Despite the occasional cloudbursts, PrideFest 2008 was a rousing success. The Manhattan Libertarian Party was out in force, giving away 1,000 free condoms as part of our Operation Politically Homeless.
Libertarian condoms. Front: Manhattan Libertarian Party logo; back: “Protect your rights. Protect yourself. Vote Libertarian.”
More pictures from PrideFest after the jump.
To the Editor:
Thank you for prominently covering the Libertarian Party Presidential candidacy of Congressman Bob Barr (”A Candidate Runs to a GOP Chorus of ‘Don’t'” 6/28/08 Page A1).
It is inaccurate however to depict Barr as a spoiler. To make such a claim presupposes that certain votes belong to one of the major party candidates and that a third party candidate would steal them away from him. Votes belong to the voters, not the candidates, and have to be earned.
By opposing the current Administration’s policies of intervention in other countries’ conflicts and unconstitutional intrusions into the privacy of American citizens, Barr offers a true alternative to the almost indistinguishable me-too candidacies of Senators McCain and Obama. Moreover, as a person of good will admitting that he has been wrong in the past, he will appeal to independent and affiliated voters of all political persuasions.
Mark Axinn
Vice-Chair, Libertarian Party of New York
175 East 73rd Street
New York, New York 10021
markaxinn@hotmail.com
Okay, it wasn’t really Barr and McCain debating; it was a debate about Barr vs. McCain. But Bob Barr did show up.
It was the monthly debate at Lolita bar, hosted by Todd Seavey. The question was “Should conservatives and libertarians vote for Barr over McCain?” The final verdict by those in attendance (not counting Bob Barr, who was prohibited from voting): 2-to-1 in favor of voting for Barr.
Here are some photos. Keep in mind that photography really isn’t my strong suit, and the basement of Lolita is really small and dark. I was sitting too far in the back of the room to get any usable photos of the debate itself.
Prospective Libertarian congressional candidate Francis M. Powers (see post below)
Powers’ opponent for the Libertarian nomination Susan Overeem
The winner of the debate, Dr. Avery Knapp
Francis H. Powers is the GOP’s endorsed candidate for disgraced Republican Vito Fossella’s soon-to-be-open seat in the 13th Congressional District. Powers may get some unexpected and uncomfortable competition from his son, prospective Libertarian candidate Francis M. Powers, says the Staten Island Advance:
When asked about the head scratching that might cause voters, Powers said, “If people can’t tell the difference between the Republican Party and the Libertarian Party, maybe they shouldn’t be voting.”
Ron Moore, chairman of the Manhattan Libertarian Party, told the Advance that Powers has “an extremely good” chance of securing the party endorsement for the race.
Just to add to the intrigue, Fran is being challenged for the Libertarian nomination by another Staten Islander, Susan Overeem, whom I just had the pleasure of meeting at Wednesday evening’s debate at Lolita Bar. More on that debate in my next post.
In addition to the merciful end of the godforsaken Democratic presidential primary, today was the day for non-presidential primaries across the river in New Jersey. Our friend and “Ron Paul Republican” Murray Sabrin finished in third place in his Senate primary. Congratulations, Murray, on fighting the good fight.
As most of our readers know by now, Bob Barr won the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination at its national convention in Denver last Sunday. I was in Denver for all the action and excitement, and to say the nomination was contentious is like saying the Hatfields and the McCoys didn’t always get along. Be that as it may, Bob Barr is our presidential candidate, and I intend to give him my support. Whatever flaws Barr may have–his campaign is an ongoing repudiation of much of his congressional record–pale in comparison to the Elmer Gantry-like phoniness of Barack Obama or the sheer blood-thirsty insanity of John McCain. Anyone who is sincere about reducing government and advancing freedom should join me in supporting Bob Barr.
With that in mind, there are two events this Wednesday for those who want to jump on the Barr bandwagon, or even for those who are still making up their minds.
First, Bob Barr will be taping a guest segment on The Colbert Report at 7 pm at 513 West 54th Street. Ticket request form here. You can sign up for stand-by tickets in front of the studio at 4 pm.
Second, the lovely and talented Dr. Avery Knapp, Jr. will be debating for the affirmative on the question “Should Conservatives and Libertarians Vote for Bob Barr Over John McCain” at 8 pm at the Lolita Bar, 266 Broome Street at Allen. Rumor is there may be a surprise guest in attendance. 
I hate being wrong, but I’m starting to get the sense that my early enthusiasm for a potential Bob Barr presidential run may have been misplaced.
To be sure, Barr has had a whirlwind of MSM publicity, mostly favorable to the Libertarian Party, since he announced the formation of his Exploratory Committee last weekend. But Barr is coming up way short on delivering an actual libertarian message. The issues section of his campaign website is sparse, and what little is there is a mix of libertarian (non-interventionism and civil liberties) and anti-libertarian (”Fair Tax” and closed borders).
Since Barr is playing his cards so close to the vest, the libertarian blogosphere is vetting his recent public comments and writings to determine just what sort of candidate we can expect, should he win the nomination. Excerpts from some of his columns raise red flags.
First, just as year ago, long after Barr had joined the Libertarian National Committee and supposedly changed his mind about the drug war, he wrote the following about the U.S. policy towards Columbia:
Recognizing Colombia’s essential role in our country’s campaign against illicit trafficking in cocaine, the Bush administration and prior Congresses have responded to Mr. Uribe’s efforts by funding “Plan Colombia” to the tune over its seven-year lifespan of more than $5.0 billion. While critics interpret the fact that Colombian-processed cocaine stills arrives in our country as evidence Plan Colombia should be defunded or dramatically reduced, in reality this support for Colombia’s efforts will continue as an essential component of our anti-drug program. If Congress truly wants the plan work better, the solution would be not to dry up funding but to provide more flexibility for its implementation.
“An essential component of our anti-drug program”? For a former drug warrior, Barr sounds an awful lot like a current drug warrior.
Then just last week, the supposedly anti-interventionist Barr wrote the following about Columbia’s tensions with Venezuela:
While Washington’s current national security worldview remains focused like a laser beam on Iraq and Afghanistan, fires smolder and burn elsewhere. Shifting at least a portion of that concern and those resources to South America, and especially to the Andean region that currently is near the boiling point, is critical to our security. There may not be weapons of mass destruction lurking in the jungles of Venezuela, Colombia or Ecuador (there weren’t in Iraq either, of course), but arms are flowing into the area. Venezuela, for example, is buying billions of dollars worth of Russian military equipment. Leftist guerrillas and narco-terrorists remain firmly entrenched in the region, and evidence that other terrorist groups are using the area for problematic purposes is mounting.
So Barr understands the folly of our interventions when it comes to Iraq and Afghanistan, but he advocates “shifting at least a portion of that concern and those resources to South America.” We need “resources” (presumably military resources) in South America like a hole in the head.
Bob, you got a lot of splainin to do!
Before he was “exploring” a Libertarian presidential candidacy, before he was on the Libertarian National Committee, before he was a lobbyist for the Marijuana Policy Project, Bob Barr was the biggest drug warrior in Congress. He was so bad on the drug war that the late, great Ron Crickenberger, political director of the national Libertarian Party, was inspired to create this 2002 anti-Barr ad starring medical marijuana patient Cheryl Miller.
Why do I dredge this up now? Hasn’t Barr sufficiently repented for his past sins? Well, yes and no. He’s certainly gotten a lot better on a lot of issues since leaving Congress. However, he also has a track record that isn’t easily dismissed. Ron Paul may be a Republican, but he also has an impeccably libertarian voting record in Congress. Barr doesn’t have that, and he needs to realize that he has to make an extra effort to prove he’s now on the side of angels.
I want to support Bob Barr. I started the online petition to encourage him to run. But I also expect Libertarian candidates — especially at the highest levels — to be clearly libertarian. If Barr wants the nomination, he has to earn it by coming out with some unequivocally libertarian campaign positions, particularly on those issues like the drug war where he erred so badly in the past.
The new state budget isn’t official yet, but one certain outcome is that it will boost the state cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack, making it the highest in the nation. The state’s $2.75/pack tax, combined with New York City’s own $1.50 tax, will push the cost of major brands to over $9 per pack in the city.
The American Cancer Society is claiming the tax hike will somehow prevent over 200,000 teenagers from ever taking up smoking — an absurd assertion. Audrey Silk, the 2005 Libertarian Party candidate for NYC mayor, cuts right through the crap and tells it like it is:
“This is putting a gun to my head and saying you are taking money from me for my own good,” said Audrey Silk of Citizens Lobbying Against Smoker Harassment, based in New York City. “It’s no different than a robber saying that when he’s sticking you up.”
I just got this absolutely killer Ron Paul video from www.HighTidepromo.com.
