The Passing of a Giant

Sadly, today we learn that Milton Friedman has died. From the AP report in the Indy Star:

His theories won him a Nobel Prize in economics in 1976.

A believer in the principles of 18th century economist Adam Smith, he consistently argued that individual freedom should rule economic policy. Outspoken and controversial, Friedman saw his theories attacked by many traditional economists such as Harvard's John Kenneth Galbraith.

In an essay titled “Is Capitalism Humane?” he said that “a set of social institutions that stresses individual responsibility, that treats the individual ... as responsible for and to himself, will lead to a higher and more desirable moral climate.”

Friedman acknowledged that “pure capitalism” did not exist, but said that nations that cherished freedom must strive to keep the economy as close to the ideal as possible.

This is the passing of a giant. I always had an innate sense of the benefits and justice of capitalism, but Milton Friedman gave me an academic means for expressing it and backing it up beyond mere feelings.

Friedman was extolling capitalism's virtues at a time when academia had turned from capitalism and embraced Marx- incorrectly. He stood against this fad and led the reversal, and for that I am grateful. He is one of those most responsible for inspiring me to work to reverse course back towards capitalism, and to become a Libertarian activist.

I am deeply saddened at his passing.

There is a statement on the webpage of the Milton & Rose D. Friedman Foundation concerning his passing.

Reason Magazine has a tribute and links to many articles.

http://cato-at-liberty.org/ has at least three blog entries memorializing Friedman.

Post-Election Notes, Part 2

A couple things have kept me from writing more reflections- the surgically repaired right hand that is useless for typing, and the sting I feel when I look at the numbers and reflect on the realities.

Call that last bit pride. I knew that the odds were greatly against me for a victory, but I did have plenty of secondary objectives.

2%. That was the bottom line. I got this, so the Libertarian Party maintains automatic ballot access for the next four years statewide in Indiana. That's no small victory, especially when we recall the failure of the Greens to achieve it this year.

10%. That would have put us into the primaries. Opinion within the LPIN was divided on this. Many did not want to be part of a taxpayer-funded process that only really is political party business. My belief was that the Ds & Rs would remain true to form and would try to change the rules if I reached this figure. Doing so would have made us a player in a very worthy discourse about the nature of funding these events, which I really was hoping for. Alas.

2nd Place in any County. That would have made us eligible for positions on appointed boards and commissions, such as the Elections Boards. We deserve a place on them anyway, and no better way to make the case but to displace the Rs or Ds- after all, the law only provides for two parties to participate. It would have been a delight to give them a taste of their own medicine. Alas, my best showing was in Wayne County, with more than 8%, yet still in 3rd.

Increased Statewide Percentage. If you can't win, my objective was to at least improve upon past performance. I thought this was a slam-dunk. The public was more upset with both parties this year than in 2002. I made close to 200 appearances in 35 counties- all new bests for LPIN candidates. I was getting new support on issues like opposition to forced annexations and smoking bans, which I thought should translate into votes, election day staffing, and contributions. Boy, was I wrong there, but more on that later. The numbers:

2002: 60,937 votes received, 4.12%
2006: 53,459 votes received, 3.33%

The 2006 numbers are not official yet, as incredibly, not all precincts are counted even still. My vote totals may go up, but the percentage is unlikely to change much.

I am at once embarrassed by my showing and perplexed at the realities. I just can't get my arms around doing so much more resulting in fewer votes. Ame tells me that the 2002 returns might have been better because we had a female candidate, and some women will vote for any woman regardless of party. Others tell me that having Steve Osborn on the ballot for US Senate at the top of ticket may have sucked up any sympathy/protest votes we would take. I really think that I could have had one public appearance or a thousand and it would not have made a bit of difference. Unless I had at least a minor statewide saturation of TV ads to begin getting real name recognition, the average Hoosier voter wasn't going to violate their traditional old party choice.

Strong Showing at Home. I had hoped to finish 2nd here in Hamilton County when I began the campaign. As time passed and I was travelling across the state, I slowly revised my hopes downward, but I never thought I would do worse than we had in 2002. Alas, again.

2002: 1,630 votes received, 3.70%
2006: 1,773 votes received, 3.02%

This is really disappointing. Between the 3 years working at the County Surveyor's Office, the public defense of the Geist, Homeplace, and Southwest Clay property owners against forced annexations by Fishers and Carmel, and the myriad appearances in the local papers with countless letters and quotes from statements at town or county council meetings, the result was nil. While I never really expected huge numbers to change parties and vote straight ticket Libertarian, I thought that by standing up for people, they would at least throw support behind me at the ballot box. This didn't happen at all.

This is the toughest thing to swallow. A candidacy is unfortunately something of a test on those around you. I didn't set out for it to be, but as a candidate, you find yourself looking around for those you can count on. There were so many times that I was turned away by those I thought I could count on, either directly or by evasion. I'm not the kind of guy who tries to avoid finding out these things, but the knowledge doesn't bring any particular comfort.

So, I'm glad I got the baseline 2% for continued ballot access. That's about all I'm pleased with right now, and that's not much of a feeling when reflecting back upon two years of my life.

I'm really glad to wrap up this process. I'm really enjoying helping Alex with his homework and making Isabel's dinner five nights a week. I'm enjoying getting back into the work and making money and looking forward to playing poker, and once the hand heals, hockey.

Weekend Wind-Down

After two years of campaigning and general hyper-activity, the Koles and friends took off for the hills of Kentucky for a weekender of family hiking and cabin lounging.

We were at the Red River Gorge and the Natural Bridge parks areas. Not much I care to report on, but some fun pictures to share:

Isabel casts a glance back on the approach to the Natural Bridge.

Jay & Ella take in the expansive view from atop the Natural Bridge.

This was fun enough, but I'm really looking forward to a nice little vacation with Ame!

Spoilers, eh?

I hope! If Libertarian "took votes from" Republicans, let it be a lesson to the GOP that it isn't enough to give lip service to smaller government, but that especially when they have majorities, they must deliver on it.

In actuality, though, everything I am hearing and seeing points to Libertarians "taking votes from" Democrats. While Dems were soft on anti-war rhetoric, Libertarians such as Eric Schansberg was plain about it. As the Democratic base had many voters who shared this perspective with Schansberg, and stood contrary to Dem Baron Hill and Republican Mike Sodrel, the L's actually reduced Hill's win from blowout to narrow victory.

From the LaPorte Herald Argus, the view of cartoonist Herman Torzino.

Here's the lesson for both major parties: Libertarians aren't afraid to take strong positions. Don't blame us if your gray dive to the middle alienates some part of your bases. You simply don't get to take them for granted anymore.

Give us your cold, tired, disaffected masses... We aren't going away.

Credited As Spoiler

Check out this email message that landed in my in-box today:

Hi Mike:

Just a quick note to thank you for throwing the control of election day Inspectors over to the Democrats. Due to your candidacy the Marion County election process will become an even bigger disaster. I hope you are happy.

I had to think about this for a moment, but then it dawned on me that this year, Todd Rokita failed to finish first in Marion County. From the Marion County webpage:

SECRETARY OF STATE
VOTE FOR ONLY 1
(WITH 894 OF 914 PRECINCTS COUNTED 97.81%)

02A TODD ROKITA (REP) . . . . . . 93,331 47.89
02B JOE PEARSON (DEM) . . . . . . 95,022 48.76
02C MIKE KOLE (LIB). . . . . . . . . 6,196 3.18
WRITE-IN. . . . . . . . . . . 326 .17

While I'd like to take credit for the spoiler role, a look at the 2002 returns for comparison's sake is worthwhile. From the SOS webpage:

Fernandez, John (Democratic) 95412
Sink-Burris, Rebecca (Libertarian) 7218
Rokita, Todd (Republican) 96373

Looks like the Dems' numbers are about the same, but Todd Rokita lost about 3,000 votes in Marion County. Maybe Todd just didn't campaign enough in Marion County. Go complain to him.

But, look on the bright side. The Marion County Dems, and Ed Treacy in particular, were brutal to outgoing Republican Clerk Doris Ann Sadler. Well! The shoe's on the other foot now. A pity for Clerk-elect Beth White, but likely big fun for Republican howlers.

I'd be happier if I came in first, because Libertarians would be in charge of the elections, which were a mess this year under a Republican. Sadler had five candidates on the ballot who weren't certified, and some polling places didn't open on time. That's nothing to brag on.

On WXNT Friday Morning

I'll be on WXNT 1430-am in Indy Friday for the 8-9am hour, along with new LPIN Executive Director Kyle McDonald, to analyze the election from a Libertarian perspective.

Indiana Licensed Beverage Association Exec (and former LPIN E.D.) Brad Klopfenstein is filling in for regular host Abdul Hakim-Shabazz.

Be sure to tune in! Those outside central Indiana can listen online at www.wxnt.com.

First Post-Election Notes

While I can't report a victory today, I am pleased to report that we have met our baseline objective of continued automatic ballot access for the Libertarian Party of Indiana through 2010. If a Hoosier wants to run as a Libertarian candidate, they need only fill out the forms and hit the trail, no petitions necessary.

Here are some other observations:

It was odd to watch the returns come in, where my numbers were at 5% and about 56,000 votes with around 60% of precincts reporting, and then my returns shifted down to 3% on 46,000 with 80% of precincts reporting, and it appears I'm ending up with around 52,000 votes. Can someone explain this? I still topped the 2% minimum for ballot access, but the next metric was to gain over the 4.1% we earned in 2002. The idea that we might be backsliding would be very disappointing to me personally. I would take responsibility for that.

The Fort Wayne Journal Gazette reported that I took 5%, so I'm not alone in this observation:

In the race for secretary of state, Rokita had garnered 416,229 votes, or 52 percent of the vote.

Democrat Joe Pearson had 346,996 votes, or 43 percent. Libertarian Mike Kole had 39,620 votes or 5 percent of the vote.

WISH-TV 8 in Indy showed Kole at 5% half-way through. I wish we took more screen shots.

I'd like to hear an explanation on this. How do you account for getting 41,000 votes with the first half of precincts, and then 12,000 with the other half? It's possible but extremely unlikely.

There are so many people to thank, but I'll keep it brief for now: My family, but especially Ame for enduring the two-year disruption. I'm looking forward to enjoying a more normal family life with her, Alex, and Isabel.

Thanks also to Jim Hurst. Beyond the material support, I really appreciate his willingness to step forward publicly to get behind me. That takes great courage in this time of extremely meddlesome government.

Some libertarians were disappointed that my campaign did not feature more red meat for them. As it turned out, I was quite vindicated by the course of yesterday's elections. I called for election machines we could trust, and then we had machines not work in Delaware County and Hoosiers across the state reporting irregularities, such as machines refusing to count Democratic straight-ticket votes. I called for voter verified paper audit trails, and Hoosiers leaving the polls were doing the same.

I called for competence, and then we had major incompetence from the Elections Division and the Marion County Clerk. The Election Division refused to certify 11 Libertarian candidates because of a new filing requirement created by the Legislature and targeting LPIN candidates. And yet, five of those eleven still appeared on Marion County ballots. Maybe the Clerk can be forgiven if the filings looked correct, because they were.

More observations will come once the votes are all counted, which means we might have a week's worth of notes trickling in.

Voted Early!

It was with great pleasure that I cast my votes at 6:03 this morning. I voted for a really solid candidate for Secretary of State, wink, wink.

Quite a change from 2004, when the lines were out the door. No line today. The rain isn't helping people sprint to the polls.

Schedule

6am Vote in Fishers
6:30-7:30 Work Geist polling place
8:45am Anderson polling place
10am Muncie polling place
Noon Richmond, Hagerstown polling places to distribute lunches to Rex Bell supporters
2pm District 54 polling places
7pm Bearno's, Downtown Indy for Election Night Party

Last Pre-Election Trail Report

Tomorrow's the big day, but we've had some big days this weekend running strong to end. This is a photojournal report.
Friday began with a quick visit to South Bend and the offices of the Tribune yielded a nice interview with James Wensits. Article link.

We rallied with the faithful in LaPorte. Huge thanks to Karen Wolf for this excellent cake! It was a tremendous surprise when she brought it out!

Another rally, this time in Lowell at The Pizza House. We got the faithful excited and then talked small business with the owner.

Saturday was spent in the southern part of the state. Rob Place & I ate lunch in Franklin at the D&D Club in support of their battle against a smoking ban.

With LPIN District 9 rep Greg Hertszch and District 9 US House candidate Eric Schansberg with two of his sons, in Clarksville. We campaigned at the annual Lewis & Clark festival near Greg's home.

The Final Poll

Tuesday is the day when the speculation ends and we learn how the people of our state have chosen.

Will Hoosiers choose the various models of big government offered by Republicans and Democrats, or you they choose the smaller government offered only by Libertarians?

Will Hoosiers reward Republicans for failing to deliver on lower taxes and smaller budgets?
Will Hoosiers reward Democrats for failing to deliver on protections of civil liberties?

Do Hoosiers value having multiple choices on the ballot?

Do Hoosiers want election machines equipped with voter verifiable paper audit trails? Do they want to see an end to the practice of gerrymandering?

Do you like the idea of seeing Libertarians appointed to boards and commissions?

Vote for me, Mike Kole, your Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State to send a powerful message in favor of limited goverment, in favor of ballot choices.

Let the state know that you support VVPAT and and end to gerrymandering.

Let Rs & Ds know you are dissatisfied with their performance, and that they have lost your support.

Mike's first- or second-place finish in any municipality or county, irrespective of statewide outcome, means Libertarians are appointed to boards and commissions, instead of Rs or Ds.

The only wasted votes are the ones cast by supporters of limited goverment in favor of Rs or Ds, because the old parties have commitment to this principle.

Vote for me, Mike Kole, your Libertarian candidate for Secretary of State.

Today On The Trail

We're riding hard and clean to the very end. Just 4 days until Election Day! Here's what's on tap for today:

9am: Phone interview with the Martinsville Daily Times about electronic voting,
Noon: Rally with Norte Dame LP supporters
2pm: Interview with the South Bend Tribune.
3:30pm: Media and volunteer reception at the LPLP headquarters in downtown LaPorte
6pm: ALCO-TV in Michigan City for a candidate taping. Will be aired throughout the area all weekend.
7pm (CST): The Lake County LP will be hosting a fundraiser and volunteer event at the Pizza House at 108 West Commercial in Lowell.

Supporters can pick up materials (palm cards, lapel stickers, yard signs) for working their polling places. If you live in Northern Indiana, be sure to meet up with us on the trail today!

Home Stretch

This is it- just seven days left until the one poll that matters- The Election!

Please keep in mind that my race for Secretary of State is more than just that. It's the Libertarian Party of Indiana's ballot status race.

At minimum, I must receive at least 2% statewide to continue the Libertarian Party's automatic ballot access. If I fail, petitions will have to be carried in order to put Libertarian candidates on the ballot.

If you want to know the value of automatic ballot access, I suggest you talk to the Greens. They failed to get on the ballot this year after 18 months of petitioning. LPIN State Chair Mark Rutherford estimates the cost of successful petitioning to be $140,000.

Here's an easier way:

Donate $100 to my campaign right now. Click here.
Vote for Mike Kole on November 7. Click here to find your polling place.
Work a polling place on Election Day. Click here to sign up.

If you are a Libertarian and you believe in the Libertarian Party, and if you only give to one Libertarian cause, this is the one. Without ballot access, a political party really doesn't exist.

The Libertarian Party is becoming an increasingly significant voice. Look at Rex Bell. Look at our contribution to the eminent domain dialogue. We are the only party speaking against forced annexations. Did I mention Rex Bell? Ballot access gives Rex the chance to go to the Statehouse, and not just on a visitor's tour.

Let's make sure Hoosiers can continue to have the opportunity to vote for the only party that relentlessly promotes smaller government and lower taxes.

No regrets on November 8. Be in action today!

Insight Message

We have the video file for my statement on the Insight CATV system's candidate show. It runs 3 minutes, 30 seconds.

Download via this link to get the file, or go to www.mikekole.com to see it via You Tube.

Schedule Notes

We have three big travel dates remaining.

Friday, 11/3- This will be a whirlwind of a day, with stops across the Northern third of the state, including Suth Bend and LaPorte. Details forthcoming. The item that is set in stone is a fundraiser dinner in Lowell, at the Pizza House. The fun starts at 7pm. The Pizza House is located at 108 W. Commercial, in Lowell.

Saturday, 11/4- Looks like the Southern part of the state, with a stop in Clarksville for the annual Lewis & Clark festivities. Look for more details shortly.

Tuesday, 11/7- Election Day will also be a whirlwind of a day, beginning with the casting of my ballot at 6am in Fishers. I'll be at one (or more!) of the voting locations in Indiana House District 54 supporting Rex Bell for the evening rush. We'll wrap up in Indianapolis at the LPIN election night party at Bearno's on Pennsylvania St.

Be sure to join us along the way!

Two New Ads

This morning I recorded two new ads. These will air across the state.

If you like these ads, please help us to get as many on the air as possible. There is still time available in most areas- even in the 3rd Congressional District! Click here to support. On average $10=1 ad!

As soon as the producer sends the files, we'll post them here. In the meantime, you can feast your eyes on the scripts:

New Ad #1

Each year, Hoosier politicians wring their hands in public about dismal voter turnout.

We know why people stay home election after election.

Republicans fail to deliver lower taxes and smaller government. Democrats fail to deliver protections of your personal freedoms.

Let me offer you an alternative. Vote Libertarian. Vote for me, Mike Kole for Secretary of State.

Libertarians will deliver on smaller government, lower taxes, and personal freedom.

As your Secretary of State, I’ll work to increase turnout.

I’ll work to put an end to gerrymandered districts that make the election a foregone conclusion in most parts of our state.

I’ll work to promote voter verifiable paper audit trails with our voting equipment – so votes are correctly counted.

I’ll cut the Secretary of State's budget by at least 1% in my first year.

Elect Libertarians. We will deliver.

Libertarians are passionate about smaller government and lower taxes. Republicans are passionate about holding power.

Send a message. Vote Libertarian.Vote for Libertarian Mike Kole.

Paid for and authorized by the Committee to Elect Mike Kole, Ken Johnson Treasurer.

New Ad #2

Everyday, we make choices. We love having choices.

What would the world be like if we only had two types of cars to choose from?

Two TV stations?

Two web sites?

Americans love choices. Choices in the marketplace allow you to get the things you really like.

Why should our elections be any different? Especially if two choices don’t represent you?

This election, keep choice an option on Indiana's ballots for the next four years.

A vote for Mike Kole, Libertarian for Secretary of State, is a vote to keep the Libertarian Party on the ballot for four more years.

It's a vote to keep a voice of smaller government and personal freedoms alive in the public debate.

It's a vote to ensure some competition in a political landscape equally split up by the republicans and democrats.

Keep choice in Indiana. Vote Libertarian. Vote for Mike Kole for Secretary of State.

Paid for and authorized by the Committee to Elect Mike Kole, Ken Johnson Treasurer.

Wasted Vote Syndrome Ad

With Rex Bell polling in the 30s, and in a close second, we know that now more than ever, a vote for a Libertarian is not a wasted vote.

Here is a link to Sendspace, where you can download the 60-second ad.

If you want to hear this effective, convincing message across Indiana and on your local radio station, click here to donate.

Two Sides of The Star

Looking at the Indy Star online today was bittersweet. Dan Carpenter included me in his list of honorable mentions for seven candidates who were not endorsed, but left very favorable impressions.

Then I looked at their "Voters Guide". It left me off their slick mock ballot. The Democrat & Republican were given headshot photos, bios, and a position statement. This Libertarian was given nothing- not even the journalistic minimum of "Libertarian Mike Kole is also on the ballot". (There is no dirct link for the Guide. It is a pop-up feature on the Star's main page.)

In fact, no Libertarian is included. No Eric Schansberg in District 9, no Steve Osborn for US Senate, nothing. There are nice elephant and donkey graphics for the Ds & Rs.

Maybe Matt Tully would just say I'm whining here, but this is an outrage!

Is this a paid advertisement for Ds & Rs, or is this a Voters Guide?
Is this malicious omission, or just shoddy journalism?

I respectfully call on the Star to remove this Voters Guide until such time as all ballotted candidates appear on it.

The Star is plainly free to publish whatever it chooses, just please don't call it journalism, and certainly don't call it a Voters Guide, because it's nothing of the sort.

This snub just illustrates why the purcase of radio ads is so important. We can't count on certain outlets to include us in the free publicity they heap on the other two, so in the grand Western tradition, we have to buy our message to compete. Please- click here to support our purchase of radio ads statewide. $10 = 1 minute, on average.

Trail Briefs

3-minute presentations are running on cable TV systems Insight (Lafayette & Kokomo), and Comcast (Indy). We're looking for someone to record these so we can put them on You Tube for a wider audience to see. Email the campaign at mikekole@msn.com with a digital file.

I was on Richmond radio this morning, talking Libertarian ballot status and wider ballot access. This was with Chris Nolte on WKBV 1490-am.

I was not able to attend a candidate forum at IU East as planned, as I broke a bone in my right hand after a fall at home. It may require surgery, but I hope not. The doc is going to set it tomorrow. I can't wait.

We've made a great push in funraising for radio ads. If you live in Evansville, Fort Wayne, Bloomington, Kokomo, Rushville, LaPorte, Richmond, or Indy especially, and want to be sure that you and your neighbors can hear our ads, please contribute today! Even $10 buys an ad or two, depending on the market. $250 will complete our buys in some markets, such as Columbus and Kokomo. Click here to support!

District One, mark your calendars! Mike and the team will be in Lowell on Friday, November 3, at the Pizza House, at 7pm. This will be a fundraiser for Mike Kole, and a fun evening with your fellow defenders of liberty. No RSVP required.

TV Taping For Lafayette

I was in the studios of Insight cable TV this afternoon, taping my promo for the ICN candidate show, "Candidates Up Close". These will run on ICN Channel 13 in Lafayette, West Lafayette, and Attica; and on ICN Channel 3 in Kokomo on the following schedule:

Monday, 10/23, 7pm
Wednesday, 10/25, 8pm
Saturday 10/28, 5pm
Sunday, 10/29, 9am
Monday, 10/31, 7pm
Wednesday, 11/1, 8pm
Saturday 11/4, 5pm
Sunday, 11/5, 9am
Monday, 11/6, 7pm

Be sure to tune in. See if any other statewide candidate bothered to turn up and tape their own promo. Here's a shot from my taping:

I appreciate the opportunity Insight created- for all candidates to have a 5-minute message for their viewers. Thanks, Insight!