of keeping people in the system, and vastly less functional.

Some libertarians may not be as excited to hear him talk about education, where he takes a destinational approach rather than directional. He spoke about eliminating some administration, moving education away from the state and back into local control, eliminating I-Step, and increasing vocational training and life skills training. He doesn't sound like Murray Rothbard, but rather Milton Friedman.

But on the whole, Rupert groks libertarianism far more than I expected at the onset. And, he's a great spokesman in this setting at least, being about 20 people. People in the restaurant kept coming over, and eventually he went over to sit with a table of fans that waited for him to end his presentation to us. People took a real interest in everything he said.

I like to reserve judgment on endorsing candidates until I've seen them in many situations. He's got the interpersonal down. Of course he has TV down. I'd love to see him on a bigger stage, and would love to hear him on the radio with a host that is less than friendly, to see how he performs. After all, the governor's candidates are standard bearers for the parties. They do public debates, and have to hold their own, while putting across a distinct message, and in our case, one that represents libertarian values.

As to the political mechanics, there were a lot of grumbles within libertarian circles several months ago about the idea of Rupert as standard bearer for the LPIN. At the same time, those grumbling haven't stepped forward to run themselves, nor have they recruited a candidate to advance a different platform. I don't know what this represents, whether it's a concession of some sort or laziness. It's disappointing because I really like contested conventions. It's good for the organization to have competing viewpoints make their cases, with the best articulated winning the day. Grumbling and muttering doesn't accomplish anything in particular. The phenomenon of one believing they have a superior outlook and then sandbagging it is most peculiar to me.

Ballot Discrimination In North Dakota

I was infuriated at seeing this item in the news. From the Forum of Fargo-Moorhead:

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Secretary of State Al Jaeger that was filed by three Libertarian candidates for the North Dakota Legislature who sought placement on the November ballot.

Richard Ames of Wahpeton, along with Grand Forks residents Thommy Passa and Anthony Stewart, argued that North Dakota’s ballot access requirements are unconstitutional because they require candidates to get a minimum number of primary election votes, even if they run unopposed.

It isn't a partisan outrage. If these were Socialist candidates, I'd feel the same way. I detest the judge's reasoning:

In an order issued today, District Court Judge Ralph R. Erickson wrote that states can require candidates to demonstrate a certain degree of support in a primary election.

Primary elections serve as a mechanism to “winnow out and reject all but serious candidates,” and ballot requirements allow states to avoid voter confusion, overcrowded ballots and frivolous candidates, Erickson wrote.

He concluded that North Dakota’s ballot requirements for the general election are “non-discriminatory and serve a compelling state interest.”

That's bullcrap. What exactly does an 'overcrowded ballot' look like? And, what is a frivolous candidate? That's for the voters to decide!

We have to work hard to make sure Mike Wherry gets his votes here in Indiana so that the Libertarian Party can maintain its ballot access for four more years. It isn't safe to leave the matter in the hands of judges, as this example in North Dakota shows, and as we're aware affected the Libertarian Party in Ohio for several years.

(h/t: Patriot Paul)

LPIN Convention Notes

I had the pleasure and privilege of serving as a Delegate from Hamilton County to the annual convention of the Libertarian Party of Indiana this weekend. I was honored by State Chair Sam Goldstein's personal request that I should open the convention with a reading from the Declaration of Independence. I had to stave off the emotion when I got to the phrase,

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."

The important business of the convention was to nominate candidates for the ballot. I am happy and a bit relieved to pass the baton to Mike Wherry, who was nominated our candidate for Secretary of State. As was the case when I ran, Mike will have to achieve a minimum of 2% statewide in order to retain automatic ballot access for the Libertarian Party through 2014.

Mike Wherry's campaign website.
My podcast interview with Mike Wherry.

While all the races are important, the Secretary of State race is crucial to the Libertarian Party. The difference between having ballot access and not is the difference between real political party and supper club. It's huge. All Indiana Libertarians need to line up behind Mike Wherry and promote him. We need to plan to be at our home polling places on election day to hand out Wherry literature. The 2% result cannot be taken for granted.

Rebecca Sink-Burris won the nomination for US Senate, defeating Tamyra D'Ipolito in the contested race. When Evan Bayh announced he wasn't seeking re-election, it changed the thinking about that US Senate seat from 'safely blue' to 'up for grabs'. No doubt there will be much scrutiny paid the US Senate race. Rebecca has been an excellent Libertarian candidate in the past, and I am confident that she will do a great job once again.

Rebecca Sink-Burris' campaign website.

In the 5th Congressional District, high school economics teacher Chard Reid won the nomination. I had the opportunity to sit down with him for several hours prior to the convention to vet his views on Federal issues, and was very satisfied that he will be a solid candidate. He already has students that wish to walk door-to-door for him, which excites me a great deal.

I interviewed Rebecca and Chard for the podcast, and will post those as they are completed.

The Party has a candidate for all nine Congressional Districts, plus the Senate seat. Not all of the Indiana House & Indiana Senate positions were filled, which was a bit disappointing, but the Part leadership will continue to recruit candidates to fill vacancies.

Indiana's delegate count at the convention made the event the largest such in the USA. Indiana had more Libertarians in the room than even California or Texas had! A very good show of growing strength in every way this weekend!

WXNT Appearance Update

The Monday visit to WXNT 1430-AM was very good. The 'Abdul In The Morning' show has always been a good forum, and Abdul is a great host.

If you weren't able to listen live and want to hear the hour without the news & commercial breaks, follow this link for an MP3 audio file.

Kole On WXNT, Monday

I'll be on the Abdul In The Morning Show on WXNT 1430-am at 7am, to talk all things Libertarian. State Chair Sam Goldstein and LPIN Executive Director Chris Spangle will join me live in the studio.

I'll be looking to get a few words in about the upcoming County Convention and the platform we will adopt there. Who knows what delightful curveballs Abdul will have for us besides. Tune in or listen online at www.wxnt.com

Ugly Business In The Indiana Senate

It seems that every year, Indiana's Senate passes a bill that causes me to feel shame about the state I live in- one that recommends a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage.

For one thing, the premise is complete bunk. From the mouth of the author, via the Indy Star:

"Marriage is one of the foundations of our society," said Sen. Carlin Yoder, R-Middlebury, who authored the amendment. "It is something that I firmly believe needs to be protected."

I've never understood, despite a ton of hot air, how a same-sex union threatens marriage. I'm married to my wife, and not once have I felt any suspect inclination that it would come crashing to an end upon hearing that gay people were marrying in California or Massachusetts, or some other state. Nothing affects my marriage, because it is between myself and my wife.

You want to protect marriage, Yoder? Ban divorce.

Better yet, get government out of the business of regulating marriage altogether. Let the churches marry people who want to be married. Let the courts uphold the contracts and agreements made by two people, whether married or not. How hard is that?

Apparently, for Republicans, that's too much to take. They apparently are much happier sticking their nose into people's private lives. Don't be fooled by their rhetoric about smaller government. What a load of crap. Don't let me hear another Republican derisively shout 'socialism'! Physician? Heal thyself!

So, I was especially proud of the Libertarian Party of Indiana, when the party stood up to declare opposition to this bill.

The notion of changing our Constitution to include Senate Joint Resolution 13 is in complete disharmony with the Preamble of this State’s guiding document.

Our Constitution reads, “WE DECLARE, That all people are created equal; that they are endowed by their CREATOR with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that all power is inherent in the People; and that all free governments are, and of right ought to be, founded on their authority, and instituted for their peace, safety, and well-being.”

Let me translate for the proponents of SJR-13. Our government was instituted to protect the right of every Hoosier to make decisions as they see fit. Our Constitution was written to protect us from invasive government.

Shame on those members of both the Senate and House that seek to violate the purpose of our Constitution. For all the sign waving by my Republican friends about liberty and socialism, it is striking that they would propose to write into this document discrimination and direct government interference.

Beyond this, the Republicans who promote this nonsense actually make Pat Bauer look like he's got his finger on the pulse of the state. From the Star:

House Speaker B. Patrick Bauer, D-South Bend, said the amendment is unlikely to receive a hearing this year, arguing the state's trial and appeals courts have upheld Indiana's marriage law.

"It's the same old song," Bauer said. "Some people don't have enough to do creating jobs and moving this economy forward, so they think up divisive things."

So, I'm proud of the LPIN, and ashamed of the Republicans. Why could I never get on board with the Republicans? Because they do so many irrelevant and needlessly antagonistic, counterproductive, and oppressive things.

Rewarding Saturday

I was very happy to deliver a talk to potential Libertarian Party candidates this Saturday, on the subject of beginning the race. Mainly, as the most recent candidate for Secretary of State, my top secondary objective, apart from winning, was to establish four more years of automatic ballot access for LP candidates. These were some of the folks who will take advantage of that ballot access.

Most of what I do in politics has no immediate return. This event was rare in that there was the immediate gratification of meeting and informing these good people, and, in helping to justify that campaign- both at once.

Now, folks: file those papers!!!

Best Wishes, Andy Horning

With Andy Horning departing Indiana for Texas, after so many mostly Libertarian campaigns for office, we're seeing many nice tributes to the man, several of which go, "I'm a Libertarian because of Andy Horning".

Well, I can't say that's my story too. I was a Libertarian back in Ohio, when it became apparent in mid-2002 that I would be moving to Indianapolis with Ame. I didn't know anybody in Indy. I didn't even have a job lined up, so I was looking to make associations right away. So, I called the Libertarian Party of Indiana's office, talked with then-Executive Director Brad Klopfenstein, asking where I could get active upon arrival.

No hesitation. Brad directed me to Andy's campaign for Congress.

I was most impressed. I was leaving a state where the Libertarian Party lacked ballot access. I was never deeply involved with the LPO, because it was scarcely like a political party at all. If you can't get on the ballot, you essentially don't exist. But Andy Horning fulfilled everything I expected a Libertarian candidate for Congress to be: He is something of a statesman. His positions are well-reasoned. His delivery smooth and sure. His temper even. I felt great about my move, politically. Everything that Ohio couldn't be, because of the repressive ballot access laws, Indiana seemed to be. Before I even knew my neighbors, I was delivering the Hoosier Libertarian newspaper to every door in my neighborhood, in an effort to promote Andy's campaign.

Andy Horning is one large reason I ran for Secretary of State, beginning in late 2004. Yes, by then he had jumped ship and was running for the Republicans, but the purpose for my running was established: to preserve the ability of Libertarian candidates to have the ballot access.

I was delighted when Andy came back to the Libertarians, and accepted the 2008 nomination for Governor. He was running with us, on the ballot access I helped preserve. That was a private observation and pleasure, until now.

The last political thing I did with Andy was to sit down with him for an interview for the Libertarian party of Indiana's Weekly Podcast. He was working in Louisville, and when the issue of state sovereignty began to arise in Indiana and several other states, there was no other person I wished to interview on the subject. Andy answered as sometimes only Andy can- with a somewhat confounding, surprising response, but one that was wholly consistent with his view of the US and Indiana Constitutions. He was speaking off the cuff, but he was as scholarly as a university professor... and he was truly just gabbing on his lunch break.

So, I'll miss you, Andy. Indiana's loss is Texas' gain.

Never Wonder Why Some Libertarians Dislike Democrats

I couldn't believe what I was reading this morning, in an article on Andy Horning's leaving Indiana later this month. From the Indy Star report:

A confident public speaker and skilled debater, Horning has been the face of the Indiana Libertarian Party for a decade and has run for offices ranging from county recorder to governor.

"I don't think he made any good points, but he made his points in a way that you didn't dislike the man," said Dan Parker, the Democratic state chairman.

This makes Andy rather unlike Dan Parker.

It seems that Indiana Democrats know only one speed: attack. If there's one time when one can say nice, flattering things about a member of an opposing party while they are still alive, it's when they are leaving your area. Alas, Parker.

When I was running for Secretary of State a few years ago, Ame & I hosted some fundraisers in our home, and she was always taken aback, as a Democrat herself, by the contempt some Indiana Libertarians hold for Democrats. This is pretty typical fare, so there shouldn't be any surprise at it.

Excellent Convention

I spent Saturday in Clarksville, Indiana (north of the Ohio River of Louisville) for the joint conventions of the Libertarian Party of Indiana, and of Kentucky. I was rather impressed.

Right off the top, I liked the cost savings made available by working jointly. Rather than having two sets of expenses, one set allowed for more money to be allocated for speakers, and I have no doubt that the quality of them had a great deal to do with the record attendance for an off-year, where not a single candidate for office was nominated. I also enjoyed the opportunity to discuss regional differences with our neighbors to the south.

I suspect the attendance growth also can be explained by the sense I get of growing dissatisfaction with the two older parties. There were many new faces among the Indiana delegates.

But due to my 2006 campaign for Secretary of State, it was terrific to be with so many of the people who worked alongside me, and in support of me. I only wish I could have stayed an extra day.

On to business, the convention was a gold mine of interview subjects for the podcast. In no particular order, I interviewed:

Al Cox, Brown County
Ed Coleman, Indianapolis
Ryan Liedtke, St Joseph County
Doug Horner, Fort Wayne
Rebecca Sink-Burris, Bloomington
Sam Goldstein, Chair, Libertarian Party of Indiana
Ken Moellman, Chair, Libertarian Party of Kentucky
Luke McKellar, Ohio Central Committe Chair
Wayne Allyn Root, candidate for President 2012

I also recorded the speeches of:

Daniel Williams, on drug policy
Goldstein, acceptance speech
Radley Balko, Senior Editor, Reason Magazine
Root, on the media and his campaign

Look for much to come from the convention on the podcast in the next several weeks!

Podcast Posted

The latest is an interview with Mark Rutherford, former Chair of the Libertarian Party of Indiana. Mark reflected on his tenure, and the many ways the party grew during that time, and since. 

I think the most insightful comments were about the Party surviving certain transitions. Small and growing organizations can become stale if one person leads for too long. Worse than that, weak organizations fail to make transitions when the time comes. 

Here's the link to the podcast archive.

Rutherford will be speaking at the LPIN's joint convention with the Kentucky Libertarians this weekend, in Clarksville IN, just north of Louisville KY. The convention has a pretty exciting list of speakers, topped by Reason Magazine contributor Radley Balko, who also runs The Agitator blog, which has long been linked on my blog, at the right. Dr. Eric Schansberg, Wayne Allyn Root, and Daniel Williams round out a list of fine speakers.

See me in Clarksville. Who knows? I may interview you for a future podcast!

iTunes Now Carrying Podcast!

I'm very excited to report that the Libertarian Party of Indiana's Weekly Podcast is now available to anyone worldwide via the iTunes Store!

I had recently submitted the podcast feed information, and just checked a few minutes ago with the search 'Libertarian Party', and there it was.

If simply searching with the word 'libertarian', the podcast is currently #95 on the list. As more people download for free and subscribe, the podcast will climb the ladder and bee seen sooner by folks searching the random world of free libertarian podcasts. You know what to do.

New Podcast Posted

For LPIN Weekly Podcast #19, I took a different approach, reaching outside the roster of Libertarian Party leaders and recent candidates to Doug Masson, a Lafayette blogger and lawyer who has common ground with libertarians, especially on civil liberty issues, but is not a partisan Libertarian.

Several things occurred to me in leading me to ask Doug to sit down at the microphone.

1. One strategy employed by the Libertarian Party has been to court disaffected supporters of the party with majority power. For several years, it was a courtship of disaffected fiscal conservatives, as Republicans delivered smaller government rhetoric alongside exponentially growing budgets and bureaucracies. As power has shifted to Democrats, we are quickly seeing the delivery of pro-civil liberties rhetoric met with restrictive policy by the Obama Administration.

2. When you only talk amongst those who completely agree, the tendency to develop blind spots grows. I wanted to hear from someone outside the partisan-Ls in what ways the Libertarian Party is missing the opportunity to draw from the Left.

3. Doug's blog, Masson's Blog, is really excellent. It is the one on the Left that I read daily, without fail.

This and all podcasts are available via this archive link. You know what to do.

Many thanks to Doug for taking the time to sit down with me for this interview.

New Podcast Posted

I spoke recently with Chris Spangle, the Libertarian Party of Indiana's Executive Director, about the sort of nuts-and-bolts things an executive does to run a state party.

The thing that struck me is that he's an organizational person. That's different, because when there are many hats to wear, EDs tend to be Political Directors, since the policy is what got them into the game in the first place. Chris is very interested in social networking, and is looking to recruit the people best suited to wear the hats he isn't best suited to wear. Sounds like a good plan.

Check it out by way of this link.

New Podcasts Posted

Go to the LPIN podcast archive to check out the following:

3/9: Two-term Hagerstown Judge Susan Bell discusses her election and re-election, and her acceptance as a Libertarian office holder.

3/6: Tim Maguire talks about the political fallout related to Ed Coleman's party switch. He discusses the rules that address the inclusion, or exclusion, of third party council members. It is clear that most government bodies lack rules that fully address the integration of third party members.

From the archive page, you can subscribe and have new podcasts automatically downloaded to your iTunes. Pretty snappy.

Yet Another New Podcast Posted

Beyond the petty retribution Ed Coleman received, another thing revealed was that the City-County Council may have rules that address the political parties and where they fit into the structure of power, those rules are vague at best, and at worst do little more than protect the two parties currently holding power.

As the Ds and Rs consistently fail to deliver, I can foresee a greater number of third party victories at all levels of government, not just for Libertarians, but for Greens and perhaps a new party or two. The voters aren't going to be happy to learn, when the day comes, that the people they elect are essentially without a voice- and that it's all perfectly within the rules.

I spoke with Tim Maguire about the rules. Maguire is the Chair of the Marion County Libertarians.

Link to the podcast archive.

More Podcasting on Ed Coleman

When then-Republican City-County Councilor Ed Coleman left for the Libertarian Party, I felt 100% certain that there would be a political price for him to pay. Talking with party insiders, the general consensus was that he would probably be removed from one or more of the committees on which he served.

In fact, he was removed from all of them on Monday. Again- no real surprise. Politics is a bare-knuckled game, and retaliation, no matter how silly or childish it may seem, is a way of political life just as much as favors and back scratching is on the flip side.

I got a better sense of why Ed left yesterday, when I interviewed him again for the Libertarian party of Indiana's Weekly Podcast. This wasn't the first retaliation against Ed by the Republicans, nor the first time he was stripped of a committee appointment. Because Ed was speaking out on issues against the grain of his former party's leadership, he was stripped of committee appointments, and then assigned to different committees. To summarize Ed, he was advised that being reassigned was a warning, and that he should shut up and toe the line.

Here's the link to the podcast archive. Check out Podcast #011, released March 5. It is incredibly revealing in details about how local government works. Or doesn't.

I asked Ed if the members of the City-County Council read the ordinances they vote on. Interesting answer, to say the least.

Latest Podcast Posted

#10 features Ed Angleton, the former 2-day Jeopardy champ and recent candidate for Indiana House in Marion County's District 100. Ed contributes to the Libertarian Party of Indiana's legislative review blog, and shared his thoughts on the best and worst law before the state's legislature this session.

Link to the podcast archive.

LPIN's legislative review blog is yet another thing the other parties won't do, because it entails taking a broad stand for or against a bill. Sure, there's room for diverging viewpoints, but if a political party is supposed to be a vehicle for moving public policy in a defined direction, how can it hope to do so unless it is willing to publicly take a stand one way or another? Is it any wonder our states and nation seem to be busy, but never moving the policy anywhere in particular?

New LPIN Podcast Posted

This week's edition features Hagerstown Libertarian Rex Bell. He ran for Indiana House in District 54, and put up some fantastic numbers:

2006: 14.3% in a 3-way race, D-L-R
2008: 33.5% in a 2-way race, L-R

One of the planks of Rex's platform was the elimination of property taxes. He believes that was a key position to take in getting these results. I asked him to discuss the proposed property tax caps, which he did in some great detail.

Podcast archive. You know what to do.