Third Party Watch

Reform Party USA, not to be confused with the Reform Party of the United States of America, will be holding a national convention in Sacramento this upcoming Saturday and Sunday. From the Reform Party USA website:

RPUSA CONVENTION DELEGATES, NATIONAL COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND STATE PARTY LEADERS AND MEMBERS AND FRIENDS:

CALL TO 2007 RPUSA NATIONAL CONVENTION

Please [...]

I just received an e-mail from Libertarian Party founder David Nolan. He’s pushing a new caucus within the LP to return their platform to the condition it was in before the 2006 convention in Portland, Oregon. Reason’s Brian Doherty called this convention the “Portland Plank Massacre.” Here’s how he described it:

What happened [...]

According to the Constitution Party, Americans can scratch a secure border off their collective Christmas list. They state that the “surreptitious” and “late night” passage of H.R.2764 “guts plans to build substantial barriers along the U.S.- Mexico border.”

“Congressional representatives defied constituents who have said time and again they want the illegal influx to stop. Increased [...]

Most know me as an opinionated blogger—supporting Wayne Allyn Root, co-hosting Libertarian Politics Live!, etc.—but what many of you might not know is that I’m a former newspaper reporter; however, I’ve re-landed at my previous employer—The Ellis County Press (south of Dallas). It’s an independent paper, so we report on all of the political goings-on [...]

Texas Libertarians in Dallas County need to brace for a potentially press-friendly atmosphere: state Rep. Terri Hodge, D-Dallas, was indicted earlier this year on federal corruption charges stemming from a developer’s housing credits scheme (read: bribery), but the good thing about it is, if Hodge doesn’t get removed from office or draw a primary challenger, [...]

Monica Hesse of the Washington Post wrote an interesting, albeit occasionally misleading, article about Reason’s somewhat infamous regular parties in the District.

Four minutes into Reason magazine’s monthly bash at the Big Hunt lounge, and every Libertarian-as-Bacchus fantasy you’ve entertained plays out before your widening eyes.

To begin, Hesse covered one angle which might be missed by [...]

The Libertarian Party of Texas has fielded a challenger in the 10th Congressional District (incumbent: Mike McCaul, R-Austin), the same district that 2004 LP presidential nominee Michael Badnarik aimed for last year.

Badnarik’s campaign raised more than $400,000 and finished with 4% of the vote. For now, there are no public polling projections for what Matt [...]

From today’s electronic masthead: Volume V, Issue #1,307 Sunday, December 23rd, 2007

Edited by Thomas Knapp, Rational Review is a daily news digest which covers both news and commentary of interest to members of the libertarian community. As someone who used to work at the Pentagon, I’ve considered it an Early Bird for freedom [...]

The Green Party has responded to protests in New Orleans over opposition to the New Orleans City Council’s vote to demolish “low-income public housing.” According to CNN, the “City Council voted unanimously to greenlight the demolition of the city’s four largest public housing developments, saying they are too damaged by Hurricane Katrina to allow [...]

GOP presidential hopeful Ron Paul was interviewed by Tim Russert on Meet the Press this morning. Here is Paul (from this transcript, YouTubes are here) on the Republican Party and a possible independent or third party run.

MR. RUSSERT: You’re running as a Republican. In your—on your Web site, in your brochures, [...]

Using his familiar war cry of “Freedom’s the Answer, … What’s the Question,” Ernest “Ernie” Hancock has jumped into the race for Chair of the Libertarian National Committee. He texted me earlier today requesting that I change the URL on this chart of candidates for positions on the LNC. When I checked out [...]

Over at CounterPunch, Ralph Nader is challenging President Bush’s brand of “compassionate conservatism,” stating that “Bush sleeps in a warm White House” while “many impoverished American families are shivering in the winter cold for lack of money…”

“Some day, the tens of millions of poor people in America, most of them working poor, will be heard [...]

Here’s some rather unfortunate news relating to Dennis Kucinich:

Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich’s youngest brother was found dead at his home in Cleveland Wednesday, the Associated Press has reported.

Perry Kucinich, 52, was found face down by another brother, Larry, at about 9 a.m., a spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office told the wire service [...]

According to this source, former Alaskan U.S. Senator and current contender for the Democratic nomination Mike Gravel may be considering an independent or third party campaign.

The Rev. Robert A. Vinciguerra writes:

“Hold out your hand, take your thumb and connect it to your little finger. What do you get,” Gravel asked his on looking audience. “A [...]

The Ron Paul campaign provided a rather unique response to the $500 campaign donation from an alleged white supremacist:

By keeping a white supremacist’s $500 contribution, Republican presidential candidate Rep. Ron Paul will be taking that money away from someone with “small ideologies” and using it to “spread the message of freedom,” Paul campaign spokesman [...]

I learned about a new Green-friendly 527 organization while visiting over at green commons. Green Change is organized as a Section 527 organization for “the purpose of influencing or attempting to influence the selection, nomination, election and appointment of individuals to federal, state and local public offices and offices in political organizations.”

Here’s how they [...]

Bill Redpath will be seeking his second term as Chair of the Libertarian National Committee. From an e-mail sent to members of the national committee:
Dear Colleagues:

I have decided that I will seek reelection as Chair of the Libertarian National Committee at the upcoming convention in Denver.

If I don’t speak with you within the next [...]

As there is no central clearinghouse to keep track of the various races for seats on the Libertarian National Committee, I’ll try to keep this page as up-to-date as possible. If you have any corrections, leads, links, or additional information which would be helpful in maintaining this list, please leave a comment in the [...]

Wayne Allyn Root’s Libertarian Party presidential campaign has received the endorsement of the the party’s first presidential candidate, John Hospers.

“Wayne Allyn Root has stated clearly and forcefully the principles of limited government, particularly what government should stay out of and why. He is the perfect Libertarian candidate- fiscally conservative, socially tolerant, strong on national defense, [...]

Constitution Party of Arkansas state chairman, Tom Mayfield, announced today, that he was notified by Arkansas Secretary of States office that the Constitution Party has qualified to place its nominees for President and Vice-President on the ballot in Arkansas in 2008!

Congratulations to Tom Mayfield, who spearheaded the organization of a new affiliate party in Arkansas [...]

As I wait to write my first exclusive post for thirdpartywatch over the holiday weekend, I figured it would be a good idea to give everyone a taste by republishing an article from the Michigan Socialist that I wrote.

Socialist Party USA Picks its Presidential Ticket for 2008
by Stephen Tash
The Michigan Socialist
Socialist Party members from across [...]

The beauty and brains behind a Libertarian Party-themed calendar featuring the party’s more attractive members is now a spokeswoman for Ron Paul’s GOP presidential campaign.

That’s if this is the same Mills – whom I met in San Antonio in 2004 – from North Carolina, who was also a candidate for U.S. Congress.

The national conservative press [...]

The Republican Liberty Caucus of Texas sent operatives to CD-14 several years ago to persuade the LP candidate to drop out of the race. Flynn is a moron, plain and simple (that’s my personal opinion only).

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Libertarian Files Challenge for Ron Paul’s Congressional Seat

Austin – December 20, 2007 – Libertarian Eugene J. Flynn [...]

Richard Cowan is now acting as the campaign manager for Libertarian Party presidential hopeful Steve Kubby. Quote:

Steve Kubby has asked me to become his campaign manager for his bid for the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination, and for the Presidency. I have accepted because I am determined to put marijuana prohibition and the drug war [...]

“I want to emphasize, we do not represent the collaborators, the Vichy Indians and those tribal governments set up by the United States of America to ensure our poverty, to ensure the theft of our land and resources,” former Libertarian Party presidential hopeful Russell Means recently said.

Reason’s Jesse Walker points out that nearly everyone in [...]