Reason.com: Justin Amash Becomes the First Libertarian Member of Congress

Libertarian Congressman Justin Amash

In an interview, the freshly-minted presidential candidate talks abortion, the "spoiler" charge, and Joe Biden's flip-flopping, while insisting that 2020 is a "winnable race."

by Matt Welch, Reason.com

After a half-century of existence, the Libertarian Party (L.P.) this morning wakes up to a situation it has never before experienced—with a sitting member of Congress proudly waving the Libertarian flag.

"I will be the first," Rep. Justin Amash (L–Mich.) told me late Wednesday night, just after announcing his candidacy for the Libertarian presidential nomination. "And I'm happy to do that."

Amash is not the only person smiling. In an email, Libertarian Party Chair Nicholas Sarwark said, "I'm happy to see that Representative Amash has come home to the political party most closely aligned with his views," adding: "If more members of the House who are tired of being marginalized by the GOP and Democratic leadership joined him, we could see a caucus of legislators who are able to work for the American people instead of conflicting teams of special interests. My DMs are open."..

To read article in full, click here.

A3PR Exclusive Interview with NH State Rep. Max Abramson (VPA)

Today I had the pleasure to interview one of the few politicians out there who has some individuality and character, something no Democrat or Republican can claim. New Hampshire State Representative Max Abramson, Veterans Party of America candidate for President.

Q: Recently you switched parties, again, from Libertarian to Veterans Party.  Personally, I think that is great, what was the motivation behind this change?

A: Veterans Party of America. (The Veterans Party was another group that became inactive about 20 years ago.) The VPA is committed to running candidates for office and helping them to win those state and local elections. The whole party is completely volunteer. No one gets paid, and we all do this work because we believe in public service.

The Libertarian Party has become increasingly abusive toward voters, donors, volunteers, activists, and people who help out. Rather than support Libertarian candidates, they've turned on their own and spend almost all of their time trashing their own candidates. All politics is local, and it depends on listening. The LP does neither. After 25 years of hard work, canvassing, manning tables, doing ballot access work, and even serving as the nation's only Libertarian legislator, rather than get recognition for my efforts, I was repeatedly told to leave--both by current LP members and those who'd left because of this treatment.

Q: Do you plan on running for re-election to the Rockingham District 20 in the New Hampshire state legislature as a member of the Veterans Party?

A: I don't have any firm plans yet regarding the legislative seat, but I am doing the best job that I can for my constituents in the midst of this crisis.

Q: You are currently seeking the Veterans Party nomination for President, any idea who would be your running mate and why?

A:  I'll leave that up to the membership at the convention.

Q:  Chris Keniston received 7,251 votes in 2016, can Max Abramson do better?  Why?

A: Over 31,000 people voted for me in New Hampshire alone in 2016 because of the active campaign that we ran and the great volunteers who helped out. I've learned how to reach out to different groups ahead of time and build a base of grass roots support early on. We also have a strategy to target those states where Wasted Vote Syndrome isn't an issue. In my opinion, Chris was a terrific candidate, and make a strong case for taking better care of our armed service veterans, but very few people got to hear his message.

Q: How many states is the Veterans Party hoping to be on the ballot?

A: More. The Coronavirus lockdown is making it difficult for minor parties to collect signatures for getting on the ballot, and the two major parties have been making it more difficult as time passes to get onto the ballot.  But the courts are increasingly seeing that unrealistic ballot access requirements are being enacted intentionally to keep minor parties off the ballot. After talking with leadership from both parties and discussions in Republican caucus, it's clear that this is deliberate by both Republicans and Democrats to prevent us from getting our ideas in front of the voters.

Q: Where do you stand on the issue of 're-opening' the country?

A: Do The Five--not the lockdown. Shutting down small shops, salons, and restaurants does nothing to control the spread of the virus and only hurts our economy and small businesses.

Q: You have also shown some interest in seeking the Reform Party nomination, care to comment more on this?

A:  A friend suggested that I reach out to other minor parties in an effort to bring political reform efforts together in one large national campaign. By working together, we could build a national movement to enact campaign finance reform, truly independent redistricting, proportionate representation, and IRV/RCV or Approval Voting. My hope is that the anti-corruption effort in American comes together and focuses on these important legislative and local races that are usually missed by the spotlight.

Q: Do you think that COVID-19 will still be an issue by November and if so, what would be your plan for people to get out the vote?

A: Yes. More and more Americans are questioning why large, major political donors can remain open and price gouge consumers while government is again shutting down their smaller competitors.  Packing the same population of shoppers into few stores doesn't slow the spread of the virus, but it does make the owners of those large, multinational corporations much richer.

Q: Is Spring finally here in the Northeast?

A:  A cold Spring, but yes.

Q: Where do you see the country in 10 years?

A: Potentially bankrupt if we don't get our act together and start downsizing the federal government.  For 200 years, we had a very small federal government and took care of problems down at the local level, and we didn't have anything like the debt, outrageous middle class tax burden, and out of control healthcare, college costs, housing, and childcare costs. Before government interference in the marketplace, one paycheck was enough to support a family.

Thank you for your time and good luck to you Rep. Abramson!         

-Adam

Colorado's Unity Party Nominates Slate of Candidates

Colorado's pint-sized Unity Party has nominated a baker's dozen of candidates up and down the state ballot, including a former Boiling Frog Party member who once ran to be the president of Arizona and the party's founder, who is running to be president of the United States.



The party convened online Saturday for its second state assembly of the month, held so delegates could nominate additional candidates to slots that weren't filled during its first assembly and convention on April 4.  READ MORE HERE

Howie Hawkins Wins Wisconsin Green Party Primary

Howie Hawkins will take 2 delegates and Dario hunter will get 2 delegates.  Read more HERE

Reason.com: Libertarian Party Presidential Candidates React to Rep. Justin Amash Entering the Race

Libertarian Congressman Justin Amash

Some welcome, one wonders what took him so long, and one thinks the Libertarians should "stop nominating [former Republican] pricks!"

by Brian Doherty, Reason.com

Independent (formerly Republican) Rep. Justin Amash tonight announced a last-minute entry into the race for the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination. That it took him so long rubs fellow candidate, and the L.P.'s 1996 vice presidential nominee, Jo Jorgensen the wrong way. "I think it's unfortunate he didn't join the L.P. the day he renounced his Republican Party membership," she says in a phone interview tonight, "because we could have had a Libertarian in Congress, the first one ever, presenting the Libertarian message."

That he did not pledge fealty to the Libertarians publicly earlier, Jorgensen thinks, shows a politician perhaps more interested in gaining from the Libertarian's ballot access capacity and less about helping the Party grow—someone more into the Party for what's in it for him and not the cause per se.

Jorgensen notes she's been an L.P. stalwart since 1979 and has done some of the hard petitioning it takes to get the ballot access Amash wants to glom on to. Her years of work trying to sell the Liberarian message to a wide variety of audiences, she thinks, guarantees a candidate more able to communicate all the reasons to support a Libertarian than a newcomer to the Party such as Amash will manage...

To read article in full, click here.

Reason.com: Justin Amash Is Running for President as a Libertarian

Congressman Justin Amash

by Matt Welch, Reason.com

More than three years after first seriously contemplating it, one year after coming out in favor of impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump, nine months after leaving the Republican Party, two months after hitting pause on his congressional re-election campaign, and just 22 days before the Libertarian Party (L.P.) is scheduled to select its own nominee, Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan, the most libertarian member of Congress, has decided to form an exploratory committee about running for president.

"Americans are ready for practical approaches based in humility and trust of the people," the congressman tweeted Tuesday night. "We're ready for a presidency that will restore respect for our Constitution and bring people together."

The 40-year-old son of Middle Eastern immigrants (mom is from Syria, dad a Palestinian refugee) now seeks to become the limited-government standard-bearer against septuagenarian big-government competitors Donald Trump and Joe Biden. He would certainly be the most high-profile presidential candidate, and the first to concurrently hold elected office, in the Libertarian Party's half-century of existence...

To read article in full, click here.

Justin Amash Enters The Race for Libertarian Nomination

Justin Amash is throwing his hat into the race in what is becoming quite an interesting crop of third party candidates to vote for this year. While this is only an exploratory committee for the 2020 Libertarian nomination, this tweet seems to me like he is officially a candidate. "Let's Do This." =doesn't sound very exploratory. Amash joins a growing list of candidates for the Libertarian nomination and is the biggest name in the race being as he is a current member of the US House of reps representing Michigan's 3rd District. With tonight's announcement, he is making quite a splash on social media. 

Libertarian Party Mises Caucus QnA with Joshua Smith

The Constitution Party’s Donald Trump Dilemma: Version 2020

The Constitution Party (CP) will be choosing it’s Presidential nominee this Friday evening via teleconference, as its previously scheduled National Convention in St. Louis was cancelled due to the Coronavirus lockdown. In 2016 prior to the CP National Convention, I wrote an article entitled “The Constitution Party’s Donald Trump Dilemma” in which I explained why the CP needed to be very careful about how it handled Trump and the Trump phenomenon. Well, here we are four years later, and I believe a similar article is in order. Trump has proven to be such a divisive figure, inspiring both great love and great hate, that the political dynamics I was commenting on in 2016 are even more entrenched than they were four years ago, and the CP needs to position itself wisely if it wants to be more relevant to the broader debate.

First a little history for those not familiar with the Constitution Party. The Constitution Party is the only “further to the right” (of the Republican Party) party with a relatively national profile. There are “more conservative” (than the GOP) parties at the state level or that exist primarily as internet entities, but none have a significant national presence. It is appropriate to think of the Constitution Party as the conservative equivalent of the Green Party, which is the only “more liberal” (than the Democrat Party) party of any national prominence on the left.

Reason.com: Judge Jim Gray Thinks the Libertarian Party Needs Pragmatism, 'Stature' for 2020 Presidential Run

Judge James Gray

He thinks the government's COVID-19 reactions are overdone, and would like to run a campaign emphasizing fiscal restraint, agency downsizing, full marijuana legalization, and a non-imperial presidency.

by Brian Doherty, Reason.com

Judge James Gray, famous for speaking out against the drug war while serving as an Orange County Superior Court judge in 1992, and who was the vice-presidential nominee on the 2012 Libertarian Party (L.P.) ticket under former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson, announced this week that he's seeking the L.P.'s presidential nod.

When it comes to the general election, Gray says "the situation in our country calls for a third voice," and promises that a government formed by him and his already-on-board VP pick, Larry Sharpe, will be a "coalition" that tries to ease what he sees as currently untenable levels of cross-partisan hate.

He'd bring together Libertarians and independents, he says, along with Republicans and Democrats who can behave as if they are on board with the Libertarian message of "responsibility, financial and otherwise, and live and let live, don't tread on me or anybody." He'd make such Democrats and Republicans involved in his administration try to wrangle their non-L.P. colleagues in line with libertarian executive governance...

To continue reading, click here.

Virginia Constitution Party Chairman Comes Out In Opposition To Don Blankenship's Candidacy

To ALL Members of the Virginia Media, etc.

This Friday the National Constitution Party will be voting to Nominate a candidate for  President of the United States, result of the vote will be announced the next day.  There are two QUALITY Virginians, Charles Kraut and Sheila "SAMM" Tittle, seeking  the Presidential Nomination, but many are determined to nominate someone responsible  for the death of 29 miners, Don Blankenship. The attached message I sent to members  of the Constitution Party National Committee not telling them who they should  vote for, but who NOT to support, Don Blankenship. With Democrat Joe Biden being  accused of "Illegal Touching" and Donald Trump accused as a Sexual Predator, the time  could not be better for a woman and independent candidate for President to be elected. I received HOSTILE FIRE from Don Blankenship supporters for exposing the truth to them. John Bloom, Chairman, Constitution Party of Virginia http://constitutionpartyofva.org/ =  =  =  =  =  =  To ALL National Committee Members,  As the Chairman of the Constitution Party of Virginia, I am not going to endorse anyone  for President as VIRGINIA, has TWO QUALITY candidates seeking the National Constitution Party  Nomination for President, however I would like to provide some insight into both candidates.   Though you may not be a National Convention Delegate they are your State's representative  and I urge you to let them know who you support and more importantly who you do not support and why.

2020 Alliance Party Nominating Convention LIVE

Decentralized Revolution with Tom Woods: podcaster, historian, and best-selling author

Reason.com: Should Justin Amash Run For President?

Congressman Justin Amash

by Matt Welch, Katherine Mangu-Ward, and Mick Gillespie, Reason.com  

Since Rep. Justin Amash (I–Mich.) announced Wednesday that he has been "carefully consider[ing] a presidential run," presumably with the Libertarian Party, there have been three bits of interesting news:

1) An April 14-16 Morning Consult national poll of 1,992 registered voters, the first of its kind in seven months, had the libertarian congressman at just 1 percent, compared to Joe Biden's 46 and President Donald Trump's 42 (5 percent said "someone else" and 6 percent said they would not vote). Removing Amash's name from the options did not change the point-spread between the two leading candidates.

2) First-quarter fundraising numbers came in from Amash's 3rd Congressional District in Michigan, and—unsurprisingly, given his announcement that he stopped campaigning actively in mid-February while pondering his presidential future—the independent incumbent finished in...

To read article in full, click here.

American Delta Party Re-Qualifies in Delaware

Ballot Access News

Delaware parties that have at least 712 registered voters are ballot-qualified in 2020. The American Delta Party had dropped below that number earlier this year, but the party increased its registration during March, so that it now has enough to qualify. The April tally shows that it has 718 registered members.

Rocky De La Fuente founded the American Delta Party in 2016, as a vehicle for his presidential run.

West Virginia Libertarian Party Chooses 2020 Nominees in a Virtual Convention

Ballot Access News

The West Virginia Libertarian Party recently nominated some 2020 candidates by virtual convention. See this story. The party is ballot-qualified and nominates by convention.

Jerome Segal, Founder of Bread & Roses Party, Says Progressive Third Parties Should Not Run for President in 2020 in Swing States

Ballot Access News

The Philadelphia Inquirer has this story, which is mostly about Professor Jerome Segal, founder of the Bread & Roses Party. That party is on the ballot in Maryland, but nowhere else. Segal expresses the opinion that the Green Party and parties with similar ideas should not run for president in 2020 in swing states.

There is considerable evidence that left parties do not hurt the Democratic Party, but none of it is mentioned in the story. (1) political science research presented in “The Future of American Poilitics”, a 1950 book by Samuel Lubell, showed that Harry Truman would have lost to Thomas Dewey without the Progressive Party candidacy of Henry Wallace; (2) detailed poll analysis and election returns analysis from 2004 showed that Ralph Nader voters were more likely to vote for George W. Bush than John Kerry if Nader hadn’t been on the ballot; (3) the book “Predictably Irrational” by Dan Ariely presents psychological experiments that show if three choices are available, and two of them are similar but one of the similar choices if clearly superior to the other, then that superior choice gains, versus the choice that is not similar; (4) the Communist Party in 1936 determined that they wanted Franklin Roosevelt to be re-elected and they facilitated that by running their own nominee, who used his attention in the public forum to encourage the defeat of the Republican nominee, Alf Landon.

Dave Smith and Stefan Molyneux: HOW FREEDOM SURVIVES PANDEMICS

Dave Smith is a member of the Libertarian Party. 

Libertarian Party of Kentucky 2020 Presidential Debate

Jesse Ventura Submits 'Letter of Interest" for Green Party Nomination

Former Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has submitted a letter of interest to run for the presidential nomination of the Green Party.  The news was perhaps surprisingly received very positively on Twitter with people using words like "viable" and "Joe Biden is done for". His popularity is seemingly intact and he is no stranger to winning elections under a third party banner. Stay Tuned.

Howie Hawkins Takes Green Party Texas Primary, Wisconsin Up For Grabs

From Independent Political Report:

"The Green Party of Texas held a primary today using approval voting.  Longtime Green Party activist and founder Howie Hawkins won with 80 percent approval, more than double his nearest opponent. The result earns Hawkins 20 of Texas’ 26 delegates up for grabs in the primary. 

“Thank you, Texas,” tweets Hawkins, who leads all Green Party presidential candidates with a total of 71 delegates from Green primaries.  A total of 202 delegates secures the nomination ahead of the 2020 Green National Convention July 9–12 in Detroit. 

Hawkins’ closest opponent, Youngstown Board of Education member Dario Hunter, who current has a total of 27 delegates, received three from the today’s primary with 32 percent approval vote. Kent Mesplay tallied 26 percent for a total of two delegates. Susan Buchser-Lochocki earned the final delegate. 

Wisconsin also held a primary today, with four delegates up for grabs.  Results for that contest have not yet been reported."

National Progressive Party Formed

The Vermont Progressive Party, America's most successful third party with 9 Vermont State Reps and 1 State Senator and the Lt. Governor, has gone national with their platform and success.

Website: https://nationalprogressiveparty.org/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/WinningNewParty/

Several state affiliates are on social media inc. branches in Wyoming, Wisconsin, Ohio, Kentucky, Washington, Alaska, Louisiana, West Virginia, and of course Vermont among others..

Writer's Opinion: I am not the biggest fan of the progressive movement in this country. Even more so, I'm not a fan of voting for the Republican or Democratic Party. If you consider yourself as a 'progressive' within the Democratic Party, it's time you left that party and chose to be with like minded people whose leadership isn't sold to the highest bidder. Practice what you preach and step up to the plate and make this party a viable progressive choice in American politics. Make this a viable party to counter big money and the duopoly. This is your chance. -A.S.

Alliance Party Announce Presidential Ticket, Nominating Convention

4:00 PM - 6:30 PM EDT Greetings Friends and Allies, We are especially pleased to announce that we are convening the delegates of the several states for the purpose of the possible nomination of a presidential ticket.  This is a significant accomplishment for a party as young as we are. Due to the health crisis that we are all engaged in this will be done virtually online. You are invited to observe this convention on YouTube.  Shortly after 3:30 PM EDT on April 25th you will receive an email with the live link. In accordance with our by-laws, the National Committee has called this convention and delegated a Convention Committee to develop the rules. After speeches and presentation of the candidates, following a motion to nominate, each state delegate present will cast a yea or nay vote on the motion.  A majority of 50% plus one will carry the motion to nominate. Each state affiliate will cast one vote while protocol state affiliates will cast two, as per the by-laws. Acclaimed reformer and author Greg Orman will deliver the keynote. The national ticket being presented is: President:   "Rocky" De La Fuente (born October 10, 1954) is an American businessman and political reformer. He was the nominee of both the Reform Party and his self-created American Delta Party for President of the United States in the 2016 election.. That year he was also an unsuccessful candidate for the Democratic presidential primary. Vice President: Darcy G. Richardson (born December 6, 1955) is an American author, historian and political activist. He was the Reform Party of Florida's nominee for governor in 2018. In the 2012 presidential election, Richardson challenged incumbent Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination for president of the United States in five state primaries.

Judge Jim Gray Announces Libertarian Run For President

Judge Jim Gray

by Ryan Jenkins, 4-14-20

Long time political player Judge Jim Gray announced yesterday he would seek the LP nomination for president of the United States. Gray enters the Libertarian race pretty late with just about a month till the convention. Adam Kokesh also a candidate for that same nomination has been campaigning for two years now. Judge Gray also announced long time libertarian radio host and former New York gubernatorial candidate Larry Sharpe will serve as his running mate. On a live Q and A last night Larry made it clear it is a strict Gray/Sharpe ticket. I personally see many challenges for Jim Gray the fact he has not been able to campaign at any of the state conventions unlike all the other candidates. I guess we will see how many delegates he can win over. Larry Sharpe will most likely be able to win over delegates for Gray being a well liked figure in the Libertarian world. It is just a matter of time to see who gets the nomination.

Little info is known but here is a website

Kokesh/McAfee join forces to #EndTheFed

Adam Kokesh interviews Dr Mary Ruwart on #Coronaphobia

The Tom Woods Show: Doug Casey on the Coronavirus Fallout

How Would A Libertarian Solve The Pandemic Crisis?

Tim Moen interviewed on Decentralized Revolution

J.R.Myers: Declare 2020 A Universal Debt Jubilee!

Such a sudden seizure of the economy as we have witnessed with the COVID-19 pandemic requires immediate outside the box thinking.  Instead of piecemeal solutions that pit one segment of the population against another, such as a rent freeze, student loan forgiveness, grants, etc., we need a bold comprehensive initiative.  I am calling for an immediate Universal Debt Jubilee to reset the economy.  It is long overdue.  This is not a new concept.  In fact, it can be found in the ancient book of Leviticus 25:10;  

“And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year, and proclaim freedom [for slaves] throughout the land for all who live on it. It shall be a Jubilee for you, and you shall return, each man to his property, and you shall return, each man to his family.”  

According to the Chabad  organization, “In early April of year 2020 Jubilee year 120 will begin; which will be year 6000 from creation. The whole year 6000 will be holy; the first year of the next Sabbatical year will be year 6001 or from early April of 2021 through early April 2022.”

https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/513212/jewish/When-Is-the-Next-Jubilee-Year.htm

I believe that nothing short of a total global economic reset will work.  We cannot afford to allow ourselves to descend into the chaos of global depression.  Therefore, I am calling for the immediate declaration of 2020 as a Year of Jubilee for all of the inhabitants of the Planet Earth.