It's Not a Lottery, It's an Election

Have you noticed that the presidential candidates spend a lot more time of late talking about winning in polls than they do about issues? Do they think we vote based on who's going to win? I believe that's exactly what they think, and they may be right. The experts know they can surge turnout or stifle it if they can manipulate perceptions about winning or losing. So voters go to the polls as if the goal is to vote for the winner instead of to vote for the candidate who best represents their views. It's as if they vote like they're playing the lottery where the only goal is to guess the winning numbers.

I'm voting for the Libertarian Gary Johnson this year, because he best represents my values. It doesn't matter to me that I know he's going to lose. I think that the two major party candidates this year are the worst two choices I've seen in my lifetime. If you like them, you should vote for them. If you feel as I do, you should not. If you continue to vote for candidates who don't represent your values, the major parties will continue to serve up candidates who don't represent your values. They'll market them as the lesser of two evils and convince you that a vote for an alternative candidate is somehow really a vote for the dumpster fire you dislike marginally more than their dumpster fire.

Don't like Johnson? Green Party candidate Jill Stein is on the Delaware ballot. If you're up for a little more effort, Evan McMullin the independent from Utah is a registered write-in candidate. Registered means that if you go to the trouble of writing in his name, it will actually get counted. Or you can skip the presidential line when you vote. That's a principled choice as well. Withholding your vote is as meaningful as casting it. The wasted vote is the one you cast for the candidate who doesn't represent your values.

John Quincy Adams wrote,

“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.”

Trump is Going Down, and He's Taking You All With Him

It has just occurred to me that for the first time since I joined the Libertarian Party in 2010, my political cause is not the most forlorn, tilting at windmills cause in the country.

This year, we have the Trump supporters who are so in denial about the impact of last Friday's video release that they are willing to go down with the ship that is the Donald J. Trump campaign. Not only that, but they're willing, and in some cases eager, to watch Donald destroy Republicans' chances of holding the Senate as well. That, of course, means the Supreme Court will also go swirling down the plughole.

Now I even hear some Democrats starting to whisper about the prospects that the House might be in play, especially with Trump's recent complaints about a betrayal by Paul Ryan and other Republicans. Trump supporters have decided they're OK with simply burning down their party if they can't have Donald in the White House. I suspect they will wake up on the morning of November 9th to discover that their own house has burned down with the rest of the neighborhood. Donald will feel vindicated by that result. To quote a line from The Game of Thrones, "He would see this country burn if he could be king of the ashes."

Meanwhile, Libertarians are expected to see our best year ever in terms of vote totals, and voter awareness. Just as the Republican party of Lincoln was born in the ashes of the failed Whig Party in the middle of the 19th century, the Libertarian Party today is poised to rise from the ashes of another faltering party that lost touch with its constituents.

#Let Gary Debate

Have you seen the news release from the League of Women Voters?

 League Refuses to "Help Perpetrate a Fraud" 

The second paragraph sums it up best: 

 "It has become clear to us that the candidates' organizations aim to add debates to their list of campaign-trail charades devoid of substance, spontaneity and honest answers to tough questions," Neuman said. "The League has no intention of becoming an accessory to the hoodwinking of the American public." 

Haven't seen this release?  I'm not surprised.  It's from October 3rd, 1988.  League President Nancy Neuman was responding to a sixteen page document submitted by the Bush and Dukakis campaigns representing their agreed upon conditions for participating in the next debate.  The League was informed the conditions were non negotiable.  The League said no, and never again sponsored a presidential debate. The last debate that year was sponsored by the newly formed Commission on Presidential Debates (CPD), whose co-chairmen were, coincidentally, the then chairmen of the Republican and Democratic National Committees.  The original Republican co chair is still there, though he is now a former RNC chairman. The new Democratic co chair is a former Bill Clinton press secretary. That odor you smell is what the CPD likes to refer to as non partisanship. Their purpose is to present the Republican and Democratic presidential candidates in the most favorable light, while excluding independent candidates by any means necessary. Their mission statement isn't worded quite that way, but that's the general idea.  

Twenty eight years later, not much has changed.   Last week the commission announced that it had sent debate invitations to the Republican and Democratic candidates for president and vice president.  The Libertarian candidates, Gary Johnson and Bill Weld were excluded.  This despite the Libertarian Party being the third largest party in the United States.  Despite them being on the ballot in all fifty states.  Despite their consistently polling around 10% in national polls and in the high teens in many individual state polls.  Despite the fact that, six former governors, numerous editorial boards and 62% of regular Americans wanted them in the debates.  And most importantly, despite the fact that Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are arguably the least appealing and most polarizing choices for president this country has ever known.

A large plurality of Americans would chew off their right foot to escape voting for one of these two candidates.  (The polling on this might have asked a somewhat subtler question, but you get my point.)  

The most recent Pew Research data puts the percentage of voters identifying as independent at 39% and growing, exceeding the numbers of both Republicans and Democrats.  The Republicans will be represented on the debate stage.  The Democrats will be represented on the debate stage.  Who will be representing those independents?  Nobody.  If there was ever a year for the Commission on Presidential Debates to offer more choices, this is it.  Thanks CPD.  Thanks for nothing!  It's time to bring back integrity and fairness to the debate process.  It's time to bring back the League of Women Voters. #LetGaryDebate.

It's Talk Like a Pirate Day

"When robbery is done in open daylight by sanction of the law, as it is done today, then any act of honor or restitution has to be hidden underground." -

 

Ragnar Danneskjold   (From Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand)

Now that's how you talk like a pirate!

Bill Weld Missed an Opportunity

Carl Bernstein

Bill Weld

In a response to some desperate speculation by Carl Bernstein that Bill Weld was preparing to withdraw as Gary Johnson's VP candidate, Governer Weld responded in a press release:

 "I strongly believe that our Libertarian ticket of two former two-term Governors, fiscally responsible and socially inclusive, is the best bet for America in this year’s election. Gary Johnson and I will campaign with all our strength to make that case to the American people from now until November 8th. Under no circumstances will our energies be diverted from our goal of winning the election and serving our country."

I think the Johnson/Weld campaign missed a great PR opportunity with this one. They should have taken a page out of Donald Trump's book. On Friday, Trump invited journalists to his new hotel in DC to honor Medal of Honor winners who were supporting him. The media had an understanding that Trump would be making a statement renouncing his birther position. Lots of media showed up, and apparently many networks carried the entire event live. Trump waited for the last two minutes of the event, made his thirty second declarative statement that the president was born in the United States, and walked away from the podium. The media got suckered into a half hour or so of free live airtime for Trump, and Trump captured the whole weekend news cycle. And to add insult to injury, he got to plug his new hotel.

Bill Weld should have announced to the media that he was calling a press conference to make a significant announcement in response to the speculation that he would be dropping out of the race. He should have further announced that Governor Johnson would NOT be present. Staff should be evasive, or act perplexed when asked by journalists the substance of the remarks. They should even sound a little worried or depressed when responding to questions. Maybe they could even stage the event outside of the DNC headquarters in Washington or Hillary headquarters in New York City, but that might a step too far.

Weld should show up, and then take a page out of James Comey's book. Remember, FBI director Comey spoke for twenty minutes about the results of the FBI's email investigation of Hillary Clinton and all the things Hillary had done wrong. It was covered live by the media and thousands of people like me listened attentively to every word to try to tease out the ultimate decision. Just as we were all convinced that the speech would end with Comey announcing his recommendation to prosecute, Comey does an about face Emily Litella like "Never Mind" moment and announces no charges will be recommended.

Weld should have done the same thing. He could have spent thirty minutes teaching America about everything Libertarianism has to offer. Every two minutes or so, he could change topics and lament the difficulties of running third party, how the Debate Commission rules obstruct access to the public, etc., etc. He could even pepper the speech with some fond memory of Hillary from the Watergate investigation days. (He knew her back then, and has expressed some admiration for her youthful enthusiasm or some such nonsense) Then back to why it's wonderful to be a libertarian, and what a libertarian administration could accomplish. Then back to the dark side again. How Trump would be a dark stain on American politics forever and ever Amen. The tone and structure of the speech should make it clear that he is giving up on a dream and is about to announce he's quitting.

He should then conclude with a review of the speculation that he was preparing to withdraw from the race. And just as everyone is anticipating that he is about to announce he's out, he changes up the whole thing. No way he's quitting. Most wonderful opportunity of his life. Win or lose, the proudest moment of his political career. Gary Johnson is the most honest, sincere, and transformative politician he has ever worked with. Carl Bernstein must the one taking too many tokes. Where could he possibly have come up with such an outrageous notion that Weld would quit? And where does he get off speaking so arrogantly and dismissively about Gary Johnson and all Libertarians? Is Bernstein actively shilling for the Hillary campaign? Are they really that desperate and conniving?
And this could have all happened on live TV. For days folks would be talking about Libertarians. Some might recognize the subtle deception in the set up for the event, but millions would be celebrating how those wily Libertarians, those Davids in a sea of Goliaths, had punked the media. Beat them at their own game. Used them as a tool to spread the message instead of an obstacle to access. And millions might just learn who the Libertarians are, and that they have another choice. A better choice.

I could write that speech. I would LOVE to write that speech. Maybe it's not too late. Governor Weld, are you listening? Message me. Let's talk.