Sunday, May 30, 2004

PERMALINK:

The Libertarian candidate has been chosen

Sunday, May 30th, 2004

In the most closely-contested race ever for the party's nomination for President, delegates to the Libertarian Party national convention, selected, on the 3rd ballot, Michael Badnarik of Texas to represent them in the 2004 elections.

Badnarik's nomination was a surprise to many, since his campaign was facing two other candidates with larger organizations and more celebrity. Gary Nolan, former radio talk show host, and Aaron Russo, movie producer, were the other principle candidates.

The first ballot was nearly a 3-way dead heat... Russo with 258 votes, Badnarik with 256, and Nolan with 246. That 12-vote spread between the top 3 candidates represented only a 1.6% difference (there were other candidates who received a few votes).

Michael:

On the 2nd ballot, Russo led with 285 votes, with Badnarik at 249 and Nolan at 244. LP rules stated that from the 3rd ballot on, the lowest scoring candidate in the previous ballot would be eliminated. Gary Nolan, with only 5 fewer votes, threw his support behind Badnarik and encouraged his supporters to do the same.

On the 3rd ballot, Badnarik received 423 votes to Russo's 344 and was declared the majority victor.

From a Badnarik speech on The War in Iraq, to the students and faculty of Washington University:

The definition of insanity is doing the same thing, over and over again, and expecting different results. If you continue to vote for the Republicans and Democrats, and you expect them to change our foreign policy in any significant way, then you are out of your mind. Instead of wasting your vote on the "lesser of two evils," I encourage you to cast a vote that will change the status quo. I urge you to join the Libertarian Party, and to vote for me in November of 2004.

Michael Badnarik may be the epitome of an American citizen candidate, drafted and endorsed to run for the highest office we have. It is no accident that his campaign opponents had nothing but good things to say about him. I met Michael when he attended and spoke at our Minnesota LP convention. He is hardly a typical politician. He listens more than he speaks, but when he does speak, it is from his heart with sincere, bold, and well-considered words. Badnarik's website is http://www.badnarik.org/

As Badnarik said in his acceptance speech:

What we have in 2004 is a unique
opportunity to change the world.

The United States was once a beacon of liberty to the world that gave hope to unfree people around the globe. Our national image no longer reflects those rays of hope, but it CAN do so once again, IF we can have the courage to send a message to Washington that we want a return to what made our nation great... LIBERTY. We must find the sense and courage to retake control of our government from the parties that have inflicted us with both international and domestic destruction.

I know that a great many of you reading this are incensed about the loss of 800+ of our best and brightest in a war that should never have been started. Badnarik, when elected, would bring our troops home from Iraq immediately. That position alone should be enough to get you to help him and vote for him. He would put an end to the disastrous War on Drugs, and much more that you are likely to find refreshing and positive. He is obviously a man to whom honor and honesty are much more than slogans.

As a Libertarian, I'm proud to have Michael Badnarik representing our party. I strongly urge you to get to know him, and to seriously consider just how wonderful it would be to have an honest man sitting in the White House.

# -- Posted 5/30/04; 10:10:58 PM