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 Between now and November, you're likely to have only a few occasions to learn about the Libertarian Party Presidential candidate. Despite the LP being far and away the largest "third-party" and having more people in elected office than all other "third parties" combined, American media is unlikely to provide a significant amount of coverage to him.
So, if you want to find out what that candidate stands for, and what plans he has to lead this nation out of our ever-deepening morass, you're going to have to do some investigation for yourself.
Is it important for you to know? Could your investigation make a difference in the outcome of the 2004 elections? Let me reprint a few
excerpts from a recent article in the Christian Science Monitor by Lawrence R. Jacobs, the McKnight Land Grant Professor and director of the 2004 Elections Project for the Humphrey Institute at the University of Minnesota... then I'll introduce you to 3 Libertarians working hard to get the nomination as the 2004 LP Presidential candidate.
A Humphrey Institute Survey found in February that 20 percent of voters are disaffected from the two major parties, and a significant number of them could be tapped by gifted candidates running as independent or Libertarian - if these candidates received the kind of press attention that Nader has attracted.
While Nader hurts the presumed Democratic nominee John Kerry, voters open to conservative third-party candidates who promote small government and criticize ballooning government budget deficits pose a significant threat to President Bush's reelection effort.
The support of voters for third-party candidates from across the political spectrum raises three challenges for pollsters, journalists, and other critical players in the presidential election.
First, pollsters who fail to offer voters the opportunity to indicate support for conservative third-party candidates run the risk of missing the dynamics of the race and providing an inaccurate picture of the evolving campaign.
Second, the press should expand its coverage to encompass the campaigns of potentially influential third-party candidates besides Nader.
Third, conventional assumptions about the electorate as polarized Republican and Democratic camps misses the trend of the last three presidential elections - third-party candidates are tipping the outcome of presidential elections.
Here are the 3 leading candidates for the Libertarian Party Presidential nomination. Libertarians will make their choice later this month at their national convention in Atlanta. If you want to have an impact on our future, or just want to know who may tip the results, check out the websites of these dedicated Americans. It's very possible that any one of them will appeal to you more than either Bush or Kerry.
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