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Title: Libertarians May Co-Nominate Rand Paul in 2016
Source:
U.S. News & World Report
URL Source: http://www.usnews.com/news/articles ... win-libertarian-nomination-too
Published: Oct 27, 2014
Author: Steven Nelson
Post Date: 2014-10-27 19:09:23 by Hondo68
Keywords: None
Views: 1848
Comments: 4
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., speaks during an event at the University of Chicago on April 22. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., may follow in his father’s footsteps not only by seeking the Republican presidential nomination, but also by receiving the Libertarian Party’s ballot line. Members of the Libertarian Party are bracing for an internal struggle over whether to back the libertarian-leaning senator if he appears poised to win the Republican nomination in 2016. Paul is unlikely to directly seek the third party’s support, but could win it anyhow through the work of eager activists like those who worked the campaigns of his father, former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, a GOP presidential contender in 2008 and 2012 and the Libertarian nominee in 1988. A co-nomination from one of the nation’s most significant minor parties could help Paul - if he’s the Republican nominee - avoid losing hundreds of thousands of votes to an ideological ally. In some states, his name would appear twice on ballots. [READ: The Emerging Rand Paul Doctrine: 'Selective' Force] If Paul is nominated by both the Republican and Libertarian parties, it could also unleash electoral scenarios unseen in decades, such as the negotiation of a fusion slate of electors. Libertarians could, theoretically, nominate their own vice presidential candidate. Though the Libertarian Party’s Orlando, Florida, nominating convention isn’t until May 2016, Libertarian National Committee Executive Director Wes Benedict foresees a fight. “If Rand Paul wins the Republican nomination, I'd expect a big fight within the [party] over whether or not we should run our own candidate,” Benedict says. “It wouldn't just be a discussion.” Libertarian Party chairman Nicholas Sarwark, officially neutral on the matter, says “there is a possibility that the delegates in Orlando would nominate Sen. Paul and if they were to do so, I'd work hard to support their choice.” [ALSO: 47 Percent: A Good Number for Rand] The Republican primary season will be well underway when the 1,000 or so Libertarian convention delegates gather. If Paul appears poised for victory in the GOP race, they would have several options. Delegates could nominate Paul and his presumptive GOP running mate (if that person has been selected), or nominate Paul and a Libertarian running mate (as happened in 1896 when the Democratic and Populist parties nominated William Jennings Bryan for president, but chose different vice presidential candidates). They could also choose to endorse no candidate, a scenario in which many would-be Libertarian voters would presumably vote for Paul without the party’s official blessing; or they could snub Paul and pick their own presidential candidate. Though Paul is largely in line with the Libertarian rank-and-file on mass surveillance, militarized policing, government spending and taxes, criminal justice reform and foreign policy, his stance on social issues and immigration are unappetizing to some party members and his anticipated catering to the GOP mainstream may alienate others.43; [MORE: Why Rand’s the Current 2016 GOP Front-Runner] Benedict says he would prefer Libertarians to run their own candidate, someone who supports abortion rights and same-sex marriage. Richard Winger, a ballot access expert who’s participated in Libertarian Party nominating conventions since the 1980s, says Paul supporters would need to strategize in advance of the Orlando convention, as delegates are selected by state parties. Gaming Republican state conventions was a specialty of enthusiastic Ron Paul supporters, who in 2012 took over GOP organizations and flooded state conventions to score delegate wins for their libertarian hero. It’s unclear if these activists would put the same effort into infiltrating the Libertarian Party on behalf of Sen. Paul. Winger says Paul probably would need to signal to Libertarians that he supports key party priorities. He recalls former Republican Rep. Bob Barr of Georgia, the party’s 2008 nominee, successfully doing so when he apologized authoring the Defense of Marriage Act and voting for the Patriot Act. The Republican primary season may make that difficult, Already, Paul has taken positions that some Libertarians consider heresy, such as saying he would vote in favor of bombing the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq. Barr, citing his experience winning the Libertarian nomination, advises Paul supporters to “work quietly within the Libertarian Party to identify real-world libertarians” who would rather boost the libertarian-leaning Republican than nominate an ideologically pure candidate. Barr says Paul clearly needs to focus on the Republican nomination and offers a word of caution to fans seeking to pull off a Libertarian win: “If you come out too early, too strong as Libertarians with a capital ‘L’ for Sen. Paul, you can actually wind up hurting his effort to win the Republican nomination.” Winger, the ballot access expert, says if Paul wins both party nominations, his name would appear twice on ballots in Connecticut, New York and South Carolina. In states including California, New Hampshire, Ohio and Pennsylvania both party names would appear under his name. Florida and Texas ballots would not show the Libertarian party name. The possibility of Paul winning the Libertarian nomination, of course, doesn’t merely depend on the enthusiasm of his supporters or if his positions are close enough to party dogma. It also depends on who else is interested in the nomination. The party’s 2012 nominee, former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, is busy running a marijuana company he hopes to build into an industry leader, but may enter the race. [RELATED: Former Governor Looks to Build the 'Microsoft of Marijuana'] Johnson, a former Republican, says he’d like to seek the Libertarian nomination again - though he’s not firmly committed to doing so - and says Libertarians should not nominate Paul. “If that happened it would be really anti-libertarian,” he says, describing Paul’s positions on immigration, abortion, drug policy, same-sex marriage and military interventions abroad as insufficiently in line with the Libertarian Party. “I doubt that would occur, but if it did occur that would be Libertarians saying those issues are not important, when they really are,” Johnson says. “Outside of those five issues I think Rand Paul does a pretty darn good job.” Johnson expects the 2016 Libertarian candidate to perform about as well as he did in 2012, when he pulled nearly 1.3 million votes, regardless of whether Paul is the Republican nominee. [READ: Rand Paul Upsets Pot Activists by Saying the Drug Is 'Not Healthy'] Third-party candidates are sometimes blamed for major-party losses, such as in 2000, when Green Party candidate Ralph Nader was accused of siphoning enough votes from Democrat Al Gore to cause Gore's loss in Florida and with it the entire presidential election. In recent elections, Libertarian presidential candidates at a minimum pull several hundred thousand votes. Johnson says if he’s the Libertarian candidate he’d be unfazed about possibly spoiling the race for Paul. “Being a spoiler is not a bad thing, being a spoiler suggests you are saying something differently,” he says. Sarwark, the party chairman, acknowledges the senator’s appeal but notes Paul has angered some members by campaigning against Libertarian candidates. Party bylaws may require Paul to indicate he would accept the nomination, he says. “He does take more libertarian positions than many Republicans, to his credit," Sarwark says, "but he also shows more deference to the [Republican National Committee] than his father." Poster Comment: If the GOP nominates Jeb Bush, then Rand can just continue on to the White House as the first Libertarian president.
Members of the large third party brace for a fight.
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#1. To: hondo68 (#0)
If the GOP nominates Jeb Bush, then Rand can just continue on to the White House as the first Libertarian president. Interesting perspective.... Rand Paul is not much of a Libertarian.... and let's be honest....Libertarians would never vote for a republican...and are about .02% of the voting public. In the mean time... the dwindling old, angry, white rank and file gopers will line up and vote for another member of the worst political family in US history... and deliver 28% of the vote..... While the remaining minority tea-party, Stormfront, Westboro Baptist, wing will stay home and pout or cast a meaningless vote for a duck dynasty / honey boo boo candidate.... Even Mittens couldn't attract enough independent voters during a societal melt-down to prevent President Obama from being re-elected..... IMHO - regardless of what happens in the 2014 mid-terms... Whomever the DEMS run in 2016 will win decisively..... JMHO - No Proof available... but....C'mon Rand Paul? Jeb Bush??? I'll be voting for Warren Buffet, or Paul Krugman, or Stephen Colbert, or Howard Stern!
Stormfront, Westboro Baptist, wing will stay home and pout or cast a meaningless vote for a duck dynasty / honey boo boo ...are about .02% of the voting public. Aqua Buddha would disagree. Compared to the LP's last candidate Bob Barr, he's a gem. Generalisimo Hitlery has the Arkansas cracka (Stormfront, Westboro Baptist, wing a duck dynasty / honey boo boo) vote sewn up, all .02% of it! She's the DEM version of Mike Hucksterbee.
I'm not a fan of the Huckster. But he isn't a version of her. You should change your line to they are pretty much the same on global issues but on domestic issues they are very different. You can't deny that can you?
#4. To: A K A Stone, *Extended Clip Progressives* (#3)
They're both authoritarian anti-liberty control freaks, who want a nanny/police state.
Top • Page Up • Full Thread • Page Down • Bottom/LatestLibertarians May Co-Nominate Rand Paul in 2016
#2. To: Jameson, Hillary neocon from hell, *Neo-Lib Chickenhawk Wars* (#1)
Rand Paul is not much of a Libertarian....
Neocon Witch of the Ozarks
#3. To: hondo68 (#2)
She's the DEM version of Mike Hucksterbee.
Replies to Comment # 3. but on domestic issues they are very different.
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