US Presidential Contenders

[Buster's Uncle]

Ah.  I thought I'd add a picture, and to little surprise, it's been done:

It embiggens.

[Unorthodox]

I seriously need that for my yard...

[Rusty Edge]

So is the email stuff going to be enough to push Sanders in?

I wish.

An FBI indictment would, but who knows if and when on that. I'll stand by an earlier opinion/generalization that as a lawyer, Hillary regularly colors outside of the lines, but she knows how much she can do it and get away with it, not going much beyond what others have frequently gotten away with. Reprimand territory.


It might change some minds in the CA primary, where the late deciders are still in play.

[Rusty Edge]

Vote Kang - Kodos '96

[Rusty Edge]

Apparently [Sleezebag] is backing away from a Sanders debate. The way I figure it, even if [Sleezebag] loses, it only makes the case that Bernie, not Shillary should be Democratic nominee, sowing grief amongst his opposition.  But I don't want [Sleezebag] to become POTUS, so I probably don't have his best interests at heart. I was rather looking forward to a 2 hour bash Hillary fest.

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http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/27/politics/libertarian-party-convention/

Libertarian Party set to pick nominee at convention
By Eli Watkins, CNN


Updated 6:02 AM ET, Fri May 27, 2016

CNN-
They get the bronze medal every four years in what is really a two-person race.

That's what it must feel like to be a third-party candidate in a two-party country.

But between Donald [Sleezebag]'s abrupt takeover of the GOP and Bernie Sanders' climb from long-shot Democratic candidacy to head of a national progressive movement, 2016 has been a year for party outsiders. And Libertarians hope that could give them an opening.

What gives them hope?

The likely Democratic and Republican nominees each have historically high unfavorable numbers.

So it is with an air of opportunity to break out of obscurity that Libertarians, the country's most prominent third party, head to their national convention in Orlando, Florida this weekend to officially pick a candidate to pitch to angry voters.

Many expect former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian presidential nominee in 2012, to leave Orlando Sunday evening once again his party's standard-bearer.

Since last week, Johnson has made the rounds touting his newly-minted alliance with former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld, who is seeking the party's vice presidential nomination. The two former governors, who both also happen to be ex-Republicans, are fielding a ticket of sorts, although the Libertarians elect their nominees separately and no formal ticket will exist at the convention until the party selects its presidential and vice presidential nominees.

Johnson and Weld each face significant opposition within their party, however, and their success is not an outright guarantee.

Weld will have to overcome meaningful differences between his demonstrated policy preferences, particularly past support for gun control measures, and his willingness to support Republican politicians. Just this year, the colorful former governor endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich for president -- a significant transgression in a party that espouses liberal social positions and conservative economic ones.

Weld has made headlines since his entry into the race for comparing [Sleezebag]'s proposal to deport all undocumented immigrants to Kristallnacht, a 1938 pogrom remembered to this day for brutality against the Jewish people in the lead up to WWII. For his part, Johnson has said he "absolutely" stands by the bold comparison.

Johnson, meanwhile, has several serious challengers gunning for the top spot on the third-party ticket.

Among them is Austin Petersen, a young, hardcore party advocate with strong backing in Libertarian Internet circles. He recently announced the endorsement of Mary Matalin, a prominent former Republican who joined the Libertarian Party after [Sleezebag]'s ascension in the GOP, and received the endorsement of Erick Erickson, among the most vocal anti-[Sleezebag] conservatives, on Wednesday morning.

However, in a party that generally swings liberal on social issues, Petersen is unabashedly anti-abortion. He is also 35 years old.

Also expected to post significant support is notorious entrepreneur John McAfee, a man who has forged an international identity after becoming a pioneer in the field of cybersecurity. Last fall, McAfee launched a presidential bid under the banner of his newly formed political organization, the Cyber Party. As the fall continued, McAfee declared his intention to seek the nomination of the Libertarian Party.

Building off of his name, his intense personality and his sweeping command of Libertarian sweet-spots, McAfee has made a serious bid for the top-of-the-ticket.

Although McAfee has little history with the party and no experience governing, his controversies -- including going into hiding following the shooting death of a businessman near his island compound in Belize -- and lack of political experience may actually make up for it. In an election cycle dominated by a brash billionaire and reality TV star, McAfee's libidinous, shadowy, drug-fueled history and cavalier demeanor occasionally might not hurt much in a party built on opposing government control.

John McAfee still thinks 'this is the year of the third party'

The primary has become somewhat contentious and McAfee has repeatedly said that he will not support Johnson if the former New Mexico becomes the nominee.


The Libertarian nominee will appear in ballots in 50 states, but...

Of course, securing the nomination is only one step -- and an extremely easy one, relatively speaking -- on the path to a Libertarian presidency.

The eventual nominee, whoever it is, will have to compete in the general election, where the odds of victory for the Libertarian Party stand at roughly zero.

As the Libertarian nominee in 2012, Johnson netted .99% of the popular vote, a figure that stands as the party's second strongest showing ever. He fared worse in the Electoral College, translating his support in the popular vote to a total of zero electoral votes.

If that performance repeats itself in the 2016 general election, it will mark the 12th cycle in a row where no third party has earned a single vote in the Electoral College.

Compared to other years and other third parties however, the Libertarians have plenty to feel good about. The Libertarian Party has navigated the multitude of onerous requirements for ballot access in all 50 states, a task unaccomplished by any other third party.

Put more simply, the Libertarian nominee will be the only name outside of the mainstream choices on the presidential ballot in all 50 states on November 8.


On the ballot, but not the debate stage

Johnson, echoing many other third-party candidates, regularly stresses the Libertarian Party's need to join the presidential debates. Inclusion in the presidential debates requires strong poll performance, which of course, requires inclusion in the polls themselves.

There is some reason to expect the Libertarian Party might outperform expectations should its nominee become a regular point in poll surveys this year. A recent national poll showed Johnson receiving 10 percent support among registered voters.

From the "Never [Sleezebag]" crowd to the nascent "Bernie or bust" movement, the eventual Libertarian nominee might have room to grow a base and shakeup the already volatile presidential race.


----------------------

So Mary Matalin has endorsed Petersen. Well, Petersen is probably the purest Libertarian among those three frontrunners. He's a media guy, and pretty articulate. The trouble as I see it is 1) I don't think he's qualified to run the federal government, and 2) his experience was gained at FOX News, although he has since formed his own media company. Perhaps he was disillusioned with FOX and that's why he left, OR maybe he learned some lessons and thought to apply them to a different political party and make himself rich. 3) He's only 35 years old. Not wise enough for the toughest job in the world, if you ask me.

It think a qualified outsider should do better with alienated voters than an unqualified one.

[Buster's Uncle]

Sounds like she did it all for Petersen - I guess the money's green, and she only has to make a good showing and not worry about winning; sweet gig when you look at it that way.

Maybe hitch to a young guy and groom, groom, groom - the smart play when he loses would be to find a state he could be governor of, not make the Perot mistake...

[Rusty Edge]

Okay, I guess Petersen was a producer for  FOX Business.

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http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/watch-libertarian-convention/story?id=39423394

While Donald [Sleezebag] indulges in fries and a big Mac to celebrate beating 16 Republican candidates and effectively winning his party’s nomination, another party is huddling to plan a new threat.

Over Memorial Day weekend, the Libertarian Party will be holding its convention in Orlando to put forth its presidential and vice presidential candidates. The party has largely been ignored in previous cycles, but party leaders are hoping that this year might be different.

Libertarians are trying to appeal to voters disenchanted with the prospect of a [Sleezebag] or Hillary Clinton presidency. The party is banking on the fact that [Sleezebag] and Clinton have the highest unfavorability ratings of any candidate -- on either side of the aisle -- in recent history.

“We are seeing record interest in the party,” the national Libertarian Party’s political director, Carla Howell, recently told Politico Magazine. “Membership has spiked; it has gone up about 30 percent in the last few months. We’re also seeing record media interest."

What is the Libertarian Party?
"Libertarian” is defined as “a person who upholds the principles of individual liberty especially of thought and action," according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary.

The Libertarian Party tends to be fiscally conservative and socially liberal. It vehemently opposes any government intervention in citizens’ private and business decisions (the party’s current front-runner, for instance, supports abortion rights and legalizing drugs).

“Essentially, we believe all Americans should be free to live their lives and pursue their interests as they see fit as long as they do no harm to another. In a nutshell, we are advocates for a smaller government, lower taxes and more freedom,” the party says on its website.

The Orlando convention will be themed “Legalize Freedom.”

The party was first formed 45 years ago. Prominent Libertarians include Rand Paul and his father Ron Paul, who both ran as Republican presidential candidates, as well as David Koch, the billionaire political activist (Koch ran as Libertarian vice president in 1980)

How Have They Done In The Past?
In 2012, Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson earned almost 1.3 million votes – the most votes a Libertarian nominee has ever garnered. Still, it only amounted for 0.99 percent of the total popular vote, and the party was far from winning any electoral votes.

The party reached more than 1 percent of the popular vote just once in its history when Ed Clark headlined the Libertarian ticket in 1980.

Alaska has been the best state for Libertarians in the past, according to an analysis from the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics. Libertarians also average over 1 percent of support in Montana, Arizona and Wyoming.


Could They Do Better This Year?
Some Libertarians hope that this could be a breakthrough year for the party, usually reduced to a footnote in the overarching narrative of the general election.

Libertarians want their eventual nominee to receive at least 15 percent support in national polls so that he or she can debate the presumptive GOP and Democratic nominees.

A Fox News poll in mid-May shows Johnson garnering 10 percent support in a race against [Sleezebag] and Clinton. A Monmouth poll in March showed Johnson hitting 11 percent support.

That might be enough for the Libertarian Party to become a spoiler.

The party has also been working hard to ensure its candidate is listed on every state’s ballot — so far, the party has made it to 32 states and is confident it can reach its goal.

Who’s Running For Their Nomination?
There are a total of 12 candidates running to win the Libertarian Party’s nomination.

Former two-term New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson is currently expected to clinch the nomination (Johnson was also the nominee in 2012).

Other viable candidates include millionaire software entrepreneur John McAfee, who fled Belize after he was cited as a “person of interest” in the murder of his neighbor, and Austin Peterson, former Fox Business producer and Libertarian activist.

Johnson recently announced he would want former Republican Massachusetts Gov. William Weld as his vice president. Weld might help make a Libertarian ticket more attractive to Democrats — in 1997, Bill Clinton nominated him as ambassador to Mexico (the nomination was eventually blocked). He also wound up supporting President Obama in 2008, though he has since said he regretted it.

Weld has been very outspoken in his criticism of [Sleezebag].

“I can hear the glass crunching on Kristallnacht in the ghettos of Warsaw and Vienna when I hear that, honest,” he told The New York Times, blasting [Sleezebag]’s policy to round up and deport undocumented immigrants.

The party's convention will feature a vice presidential and presidential debate. Presidential candidates have already debated each other three times.

Party operatives have shot down speculation that a dark horse candidate like Mitt Romney might try to win the party’s nomination. It is possible, but highly unlikely, they’ve said.


----------------------------------

Romney suggested the Constitutionalist Party, which is basically a party of Cruz style Theocons.
Ban abortion, gay marriage, and get closer to Israel in order to get closer to God is their agenda.

[Rusty Edge]

It's no Nuremburg, but it's a start!

-attempting-book-cleveland-browns-stadium-nomination-acceptance-speech/]http://www.redstate.com/leon_h_wolf/2016/05/28/[Sleezebag]-attempting-book-cleveland-browns-stadium-nomination-acceptance-speech/

[[Sleezebag] Attempting to Book Cleveland Browns’ Stadium for Nomination Acceptance Speech
By: Leon H. Wolf (Diary)  |  May 28th, 2016 at 01:00 PM

Well, here’s yet another thing that many people criticized Obama for doing but will doubtless call [Sleezebag] a genius for doing the exact same thing. [Sleezebag] feels that his acceptance speech for the nomination should be a much bigger deal than a typical convention hall speech. So he is going to try to book the Cleveland Browns’ stadium for his speech.

Donald [Sleezebag]’s campaign is considering booking one of Cleveland’s big sports venues for his acceptance speech in July, two GOP sources familiar with the planning of the upcoming GOP convention say.

The sources said First Energy Stadium, home of the Cleveland Browns, and Progressive Field, home of the city’s Indians baseball team, are the two sights under consideration for [Sleezebag]’s acceptance speech on the final night of the convention.

One of the sources said the campaign is closing in on signing a contract for use of one of the two venues, with the football stadium currently the favorite for [Sleezebag]’s speech.

Beyond the similarities between the [Sleezebag] campaign and the plight of Cleveland’s sports teams, even CNN was forced to note that [Sleezebag]’s first endorser once mocked Barack Obama for doing exactly the same thing:


Then-Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin mocked the Greek columns placed behind Obama during the speech as a sign of the Democratic contender’s celebrity candidacy.

“When the cloud of rhetoric has passed, when the roar of the crowd fades away, when the stadium lights go out and those styrofoam Greek columns are hauled back to some studio lot, what exactly is our opponent’s plan?” Palin, a key [Sleezebag] surrogate, said at her convention speech in 2008.

One of the things this election has nicely illustrated is that some people’s critical thought processes never bother to go a single step farther than “Republican good, Democrat bad.”

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Meanwhile, while Gary Johnson may be the Frontrunner at the Libertarian Convention, attendees are not thrilled with his announcement of former gov. Wm Weld as a running mate. 1) He once pledged to continue his campaign for gov. of NY as a Libertarian whether or not he also got the GOP nomination. The GOP asked him to drop out, and he did. What was the issue? It would have established The Libertarians as a party in NY, making it much easier for them to field candidates candidates for all offices. So he's seen as an opportunistic politician and a traitor. 2) The convention is supposed to decide the VP.

[Rusty Edge]

If not Wm. Weld as VP for the Libertarian Party, then who?
Alicia Dearn is a prominent contender. I will only post the introduction here and first question here, because it's a long article.

http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/get-to-know-alicia-dearn-vp-candidate-for-the-libertarian-party/
Get to Know Alicia Dearn, A Vice Presidential Candidate for the Libertarian Party
By Avens O’Brien

I had an opportunity this month to talk to Alicia Dearn about her candidacy to be the Vice Presidential nominee for the Libertarian Party. She is one of several candidates running for the spot on the LP ticket, and one of just a couple not specifically attached to a presidential candidate. I was interested in speaking to her to get her perspective on the race, Libertarianism, and why she thinks she’d be a good VP choice for any of the party’s contenders.

You can view her performance in a recent VP debate at the bottom of this piece.

Alicia Dearn is a 37 year old entrepreneur from Missouri, who has been interested in Libertarianism since high school, and registered Libertarian at the age of 18, but she became active in the party in 2012 after a collection of life experiences led her to really want to promote Libertarianism.

By 2012, she’d already been a successful trial lawyer, a successful (“and a failed” – her words) entrepreneur, a world traveler, the spouse of an immigrant, a government employee, a victim of the banking collapse, and a military veteran and military wife. But in 2011 she was hit with a serious illness, experiencing the “healthcare nightmare” in person, and forming strong oppositional opinions in regards to Obamacare.

At that point, in December of 2011, she realized she wanted to do something to promote Libertarianism, something she describes as “the best and only moral answer to worsening economic conditions”. She volunteered for Governor Gary Johnson’s campaign, starting as Missouri State Director, was promoted to Midwest Regional Director, and finally was promoted to General Counsel.

In her roles with the campaign (particularly as General Counsel), she fought for ballot access and debate equality. It illuminated the corruption of the two party system.


“Now the Libertarian party isn’t just my party of choice. It is the only choice. I would rather not vote than vote non-Libertarian.” – Alicia Dearn

She decided to run as a Vice Presidential candidate because she feels she can add something to a Libertarian ticket, accompanying any of the presidential contenders with added diversity: not just as a woman, but as a lawyer, as someone deeply connected the military, and experienced with small businesses. She’s a good communicator of Libertarian values and solutions to the general public.

Here’s our interview:

AO: I’ve already run through your qualifications, but just personally, why run for Vice President?

AD: I’m not running for VP because I have a burning “will to power.” Rather, I care about what is best for the ticket, the party, and, ultimately, the country. What is best for all three is someone who can present well to the public, promote our policies, recruit to the party, and, articulate the real world impact of a massive Federal government. People are hurting. Liberty is the answer.


Read more: http://thelibertarianrepublic.com/get-to-know-alicia-dearn-vp-candidate-for-the-libertarian-party/#ixzz49zBjlqeO
Follow us: @TheLibRepublic on Twitter

[Rusty Edge]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gary-johnson-wins-libertarian-nomination-president/story?id=39462969

OOps! posted too soon, Details to follow.

[Buster's Uncle]

What's the story with Wiggy, BTW, if anyone knows?  I get the joke with the grumpy rage stylings, but he's a DL or something, and I sense there's a key common-knowledge fact I'm not privy to...

[Rusty Edge]

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/gary-johnson-wins-libertarian-nomination-president/story?id=39462969

Gary Johnson Wins Libertarian Nomination for President
By RYAN STRUYK and INES DE LA CUETARA

 ORLANDO, Fla. — May 29, 2016, 1:03 PM ET

Former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson has won the Libertarian nomination for president.

Hoping to emerge as a viable contender against the two major parties' nominees in the general election, Johnson says he aims to tap into voters' broad reluctance to fall in line behind Donald [Sleezebag] and Hillary Clinton.

But Johnson needed to fend off challengers from more extreme wings of his party, originally falling five votes short of winning the 463 delegates needed for the nomination on the first ballot at the party's national convention. Delegates voted a second time, giving Johnson the majority he needed (55.8 percent).

Johnson defeated five hopefuls to secure his place on top of the Libertarian ticket, which will likely be the only third party on the ballot in all 50 states.

Delegates have yet to vote on Johnson's hand-picked vice presidential pick, former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld. Many Libertarians here are wary of Weld, who joined the party less than two weeks ago and endorsed Ohio Gov. John Kasich in the Republican primary earlier this election cycle.

Unlike the primary and caucus system used by the Republican and Democratic parties, Libertarian presidential candidates have spent much of the past week debating and wooing delegates, who were free to vote for whomever they choose at the party's national convention.

The Libertarian Party faces an uphill climb to become viable in the general election. A recent Fox News poll shows Johnson at 10 percent in a race against [Sleezebag] and Clinton, although polling tends to overstate the support of third party candidates.

Johnson was also the party's nominee in 2012, when he received 1 percent of the popular vote and became the first Libertarian presidential candidate to receive more than 1 million votes.

[Rusty Edge]

I don't know. It was like you were speaking another language.

Google tells me that Wiglaf is a character from Beowulf ( which I haven't read since 1975, and I'm bad with names). It also references him as a force of creative destruction. There's a Wiglaf Journal about creative destruction.

Whether that's intended as a slam on Johnson or praise, I don't know.

Reading convention news, Johnson isn't pure enough for all of the delegates. They don't think he can stand up to [Sleezebag], they are mad about Weld, and they don't think he's been a good enough spokesperson.


But, they did choose Johnson over Austin Petersen, ( the guy formerly with FOX, who Matalin endorsed ) so that means they may be more practical than idealistic after all. After all, as a two term governor, Johnson has more experience than [Sleezebag] and Hillary put together. He's somebody that people might actually vote for, or at least use him to vote against both [Sleezebag] and Hillary at the same time, as my wife probably will.

Back to my reading.  They choose the VP tomorrow. Johnson wants Weld, because he has contacts and is a good fundraiser, and Johnson thinks that sucks. Johnson admires Weld, because they are both fiscal conservatives, and Weld championed gay rights before the Democrats did. He also has more foreign policy experience.  It would also make the ticket 2 two-term Republican Governors of Blue states, one western, one eastern.

On the other hand anything can happen. There's a sizable Never Weld faction, because he's seen as a carpetbagger rather than a true Libertarian. They might go with a woman, a black, or a Jew, or maybe one of the runner-ups for President.

[Buster's Uncle]

I didn't slap that bumper sticker together on the spot - just a generic-sounding name for running mate as part of the joke.  -Wiglaf is hard to explain - he posts rants about games, mostly, at Poly, heaping abuse on whomever -sometimes I get the jokes, sometimes I haven't been around long enough to get, sometimes the jokes are actually funny.  You kinda have to have been there.

[Rusty Edge]

Oh, Mark Allan Feldman is a Jewish Doctor who ran against Johnson. His method of getting his points across is to rap, actually Johnson asked that he be included in last night's final debate. Maybe he was trying to lighten things up-

"Libertarians are fresh and dope.
We don't care who you marry, what you carry, or what you smoke.
So give a Libertarian your vote."

Or maybe Johnson was just trying to distract from the screwball questions they asked, that seemed to be openings to express philosophical purity, or a chance to demonstrate foolishness, like "should there be driver's licenses?"  That's my biggest issue with the convention. They know they are drawing unprecedented attention. They could have submitted questions that sounded more serious and relevant whether than 'Would you have supported WWI, WWII, The Civil Rights Act?"

A more interesting question, which came up in one of the VP debates was something like "Who did more harm to Liberty, George W. Bush, or Barrack Obama?" I guess personally I'd come down against Iraq II, Patriot Act , War on Terrer, Homeland Dept, Gitmo, and fiscal irresponsibility vs, double the national debt, drone killings, Affordable Care, executive orders, budgetless operation, and Gitmo......but I could be wrong.