Third Party Watch

Scott McLarty protests on OpEdNews.com that basically only one viewpoint on the Iraq war and the Wall Street bailout will be given to the American people in tonight’s presidential debate. He has an alternative proposal:

When the LWV [League of Women Voters] ceded authority over the debates in 1988, it called the growing Democratic-Republican domination [...]

The big debate on the Right: On Nolan Charts, Bradley Jansen takes issue with Cody Quirk’s endorsement of Chuck Baldwin (rather than Bob Barr) in these pages.

Andrew Davis, Director of Communications for the Libertarian Party, reports that the LP has produced its first radio ad and is “already committed to 2,000 spots per week over the next 29 days.” The ad centers on the Wall Street bailout, with the Libertarian position contrasted to the Democratic-Republican position.

Davis is asking for contributions [...]

Ballot Access News reports that “on October 6, Survey USA released a poll for the New Hampshire U.S. Senate race. It shows: Shaheen (Dem.) 48%, Sununu (Rep.) 40%, Blevens (Libt.) 7%, undecided 5%.”

Ballot Access News adds:

In the entire history of popular elections for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire, no independent or minor party candidate for [...]

Antiwar activist Cindy Sheehan reveals her plans for a new national party, to be called the First Party, in this digitaljournal.com interview. She also reflects on her race against House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Wall Street is on the ropes (or at least that’s the line when it’s getting taxpayers to bail it out), and Neil Cavuto of Fox News asks: “Does America need to dump capitalism for socialism?” Here is his “fair and balanced” interview with Socialist presidential candidate Brian Moore.

Teddy Fleck, the Libertarian candidate for Lieutenant Governor in Missouri, writes:

My name is Teddy Fleck. On September 12 I went to Columbia, Missouri to debate the other candidates for the office of Lt. Governor. The Missouri Press Association held the event and I was honored to be invited.

Though I never have debated on such a [...]

The New York Times profiles Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate Wayne Allyn Root as he returns to his home town of New York:

That’s where the resemblance ends….

The reporter, Thomas Vinciguerra, has [...]

Doug Mataconis reports that the Bob Barr Campaign has released a 30 second television ad highlighting Barr’s opposition to the bailout bill. “No word on when or where this ad might actually run,” he adds.

American Free Press notes that the financial meltdown has increased interest in eliminating the Federal Reserve—a key plank of former presidential candidate Ron Paul—on the Internet if not in Congress:

In the halls of Congress, legislators have yet to bring Paul’s bill to the floor. It is currently languishing in the House Committee on Financial Services.

However, [...]

Ballot Watch News reports that both the Libertarian Party and the Green Party have expanded the number of congressional candidates they are fielding this year. The Libertarian Party has 127 nominees on the ballot compared to 114 in 2006. The Green Party has jumped from 45 congressional candidates in 2006 to 58 this [...]

This was a long time coming.

Americans who are considering voting ‘Third-Party’ this election year has many choices for those of many different ideologies. However, I will address specifically, the candidates Bob Barr & Chuck Baldwin.

Bob Barr’s candidacy is nothing to scoff at, or even take lightly. A former GOP Congressman that made the switch not [...]

The following is a response to the October 2 vice presidential debate from Wayne Allyn Root, the Libertarian Party’s vice presidential candidate:

The Vice Presidential Debate from a Unique Perspective: A Vice Presidential Opponent
By Libertarian Vice Presidential Nominee Wayne Allyn Root

After watching the Vice Presidential debate tonight, I have several opinions to share. I have a [...]

Andrew Davis, Director of Communications for the Libertarian Party, scrutinizes the Wall Street bailout bill that has passed the Senate:

At first, it was but three pages.

Then, it grew to 42.

When it was voted on last night, the bill was the size of a novel.

A 451-page novel they most likely did not read before completing the [...]

William Niskanen is chairman of the Cato Institute, and served as chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers in the Reagan administration. Trying to figure out how third parties could have more political influence, he offers “A Case for a Different Libertarian Party”:

The effectiveness of the Libertarian Party and almost all other third parties [...]

Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr, interviewed by the Capitol Hill newspaper, The Hill, says he thinks there is at least one difference between John McCain and Barack Obama:

“I think McCain is a hypocrite,” Barr said of the Arizona senator. “He claims he is for smaller government and that’s not the case.”

Barr doesn’t think Democratic candidate [...]

Before last night’s vice presidential debate, the Los Angeles Times political blog, Top of the Ticket, predicted:

Well, we probably won’t get to know much about Wayne Root and Matt Gonzalez during tonight’s vice presidential debate in St. Louis. That’s because the vice presidential running mates of libertarian Bob Barr and contrarian Ralph Nader are prohibited.

Too [...]

The following is an article by Constitution Party presidential candidate Chuck Baldwin:

At the time of this writing, the U.S. House and Senate are poised to pass a $700 billion bailout to Wall Street. At the behest of President George W. Bush, the U.S. taxpayers are going to be on the hook for what can only [...]

Sean Scallon writes an interesting piece in The American Conservative asserting that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin once was a supporter of Pat Buchanan’s policies, but when he broke with the GOP to become the Reform Party candidate for President, she remained a Republican. He adds:

While remaining with the Republicans, Palin did have contact with [...]

The following is a media release from the Bob Barr presidential campaign:

October 1, 2008 11:21 pm EST

Atlanta, GA – “Sen. John McCain claims he can provide leadership, but he panicked in the face of cries that the sky is falling from Wall Street investors who made bad investments, and the taxpayers are going to pay [...]

The Chronicle, an independent daily at Duke University, finds that “Michael Munger, chair of the Duke political science department, is making waves and making history this year with his bid to become the governor of this state.” Last week, Munger became “the first-ever Libertarian candidate to participate in a televised gubernatorial debate in North [...]

The Charleston (SC) Post and Courier reports on Bob Barr’s speech before the Charleston Rotary Club:

Former U.S. Rep. Bob Barr said the current financial crisis has breathed life into his Libertarian bid for the presidency because many people think that party’s philosophy of less government and free markets is far superior to the $700 billion [...]

Reason.tv reports:

On Friday, September 26 at Reason Magazine’s Washington DC Headquarters, Libertarian Party presidential candidate Bob Barr participated in the presidential debates with a live studio audience. Around 200 people showed up for the ‘counter debate’ and 1000 watched online at www.mogulus.com/reason. It’s divided into two parts. Part One is the first 48 minutes of [...]

In the Raleigh (NC) News & Observer, Ryan Teague Beckwith writes that “Congressional Quarterly has downgraded John McCain’s chances here.” He discusses how recent polls suggest a very close race:

The most interesting poll result from the past week was a survey by Rasmussen Reports that showed Democrat Obama with a two-point lead over Republican [...]

Douglas E. Schoen, a pollster, writes in the Los Angeles Times that “the presidential election could well turn on a factor that has gotten virtually no discussion this year—the votes drawn by Libertarian Bob Barr, Green Cynthia McKinney and independent Ralph Nader.”

After demonstrating how their candidacies could make a difference in various states, Schoen asks: [...]