Crazy for Liberty

McCain gets slate as Paul's fans fume as posted in the AJC

Doug Craig — Sat, 17 May 2008 23:13:34 GMT

I welcome Ron Paul supporters to the Libertarian Party of Georgia. This should be your home. You are welcome here . You do not have to fight with us to see the light of freedom. I believe there is great people in the Georgia GOP but none of them at the state level stood up for you guys. If you want to have input for the presidential candidate selection process then call me. I am heading to Denver this week to help get Bob Barr get on the ballot. I have rented a 15 person van and I have about 3 seats available.I can be reached at 770-861-5855. Not all GOP candidates and members are bad. I know at the local level we have some great people working for change but at the national level it is time for them to wake up.

Georgia GOP

McCain gets slate as Paul's fans fume

By AARON Could SHEININ
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 05/18/08

COLUMBUS — Ron Paul's supporters made a lively, but unsuccessful, effort Saturday to derail the state Republican Party convention in protest of being shut out of delegate spots to the national convention.

But the vocal Paul backers were outnumbered among the several hundred delegates on the floor of the Columbus Civic Center, and party leaders succeeded in electing a slate of delegates who are united behind the presumptive presidential nominee, U.S. Sen. John McCain of Arizona.

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"This is a unity slate," Ben Fry, executive director of the state GOP, said after the fireworks had ended. "Georgia is an example of a party that stands together."

But many of those who supported Paul, the renegade Texas congressman who continues his bid for the nomination, said the state party is run by insiders, for insiders.

"They're all party cronies," Nathan Adams, a Fulton County alternate to the state convention, said of the list of people headed to the Republican National Convention in September in Minneapolis.

Conventioneers on Saturday elected 30 delegates and 30 alternates to the national convention. Thirty-nine other delegates were determined by the results of the Feb. 5 presidential primary, which was won by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. The state party chairwoman, the national committeeman and committeewoman are also delegates, giving Georgia a total of 72 spots.

A party nominating committee met Friday and Saturday to create the slate of delegate candidates for the consideration of the full convention.

The list that was presented Saturday included Republicans who originally supported candidates other than McCain, including Huckabee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani and former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee.

The list included supporters of "all the main, credible candidates," Fry said.

But the list did not include Paul supporters, even though the congressman from Texas finished fourth in the state primary, behind Huckabee, McCain and Romney, respectively. Paul received 3 percent of the vote, compared with 34 percent for Huckabee, 32 percent, McCain; and 30 percent, Romney.

Paul's 28,000 votes were more than those received by Giuliani or Thompson. And Paul's supporters tried to get their people on the list of delegates to Minneapolis. But party leaders presented the nominating committee's proposed list as an all-or-nothing proposition. The convention was to vote on the entire list as one, and not take individual votes on each of the 30 proposed delegates.

Paul's backers tried to block the vote, and failed. They tried to defeat the entire slate, and failed. Each time a voice vote was called, Paul's supporters made their voices heard. But their stentorian efforts belied their numbers. When convention Chairman Randy Evans declared the voice vote too close to decide, he called for a vote by standing or sitting. Paul's supporters were about 10 percent of the crowd.

Ultimately, Fry said, the party's focus must be on electing McCain president in November.

Paul has not abandoned his bid for the nomination, even though he cannot win, and he has refused to say whether he will endorse McCain. All this year's other Republican presidential candidates have announced their support of McCain.

And that's why their supporters were chosen to be delegates, Fry said.

"Those are the campaigns willing to come to the table and do what they can to elect John McCain," Fry said.

But the state convention should be about reflecting the will of the state, said Troy Casey of Stockbridge, a Paul supporter.

"They're going against the will of the people of Georgia," Casey said, because Huckabee won the state, not McCain. "They're deceiving the people of Georgia. This has been a travesty of the parliamentary process."

Before electing delegates, a steady stream of state Republican leaders spoke to the convention. Party Chairwoman Sue Everhart, who spoke first, was one of the few to mention the name of the current Republican president, George W. Bush.

Everhart, like almost all the others, praised McCain. She at one point likened McCain's years as a prisoner of war in North Vietnam to Jesus Christ's suffering on the cross.

"John McCain is kind of like Jesus Christ on the cross," Everhart said. "He never denounced God, either. I'm not trying to compare John McCain to Jesus Christ, I'm looking at the pain that was there."

Everhart and others, including Gov. Sonny Perdue, warned their fellow Republicans that the party has much work to do to prepare for November.

Perdue said he wasn't talking about anyone specific when he told the state Republican convention Saturday that voters can see through gimmicks.

Democrats, Perdue told the several hundred Republicans at the convention, lost power because voters "were smart enough" to see the GOP as the answer.

"They saw all the Democrats offered based on their positions of power," Perdue said.

But six years later, Perdue said, "the roles are reversed. It is our mission to ensure we do not fall into the same trap. The people of Georgia are still smart."

He warned Republicans to eschew "short-term gimmicks made with long-term expense."

That "will not fool the voters," Perdue said. "Slick mail pieces and commercials can't buy enough votes."

Open letter from Lance Lamberton about Bob Barr

Doug Craig — Sat, 17 May 2008 21:47:08 GMT

Dear Libertarian Party Delegate:

As a delegate from the great state of Georgia, I am writing to ask that you vote for former Georgia Congressman Bob Barr as our nominee for President of these United States. I first became acquainted with Mr. Barr when I moved to Georgia in 2001 and he was serving at that time as a Republican member of Congress. My impression of him was that he was a strong social conservative who had an impassioned commitment to our fundmental right to privacy from the government as guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. In other words, he didn't fit the typical social conservative mold which is more than eager to sacrifice liberty for security at any cost, as witnessed by the Patriot Act and other unprecedented assaults on our right to privacy.

After Mr. Barr was gerrymandered out of his House seat in 2003, I witnessed a transformation and evolution from conservative to libertarian which eventually resulted in him joining the Party in 2006. Bob will claim that he didn't leave the Republican Party, but that the party left him. And in point of fact he's right. The party of George Bush and John McCain is a far cry from the party of Goldwater and Reagan. But I think it goes much deeper than that. It is my belief that Bob as always philosophically been a libertarian, and that he joined our ranks once it became abundantly clear that the Republican Party's commitment to liberty is as vapid, shallow and non-existent as the Democrats, and that to try to reform the party from within is an exercise in futility.

Bob Barr chose to join the Libertarian Party because at this time in our nation's history, it's essential to work with a party that's 100 percent committed to protecting liberty. But his commitment does not stop there. Not only has he joined our party, but has contributed generously to it, and has assumed a key leadership role as the LP's Southeast Regional Representative. Barr serves on the Libertarian Party National Committee and has traveled throughout the country spreading the Party's message of liberty and freedom.

Moreover, Bob Barr has garnered national exposure and name recognition far in excess of any other declared candidate for the LP nomination. For example, he has appeared on virtually every major cable and network television program dealing with public policy matters, and has served as a contributor for CNN. He writes a regular column for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, has hosted a nationally syndicated weekly radio show, and is a Contributing Editor for the The American Spectator.

Bob Barr also has far and away the most impressive credentials of any other candidate running for the nomination. In addition to his eight years of service in the U.S. Congress, Bob was appointed by President Reagan to serve as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia (1986-90), and served as President of the Southeastern Legal Foundation (1990-91). He heads up the second largest Political Action Committee in Georgia (the Bob Barr Leadership Fund) which raised $1,234,883 last year, where the money is used to get the libertarian message out.

Some of Bob's opponents for the nomination may argue that his former affiliation as a conservative Republican makes his conversion to libertarianism suspect, and I would argue that nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, unless we were born into a libertarian household, we all came from "somewhere" before we discovered libertarianism. And as a former staffer in the Reagan White House, I can relate first-hand to the disillusionment and frustration of once working for a party which has truly lost its way.

But my frustration goes deeper than that, and it has to do with the historically poor performance of our presidential candidates at the ballot box. Let's face it. On the national level, we have yet to achieve what I would call relevance. For the most part, we have been ignored by the media and the voters, and consequently have been subjected to some pretty nasty derision by conservative talk show hosts, among others. Bob Barr can change that. In fact, he is the only candidate who can. I say this because of the Ron Paul phenomenon. A whole lot more people voted for Ron Paul in the Republican primaries than ever voted libertarian. Yet isn't Ron Paul's message the same as ours? Here we have an opportunity to capture that demographic, but it won't be accomplished unless we field a candidate who has credibility and standing.

In that regard, Bob Barr brings to the table an intangible but subtle quality which I don't believe any of our other candidates have, and which we must have if we hope to ever break past the less than one percent vote total for our candidate: He is "Presidential." Even the dictionary doesn't clearly define what that is, other than its an adjective for "President." It's not enough for candidates to hold libertarian positions on the issues. If voters don't believe they have the leadership skills to implement our agenda, they won't give us a second thought. That's what's happened in the past, and its time that we learn from our past and jump on this tremendous opportunity that Bob Barr has presented us with. Thank you for the time you have taken to read this letter, and I look forward to discussing with you in person at the Convention why I believe Bob Barr is the best choice that our party has ever had.

Yours in liberty,

Lance Lamberton

GA LP Delegate

Phillies Salutes Advance of Liberty in California

Doug Craig — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:09:44 GMT

George Phillies for President 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

George Phillies for President 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Phillies Salutes Advance of Liberty in California

*Worcester, Mass., May 15: *Libertarian Presidential candidate George
Phillies today congratulated Californians on their latest step toward
freedom, the legalization of gay marriage in California. "It is wonderful to
hear that once again our Courts have defended our Constitutional rights,"
Phillies said. "Once again, our courts have agreed that separate is not and
cannot be equal. To to the people of California I say: Thank you for taking
another step toward liberty and equality for all. To my civil-union
supporting Democratic opponents I have a shorter message: Civil unions are
major-party apartheid for GLBTQ people.

The California Supreme Court, ruling on In re Marriage Cases, today found
that the California Constitution made clear: If gays and lesbians are
allowed a status that is substantially the same as marriage, it may not be
given a different name.

"The people of California could have avoided this long and expensive trial,"
Phillies said, "but their spineless governor, loyal to the conservative
philosophy of bigotry, vetoed bills establishing that marriage is for gay as
well as straight adults."

"Voters should remember that conservative bigotry can be bipartisan,"
Phillies continued. "The bigoted Defense of Marriage Act was authored by a
Republican and passed with bipartisan support. The trail from the terrorist
Ku Klux Klan through White Citizens Council to its most recent successor,
the Conservative Citizens Council, winds from the Democratic over to the
Republican party.

"Americans should cheer the good news that conservative bigotry has been
driven back. You can tell when bigotry is losing at the Federal level,"
Phillies noted, "because conservative bigots start bleating about their Jim
Crow 'states rights' doctrine. Patriotic Americans know the truth: States
have no right to take away your liberties.

"The conservative philosophy of bigotry is a vast tapestry," Phillies said,
"but it is all woven from the same thread. No matter whether conservatives
are bashing lesbians, banning internet gambling, or so shocked by the
thought of a woman's breast that they forbid women to breast-feed their
hungry infants in public, they are practicing bigotry. Americans should see
and reject the bigotry that lurks in the dark heart and soul of far too much
conservative thinking."

-- 30 --

Decision in In Re Marriage Cases:
http://www.santacru zlive.com/ photos/051508gay marriage. pdfCouncil of

Concerned Citizens
http://www.adl. org/learn/ ext_us/CCCitizen s.asp?xpicked= 3&item=12

To support the George Phillies campaign, please visit
http://ChooseGeorge .org/donation <http://phillies2008 .org/donation> today.

To arrange an interview or obtain a short quote from the candidate, contact:
Carolyn Marbry, Press
Director
pressdirector@ phillies2008. org
(510) 276-3216
*George Phillies for President 2008

*http://ChooseGeorge .org<http://phillies2008 .org/>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

*Worcester, Mass., May 15: *Libertarian Presidential candidate George
Phillies today congratulated Californians on their latest step toward
freedom, the legalization of gay marriage in California. "It is wonderful to
hear that once again our Courts have defended our Constitutional rights,"
Phillies said. "Once again, our courts have agreed that separate is not and
cannot be equal. To to the people of California I say: Thank you for taking
another step toward liberty and equality for all. To my civil-union
supporting Democratic opponents I have a shorter message: Civil unions are
major-party apartheid for GLBTQ people.

The California Supreme Court, ruling on In re Marriage Cases, today found
that the California Constitution made clear: If gays and lesbians are
allowed a status that is substantially the same as marriage, it may not be
given a different name.

"The people of California could have avoided this long and expensive trial,"
Phillies said, "but their spineless governor, loyal to the conservative
philosophy of bigotry, vetoed bills establishing that marriage is for gay as
well as straight adults."

"Voters should remember that conservative bigotry can be bipartisan,"
Phillies continued. "The bigoted Defense of Marriage Act was authored by a
Republican and passed with bipartisan support. The trail from the terrorist
Ku Klux Klan through White Citizens Council to its most recent successor,
the Conservative Citizens Council, winds from the Democratic over to the
Republican party.

"Americans should cheer the good news that conservative bigotry has been
driven back. You can tell when bigotry is losing at the Federal level,"
Phillies noted, "because conservative bigots start bleating about their Jim
Crow 'states rights' doctrine. Patriotic Americans know the truth: States
have no right to take away your liberties.

"The conservative philosophy of bigotry is a vast tapestry," Phillies said,
"but it is all woven from the same thread. No matter whether conservatives
are bashing lesbians, banning internet gambling, or so shocked by the
thought of a woman's breast that they forbid women to breast-feed their
hungry infants in public, they are practicing bigotry. Americans should see
and reject the bigotry that lurks in the dark heart and soul of far too much
conservative thinking."

-- 30 --

Decision in In Re Marriage Cases:
http://www.santacru zlive.com/ photos/051508gay marriage. pdfCouncil of

Concerned Citizens
http://www.adl. org/learn/ ext_us/CCCitizen s.asp?xpicked= 3&item=12

To support the George Phillies campaign, please visit
http://ChooseGeorge .org/donation <http://phillies2008 .org/donation> today.

To arrange an interview or obtain a short quote from the candidate, contact:
Carolyn Marbry, Press
Director
pressdirector@ phillies2008. org
(510) 276-3216
*George Phillies for President 2008

*http://ChooseGeorge .org<http://phillies2008 .org/>

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

Bob Barr press release

Doug Craig — Tue, 13 May 2008 12:09:46 GMT

Recieved this from the Barr campaign.

Dear Friend,

Bob Barr has officially launched his campaign for President of the United States.

Speaking alongside his wife Jeri and son Derek at a press conference in Washington DC on May 12th, he announced his candidacy for the Libertarian presidential nomination:

"I've heard from Americans from all walks of life... they want a choice. They believe that America has more and better to offer than what the current political situation is serving up to us.

The status quo has given us the litany of problems that we're all very familiar with. The debt, the deficit, the problems we see in the economy, the trade imbalance, and the occupation of Iraq. These are all children of the status quo.

I will be a candidate precisely to give the American people a voice and give them a meaningful choice so that they do not have to vote for the lesser of two evils.

American voters deserve better. "

Help us to spread this message far and wide to your friends and neighbors. Take a moment to visit our Media Center where you can view Bob's special online announcement and listen to audio of Bob answering questions from members of the press at the event.

With your generous support Bob will receive the nomination and provide a real choice in November. As our campaign plans for the Libertarian National Convention and beyond, your early financial support is essential to building this effort and continuing our revolution.

Now is the time to join together and send the message that Bob presents a clear alternative to the status quo. Please make a generous contribution of $100, $75, $50, or even $25. Every dollar you give will have a huge impact on our immediate goals.

Toward Liberty,

Bob Barr 2008 Online Team

Paid for by Barr 2008 Presidential Exploratory Committee.

Federal law requires us to report the name, address, and name of employer and occupation for any individual whose aggregate contributions total over $200 in a calendar year. Corporate contributions and gifts from foreign nationals are prohibited. Personal Credit Card gifts only. Contributions are not tax deductible for income tax purposes. Limit of $2,300 per person per election and $4,600 per couple if signed by both parties and drawn on a jointly held bank account.
You are subscribed as hankreardan@yahoo.com. To unsubscribe please click here.

Bob Barr has announced he is running for President as reported by Political Intelligence

Doug Craig — Mon, 12 May 2008 12:08:54 GMT

Bob Barr has announced he is running for President

Text size – +

Former congressman announces for president

Email|Link|Comments (0) Posted by Foon Rhee, deputy national political editor May 12, 2008 11:25 AM

The presidential field just grew by one.

Former US Representative Bob Barr of Georgia announced that he will run as a Libertarian this year. He first must win that party's nomination at its national convention that begins May 22.

A conservative former Republican, Barr could end up hurting presumptive GOP nominee John McCain -- just as some Democrats fear that Ralph Nader's independent candidacy could bleed votes from the Democratic nominee.

Barr, 59, who served in Congress from 1995 to 2003, helped lead Bill Clinton's impeachment. He quit the Republican Party two years ago, saying he had grown disillusioned with its failure to shrink government and its willingness to scale back civil liberties in fighting terrorism.

In a news conference, Barr said "only a fool" would specify a date and timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. But he said it's "extremely important" and in the best interest of national defense to draw down dramatically the US troop presence in Iraq and decrease the military and political footprint in Iraq.

Bush War Waste Endangers America

Doug Craig — Mon, 12 May 2008 10:45:38 GMT

George Phillies for President 2008

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

>
> *Bush War Waste Endangers America*
> >
> > Libertarian Presidential candidate George Phillies today condemned the
> > War on Iraq as an overwhelming financial catastrophe. "We will spend three
> > trillion dollars," he said, "on a war without a reason. Beyond the
> > irreparable loss, the Iraqi and American war dead, an astronomical financial
> > loss is now being visited on the American taxpayer.
> >
> > "Thanks to profligate Bush deficit spending, that debt will be
> > visited on every future generation," he said. "George Bush wasted ten
> > thousand dollars for each man, woman, and child in the United States, and
> > that's just on his war. Thanks to George Bush, America has more than nine
> > trillion dollars of funded debt, and close to ten times that in unfunded
> > liabilities. "
> >
> > Phillies noted that the national debt soaks up liquidity, and turns
> > it into consumer spending. "Our banks are in a liquidity and counter-party
> > risk crisis," Phillies said. "The Federal government is borrowing savings
> > that could have stayed in private hands, and spending those savings on
> > projects with no plausible return. That destabilizes the banking system,
> > motivates banks to foreclose on shaky mortgages, and means that small
> > businessmen face increasing obstacles to borrowing money to expand their
> > businesses and create new jobs."
> >
> > Phillies reminded Americans of the link between the national debt and
> > the trade deficit. "The only reason we can run a huge trade deficit,"
> > Phillies said, "is the national debt. All those Treasury bonds mean that
> > China and Korea and Japan can store dollars in their banks, rather than
> > needing to use them to buy American goods. If there were no national debt,
> > worries about outsourcing and foreign competition would largely fade away.
> > That debt is the Republican legacy, a legacy of a generation of wastrel
> > Congressmen throwing money away like drunken sailors on their last binge."
> >
> > "The only solution to this crisis," Phillies said, "is to pay down the
> > debt we have inherited from our foolish ancestors. We can't do it
> > overnight, but it can be done."
> >
> >
> >
> > Three trillion down the drain in Iraq? That's a lot of money. Read
> >
> > The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict
> > (Hardcover)
> > by Joseph E. Stiglitz (Author), Linda J. Bilmes (Author)
> >
> > for more details.
>
> To support the George Phillies campaign, please visit
http://ChooseGeorge .org/donation <http://phillies2008 .org/donation> today.

To arrange an interview or obtain a short quote from the candidate, contact:
Carolyn Marbry, Press
Director
pressdirector@ phillies2008. org
(510) 276-3216
*George Phillies for President 2008

*http://ChooseGeorge .org<http://phillies2008 .org/>

It looks like Bob barr will be running for preident

Doug Craig — Thu, 08 May 2008 21:05:33 GMT

Recieved This by email. If I had to bet Bob Barr will annouce that he is running for president. I would love to see my fellow Ron Paul people get onboard.

Dear Friend,

We are pleased to announce an important Bob Barr event scheduled for next week. The details released to the press are as follows:

The Hon. Bob Barr will hold a press conference on Monday May 12 to discuss his future plans and the 2008 election. Rep. Barr launched an exploratory committee last month to determine whether he should file as a candidate for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination.

The press conference will be held at 11:00am ET on Monday May 12, 2008 in the Zenger Room of the National Press Club, Washington, DC

Throughout his public and private service, Bob Barr has been an ardent defender of the U.S. Constitution. Now more than ever before, we need national leadership ready to uphold the oath to preserve and protect our civil liberties. Bob needs our help and support to seek and win the Libertarian nomination for President.

There is still much to accomplish prior to the LNC Convention in Denver on May 22nd — and we will only have a few precious days to hit the ground running after Bob makes his final decision.

If you haven't already done so, please consider making an online contribution of $10, $25, $50 or even $100 today. Every dollar you give will make an immediate impact in the next two weeks.

Help us grow the movement by making an online contribution today.

With Gratitude,

Bob Barr 2008 Online Team

Paid for by Barr 2008 Presidential Exploratory Committee.

Christine Smith discusses child pornography, the FBI, anarchism, rule of law, more.

Doug Craig — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:22:38 GMT

Radio interview: Christine Smith discusses child pornography, the FBI, anarchism, rule of law, the future of the LP, and more.
Listen Here: http://www.spoxtalk.com/listen_to_spox_talk/p13_sectionid/1/p13_fileid/790

Paul Kruger, Communications

Christine Smith for President
15400 W. 64th Ave., E9-105
Arvada, Colorado 80007

phone: (303) 217-8848

PAID FOR BY CHRISTINE SMITH FOR PRESIDENT

Wayne Allyn Root – Your candidate for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination Press release

Doug Craig — Thu, 08 May 2008 15:25:01 GMT

I am pulling for Bob Barr but I want to get the info out on all of the candidates that I can.
If you are a candidate please send me any info you have and I will post it.

Here is a press release from Wayne Allyn Root

Wayne Allyn Root – Your candidate for the Libertarian Party presidential nomination.

Fellow Libertarians,

My name is Mark Schreiber, Campaign Manager for Wayne Allyn Root. I hope you are enjoying the LP Presidential race so far. There are many good candidates from whom to choose. As a former statewide and city council candidate (from Indiana) I can tell you I've never seen anyone as effective at getting our Libertarian message out as Wayne Allyn Root. I only wish that Wayne could have campaigned with me when I ran for office. Luckily many of our local and statewide candidates across the USA will have that opportunity in 2008. Wayne is truly amazing. I hope you will choose to support Wayne as our LP Presidential candidate.

In this letter I will outline Wayne's efforts to gain your nomination, his biographical background, his amazing media savvy, and his positions on three key issues.

Pre-nomination Efforts

I realize many of the LP faithful going to Denver haven't seen Wayne in action yet, despite the many state conventions and events where he has spoken and debated- Florida (State Chairman’s Conference 2007), Nevada (State Chairman’s Conference 2008), California, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Georgia, Colorado, Virginia, Illinois, Heartland Conference (MO, KS, NE, IA, OK), Ohio, North Carolina, Washington, Utah and Texas. Wayne's representatives also spoke in Michigan, Oregon, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Mexico and Indiana.

What's so special about Wayne is that he's won almost every Presidential Preference Poll at every LP event in the country where a vote was taken immediately after the presentations by Presidential candidates. And Wayne won the polls at the 3 biggest events of the year: California, New York and The Heartland Conference. Virtually every time that LP voters and delegates get a chance to hear all the candidates live and in person- WAYNE WINS!

We know the biggest ENDORSEMENT, and the one that counts, is YOURS.

We have posted the many endorsements for Wayne on our web site to lend credibility to his candidacy. Some are from notable people in the LP- including our first LP Presidential candidate and one of the party's founders. Some of the endorsements are from the celebrity worlds of sports, media, television and business. Wayne has very broad appeal.

At the national convention in Denver you will get another chance to see Wayne in action. But even if you cannot attend the convention, you can still support Wayne.

This letter is my case for Wayne being your nominee. I encourage you to check our web site www.RootforAmerica.com for more detailed position papers and the marvelous samples of the many radio and television interviews Wayne has had over the past five months or so. Wayne has gotten more publicity and national exposure than any LP candidate in a long time. We have the perfect message, now we need a dynamic messenger!

The Candidate
Wayne was born the son of a butcher in Mt. Vernon, New York in 1961. By 1964 at the age of 4 years old, Wayne began his political career by handing out campaign literature for Barry Goldwater in his father's arms. Educated in a rough, racially diverse, inner-city high school on the Bronx, New York borderline, Wayne went onto graduate prestigious Columbia University Class of 1983 in political science (classmate of Barrack Obama). Wayne and Barrack Obama will be the first classmates to ever run against each other for President.

Wayne lives with his lovely wife of 17 years Debra, a former Miss Oklahoma, and their four children age 4 months to 16 years, in Las Vegas, Nevada. They home school their children- which is another first for a modern presidential candidate.

Wayne's father and mother were part of the original founding group that started the New York State Conservative Party in 1962. After many years of losing, they built the Conservative Party into one of the most successful third parties in U.S. political history- culminating in the election of U.S. Senator James Buckley (as C- Conservative) and U.S. Senator Al D'Amato. Over the past 30+ years they have elected Governors, Congressmen, town councilpersons, Borough Presidents, State Senators and NY Supreme Court Justices. As perhaps the most successful third party in U.S. political history was built brick by brick, Wayne was right by his parents’ side soaking it in.

In 1983 Wayne became one of the youngest candidates for major office in New York State history (21 years old). He ran against an unbeatable opponent. Yet Wayne garnered the highest percentage of the vote against her in her long career as an incumbent County Legislator.

Wayne's business background:
Wayne took the path of a small businessman, and serial entrepreneur after college. He has started many business ventures over his professional life. Most were successful, some not so successful. He has met hundreds of payrolls and currently employs 35 people. He knows first hand the trials and tribulations of 27 million small business owners. He can relate to them. Most importantly, they understand and like him too. Wayne was the leading fundraiser of any Libertarian Presidential candidate in the country in the first quarter 2008- and almost every dollar he raised was from small businessmen and women.

Wayne's business success has been in the entertainment/gaming industry in Las Vegas centered on odds making. It's important to note that there are an estimated 10 to 12 million online poker and gaming enthusiasts in the USA. He is one of them. Wayne will motivate and mobilize this group to vote and contribute to the LP in 2008.

Wayne's company also belongs to the Better Business Bureau a voluntary, private, self policing consumer agency. No one requires you to join. The BBB will not take complaints from consumers for companies who are not members. Only honest business owners voluntarily join the BBB. Very libertarian.

Wayne has served over a million customers with only 15 complaints to the BBB in his company's history. The BBB reports that all of those complaints have all been resolved satisfactorily. Your dry cleaner probably has that many complaints in a month. A major stock brokerage has that many in a day. A Fortune 500 company has that many in an hour.

Wayne's business is all about fun. A wager enhances the experience of pulling for a team or pitting yourself against wily opponents in a non-violent sport like poker. His customers are pursuing happiness
as guaranteed in the Constitution. They are enjoying their personal choice of entertainment, on their computer, in their home, with their money. But they've now been outlawed by Congress from playing poker online. Twelve million (12,000,000) poker enthusiasts are very angry about this. So, is Wayne.

Media Accomplishments
As a result of Wayne's business experience he has learned the art, and value, of self promotion. Self promotion is a hard habit to break when “you” are the product and you've been successful doing it all your life. Political campaigning, as Wayne is learning, requires a slightly different approach and he's getting the hang of it every day.

The majority of Libertarians (85% according to LPNews) want one thing from their candidate. They want a candidate who can get media exposure with the ability to communicate the libertarian message in a way that attracts voters and reflects well on the LP. We believe if you go to our web site www.RootforAmerica.com you will find that Wayne is the perfect candidate who can do just that…perhaps better than anyone in LP history.

Wayne's media accomplishments so far include landing a major role in a story about Libertarianism in America in Time Magazine. A first for any libertarian I can remember. Wayne is the only LP Presidential candidate being profiled for this major story. Time interviewed him in New York and then sent a reporter and photographer to Las Vegas to spend a few days with him and his lovely family.     The time is right for us to have a media savvy pro as our spokesman. We cannot afford business as usual…i.e. obscurity.

But that's not all. There's been so many national TV and radio appearances too. Wayne has shared his secret with us- so we can pass it on to you and to our down-ticket candidates. The fundamentals of gaining media exposure are simple to understand, but difficult to master. Here is what Wayne has taught us:

One: Be enthusiastic. Respect the show's host. Understand what they need to get and keep an audience tuned in. Audiences are not into heavy philosophical discussions, they want to be informed and entertained. The host wants to keep listeners tuning in each week. So, they need guests who are interesting and entertaining to share the stage with the host. Enthusiasm sells. You don't get bored watching Wayne perform. I promise.

Two: Be fun to listen to. Wayne doesn't take himself too seriously. He can take or make a joke as well as anyone. He plays with the host. That's why Wayne gets invited back to the show.

And he's been getting invited back a lot; Fox Business, Mancow in the Morning who endorsed him on the air, Glenn Beck. Bob Grant on ABC's flagship radio station WABC who said Wayne was one of the best guests he's ever had in 30 years of broadcasting…Bob has just been nominated for the Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

Wayne can be and is serious when it matters on a policy issue but not argumentatively so. He respects the show's host and they always return the favor. He doesn't roll over either. Wayne doesn't pander; he explains concepts in ways non-libertarians can understand. He knows the audience and relates to them. And he is fun.

Three: Smile. People don't want to be brought down. They want hope. They want someone who feels positive about the future. Someone who proposes to lead them to a better life had better be smiling, don't you agree? If you can't smile you are probably not happy about where you're going. There's genuine joy in the libertarian message. Wayne knows how to express it! He's over the top. That's the key to achieving success selling a message on television. Wayne has had a lifetime of experience learning it and doing it well.

Four: Believe it. You have got to believe in your vision of the future. And paint that vision in glowing terms. Wayne deeply believes in the libertarian message of limited government and he paints it big and bold. You know our message is right. With the proper messenger it's going to explode onto the political landscape like no other. Let Wayne be your messenger.

I realize this talk of how to get media may sound trivial to some, but these are very important elements in communicating to an audience. These are Wayne's secrets to getting media appearances and he shares them openly so all Libertarians can use them.

Oh, yes there is one other very important fundamental. You have to work your tail off. You have to have something people want to hear and see. It's hard work. Maybe that's why the other candidates talk about getting media after the nomination. Wayne is getting millions of dollars worth of free media now. He doesn't talk or promise- Wayne delivers. Wayne will NOT be out-worked, out-hustled, or out-shined. He's the hardest working man in politics!

As you listen to Wayne's interviews judge what he says to see if you can live with it. But also judge how the host responds to Wayne. When have you ever seen that kind of response to any political candidate- especially a LP candidate?

Remember, talk show hosts have a following they have cultivated for years. They relate to each other. When you get a host to say they'll vote for you, you've got something money can't buy.

Paid advertising is necessary, but it doesn't have nearly the impact of a 30 minute live interview. The interview process vets the candidate before the advertising, so the advertising will be credible. Your other choices for president haven't even done the basics yet. Wayne is already there. He can effectively advertise now till the general election in November on all of these shows. And we are just getting started.

It's a presidential candidate's job to get new people interested in the Libertarian Party and our message. Once interested they will seek out more information and begin a process of learning how our country is supposed to work. It's everyone's job to educate the new and curious voters drawn into our tent.

Wayne gets media because of who he is….not who he was.

Wayne has an ideal image for the media...and the LP. He is a 2nd generation American, small businessman, homeschool dad, and citizen politician – much as our Founding Fathers envisioned back in 1776.

It boils down to what you want. It always does. I hope you will judge more by Wayne's walk than the talk/rhetoric of the other candidates. They are good people, but this is a contest based on who will reflect well on you, and our down-ticket candidates. Who will attract the most new voters and activists. Who will get the most people excited about the libertarian form of governance. Who will get us automatic ballot access for the next Presidential election in 15+ states. Only Wayne can do all those things.

I hope you agree Wayne Allyn Root is the man for the job.

I also hope you will CONTRIBUTE to our campaign- so we can continue to get your Libertarian message out beyond the limited confines of the libertarian faithful.

CONTRIBUTE

Wayne's Positions on the key Issues.

Wayne's positions on three key issues are outlined below. His position papers, if you would like to read them, are posted on his web site.

Government spending. Wayne has actually found a way, used by Thomas Jefferson, to shrink government's size and spending. It's called “impoundment” and used properly within existing Constitutional limits he can and will shrink government spending. Not one of the other candidates has credibly articulated how to accomplish this major step forward to shrinking our oppressive government. Shrinking and cutting the size and scope of government is key to everything we seek. Once the American people (who are libertarian at heart) get this message, they will have hope again. They will vote libertarian for Wayne.

War. Wayne has said that the war in Iraq was/is a terrible mistake. This mistake will not be repeated by a Root administration. All acts of war will require authorization from Congress- just as it states in our constitution. Wayne also plans to dramatically cut foreign aid and military bases around the world. Wayne will demand the rich nations like Japan, South Korea and Germany pay for their own military and national defense. It's time to bring all this savings home to the American taxpayer.

Taxes. Wayne also has a plan to eliminate federal income taxes. And to shift the balance of power
(and spending) back from the federal to the state level. Coupled with drastic government spending. His position is a reasonable strategy unlike any ever proposed. Go to his web site and spend the time to review it and I think you will agree. It's bold and it's something that will work.

If we can implement Wayne's positions on just these big three issues, I feel confident that all the other issues with which we share concerns will improve dramatically. I hope you agree. Wayne is constantly working on refining his positions on issues and this will continue for the rest of his political life. He is a student of politics (and business).

If you like what you've seen so far please help us continue getting our message out.

CONTRIBUTE

We are trying to reach out to every delegate, so feel free to forward this information to your fellow delegates who may be absent from our list. Please feel free to express your sentiments via our web site. Wayne may not be able to get back to you given the time constraints before the convention in Denver, but I assure you that he reads every email and gives your comments serious consideration.

Thank you for taking your time to consider our finest candidate for President
Wayne Allyn Root.

Mark Schreiber
Campaign Manager
www.RootforAmerica.com

PS.
To see and hear Wayne's video and audio interviews go to www.RootforAmerica.com. There you will also find all his detailed position papers on taxes, cutting the government, and how he will implement a non-interventionist strategy supported by an economic strategy of global free trade. You will also find his extensive list of endorsements from a variety of people which illustrate his wide appeal among Libertarians, as well as non Libertarians.

I hope you will agree with me that Wayne Allyn Root is worthy of your support to be your spokesperson in the general election.

Thank you

Please support our campaign by clicking on the contribute button now.

CONTRIBUTE

Wayne Root is a Candidate for the Libertarian Party nomination for President of the United States.

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2505 Anthem Village, Suite E318, Henderson, NV 89052
Content is authorized by Wayne Allyn Root.
www.ROOTforAmerica.com

Mike Gravel and the Obama Girl

Doug Craig — Wed, 07 May 2008 21:38:19 GMT

Mike Gravel and the Obama Girl
This is posted on Third Party Watch