Former GOP county chairman files as Libertarian to take on Guthrie

Comments

• John J Rooker wrote on July 10, 2012 03:18 PM :

  So what’s the plan here? Win? Has zero chance. Thus the plan must be to siphon off enough votes from the Republican to allow the Democrat to win.

• Bruce Layne wrote on July 11, 2012 09:36 AM :

  We’ll know the TEA party and the fiscally conservative Constitution loving liberty wing of the Republican Party have truly arrived when they run GOOD Republican candidates against incumbents like Brett Guthrie instead of waiting to pick off open seats. Until then, this will do.

  For those who haven’t been keeping score… Guthrie talks like a conservative, but continues to endorse the neocon big government agenda, spending money we don’t have on a foreign policy that makes us less safe, and a domestic policy that robs from us while eroding our rights. For example, Brett Guthrie voted for the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act that allows US citizens to be captured by the US military on US soil and detained indefinitely under the authority of the executive branch of the federal government, without trial, and without any due process. He then lied to his constituents about the bill in full Big Government spin control mode. Guthrie voted to extend the roving wiretaps on US citizens and similar provisions of the misnamed USA PATRIOT Act. Guthrie co-sponsored legislation to place sanctions on Iran. Sanctions are the first step in the escalation to war. Do we really need yet another Mideast war?

• Mike Strunk wrote on July 11, 2012 10:39 AM :

  Libertarians proving yet again that they help elect democrats. Let’s examine the liberal agenda of libertarians… Naive foreign policy outlooks… Anti- homeland security ideals framed as conspiracy theories… Pro-choice… Pro drugs legalization. The Republican party may need to make reforms but we shouldn’t make knee jerk ones that simply give us a new set of whack-o’s even closer to the left’s mentality!

• Ken Moellman wrote on July 11, 2012 02:12 PM :

  I have, for years, promoted Instant Runoff Voting. It’s a system that’s easy to understand and eliminates vote-splitting entirely. It’s been ruled Constitutional, and is in use in various places around the US and the world.

  I ask that you do the research here, starting here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instant_Runoff_Voting

  Libertarians do not seek to split vote tallies. We seek to be heard, and to help others see things from our perspective, which we believe is better. In reviewing recent history, I don’t think they could be worse than the Ds and Rs.

  The reality is that freedom of choice should be encouraged. People should be free to vote FOR the best candidate, rather than AGAINST the worst.

  And it’s a poor assumption to think that Libertarians only hurt Republican vote tallies. That’s just “lesser of two evils” propaganda. And yes, it’s powerful propaganda; which is why a common-sense reform like IRV will be resisted by the political establishment.

• Mike Strunk wrote on July 12, 2012 12:13 PM :

  It’s the former chair of a county Republican party, from the state of Ky! How is it a poor assumption to think that will hurt the Republican candidate given those facts?!

• Ken Moellman wrote on July 13, 2012 02:43 AM :

  The logic is flawed.

  Does a former Rep chairman endorsing a Democrat matter? Does a former Dem chair endorsing a Republican matter? Not according the results we saw up here in my neck of the woods.

  People have changes of heart. People learn more about who they are. People get frustrated trying to work within a two-party schema that tries to control your beliefs to fit into their mold. People get tired of being pushed around by a party machine.

  Just because someone was one thing, and is now another, it’s flawed to just assume. The studies bear out the numbers that 50% of the people who vote L wouldn’t have otherwise voted. Other than the other 50% break down 50/50 or in the “worst case” scenario, 70/30.

  However, this 2nd District Race is an interesting animal. I would encourage readers to check it out.