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___________________________________ EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT... Matt Throckmorton and Rep. Chris Cannon (R-Utah) faced off last week in their first debate leading up to their June 22 primary contest. Now...if you are opposed to amnesty for illegal aliens and oppose growing the federal government, this debate made it clear who the �liberal� candidate is in the race. Cannon was also caught �pulling a Clinton,� while past supporters are finally catching on and dumping him like a hot potato. Get the latest in today�s News & Views EXTRA at: http://www.chuckmuth.com/newsandviews/nv.cfm _____________________________________ MEMORIAL DAY REMINDER �Hi Chuck: How about a reminder that people should stand and place their hand over their heart during a parade when the flag passes by.� They should also remove their hat.�� I learned this in kindergarten and it was reinforced in the Boy Scouts.� What ever happened to teaching civics in school? Have a great holiday and remember to thank a veteran.� � - News & Views reader Howard Last THE TROUBLE WITH LIBERTARIANS �Dear Chuck: You know, I had really hoped that the Libertarian Party would actually become a solid and stable force in our nation.� It obviously will never happen! . . . (I)n nearly every case on a local level, they present themselves as extremist individuals (more or less anyway) and are perceived to be so far off the reasonable that no one gives them any credit for good ideas at all.�. . . I'll bet they do have some good ideas, but those never come out it seems.� It is too bad, for we desperately need some new blood in our national elective processes.� - Gary Iverson of Nampa, Idaho LP CHOOSES CANDIDATE FOR PREZ RUN The Libertarian Party wrapped up its convention yesterday by nominating Michael Badnarik to be their presidential standard bearer for 2004. This is a far cry better than nominating someone solely for his wealth, as the party has done the last two election cycles. Indeed, to hear the story, Badnarik has literally been traveling around the country seeking the party�s nod in a car and on a shoe-string budget. Badnarik�s election came only after some embarrassing moments, which we hope they will fix before 2008. The most obvious was a performance by some guy dressed up as a Pilgrim or a Spanish conquistador or something giving an absolutely inane presentation of...heck, I don�t know. He just kept rambling on and one and on... All I know is that when you�re a party as small as the LP and have a reputation of catering to crackpots, what you probably DON�T want to do is put some crackpot on stage while C-SPAN�s cameras are rolling for all the world to see. It also took three ballots before settling on Badnarik. He and his two competitors, Gary Nolan and Aaron Russo, pulled almost exactly the same number of votes on the first ballot. Ditto the second. On the third ballot, the lowest scoring candidate got the heave-ho. That was Nolan. And here�s where a serious injustice was done. Rather than immediately continue on with the voting, a motion from the floor was made and granted to allow Nolan to address the delegates. Nolan used his opportunity to trash Russo and urge his supporters to switch over to Badnarik...without giving Russo an opportunity for rebuttal. Russo already possesses a pretty high paranoid disposition as it is, but it�s not paranoia when they really ARE out to get you. In his parting remarks, Russo graciously threw his support to Badnarik...but not without first taking some nasty parting shots of his own against Nolan. Hey...the LP is starting to look like a real political party after all! Anyway...congratulations to Mr. Badnarik. We wish him well and offer a few pieces of unsolicited advise... 1.) It would take a miracle for you to win. Everybody knows it. So admit it...and move on. Instead of blowing Suzy Sunshine up everybody�s skirt with unrealistic optimism and rhetoric about your chances of actually ending up in the White House, concede that it would take a miracle so people will have the impression that you at least have yourself grounded in reality. That, in itself, would be a huge improvement in the perception people have had about Libertarian candidates in the past. And at that point, they�ll be much more likely to listen to your actual message. But if you go around telling everyone you�re going to win this thing...you�ll blow your credibility from Jump Street and no one will pay you any mind. 2.) Issue a one-time, clear and concise statement on the drug issue...and then DROP IT. When asked about it, refer people to your original statement - posted on your website - and get back to your message of reducing the size and scope of government. 3.) Explain that defending the country by killing terrorists before they kill us IS a legitimate role for the federal government. Say so. Ignoring the threat...or worse, turning our security over to the United Nations...is no way to gain credibility or support. If people think being a Libertarian means sitting around waiting for the next plane to fall out of the sky...literally...you�re a dead duck. And so is your party. 4.) Don�t expect people to join the LP immediately. Give them a �bridge� to the Promised Land. Urge folks who are unhappy with the major parties to register as independents first. Later, if they become comfortable with the LP, THEN you might gain some converts. 5.) Admit that you have some kooks and cranks in your midst. Again...everybody already knows it. But the truth is, anybody who�s ever been to a local GOP meeting knows that they have their fair share of crazies, as well. And if you don�t think the Democrats have their nut cases, I have two words for you: Dennis Kucinich. So admit that you have a Loon Platoon problem and distance yourself from them. Don�t let them define you; you define them. �Sister Souljah� one of �em. And just as George W. tried to define himself as a �compassionate conservative,� you might want to consider running as a �rational libertarian.� People with a pre-conceived notion of what a libertarian is need a reason to give you folks a second look. And considering how BIG the government has grown under Republican leadership over the last three years, the time is ripe for folks to take a look at an alternative. 6.) Use the national soapbox you�ve been handed to start building your party from the bottom up, not the top down...as they�ve done in the past. Appear with and on behalf of other �rational libertarians� and urge people to give your party a chance by electing some of these folks to state legislative seats around the country. The LP DESPERATELY needs to start WINNING some serious races (dog catcher doesn�t count) before significant numbers of people will take you seriously as a party and as a credible alternative. Don�t waste time trying to field a candidate in every race. Pick and choose your best shots and put some serious effort into actually WINNING for a change. That means running PROFESSIONAL races. Politely tell the wackos to take a hike. They only serve to reinforce the stereotype that�s already out there. Focus on the RATIONAL LIBERTARIANS around the country. They�re out there. OK, so much for that. In his acceptance speech, Mr. Badnarik said he looked at the Constitution and at the government as it is constituted today and couldn�t find even a trace of commonality. How sad...and how true. The nation needs more elected officials who think and would govern like Mr. Badnarik and Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. But the LP has to get some of their people elected if it�s ever going to have any credibility as a political alternative. Mr. Badnarik isn�t going to become president in 2004...but if he�s smart, he can finally begin laying the track for Libertarians to actually win at the state and congressional levels in the near future by talking extensively about those races during his campaign. I�m not holding my breath...but I will offer up a prayer. SURVEY SAYS! Do you agree with the 9th Circuit Court decision telling the federal government it can�t block voter-approved assisted suicide in the state of Oregon? * Yes * No * Not Sure Cast your vote by clicking the �Survey Says!� tab at www.citizenoutreach.com * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Chuck Muth�s News & Views is published by Citizen Outreach, a non-partisan, 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. 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