Last year's Libertarian candidate for Governor of North Carolina, Dr. Michael Munger of Duke University, had to listen to the same accusations that GOPers like to bring against Libertarians: Quit this stuff--you're electing Democrats and we're waaay better than them. [Of course, this ignores the fact that in the 2008 election Michael actually pulled more votes from the Democratic candidate than from the Republican, but facts rarely seem to matter in this kind of discussion.] At any rate, Dr. Munger [who admittedly once was a Republican] ends a post at Kids Prefer Cheese about conservative thought and arguments with these words: I should point out that these plausible proposals have NOT risen to the forefront of the Republican agenda. (Yes, even these proposals are pretty tepid, and would hardly satisfy a Libertarian, but I am thinking in directional terms here: The Rs are still going fast in the wrong direction! ) And so I am still most definitely not a Republican . You ...

Recognize this scenario? "...the Certificate of Hawaiian Birth was issued based on ***'s typewritten testimony, rather than on any documentation from witnesses... After receiving a few years of local school, at age thirteen, *** went to live in Honolulu...*** enrolled in Oahu College (now Punahou School) for further studies for one semester, from which he graduated. He was soon sent home to *****, but he returned to Hawaii at least twice, in **** and ****...In ****, his alleged birth in Hawaii was certified. He applied for naturalization and became a citizen of the United States and was issued an American passport...*** attached particular importance to the ideas of Alexander Hamilton and Abraham Lincoln...He incorporated these ideas, later in life, in two highly influential books...His ideology remained flexible, however, reflecting his audience as much as his personal convictions...It is an open matter of debate whether this eclecticism reflected a sincere effort to incorpor...

From the Kansas City Star : JEFFERSON CITY | Gov. Jay Nixon on Thursday blamed the "overzealousness" of a Missouri State Highway Patrol unit for a report slammed by conservatives because it links various right-wing organizations with the modern militia movement. The Democratic governor faced numerous questions about the report and how the state's police agencies gather intelligence during a news conference following a signing ceremony for legislation creating two new state accounts for federal stimulus money. "I'm confident that some of the overzealousness of this previously formed unit will be appropriately managed," Nixon said. It is clear, however, that Nixon is just trying to stay ahead of the firestorm of criticism this report has brought: Anger over the report's conclusions has bubbled among conservatives for weeks. The controversy intensified Wednesday after Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder held a news conference in the Capitol and called for Nix...

This from KidsPreferCheese about the 2008 Libertarian gubernatorial candidate in North Carolina: I do have some small part in this movie. Have achieved minor cult status, as the review of a showing at the Kennedy Center reveals: The left-wing “academics” portrayed in "Indoctrinate U" have an almost comic-book-like rigidity, and yet they take themselves with the utmost seriousness. The absurdity of campus life was summed up by conservative professor Michael Munger in a line that had the entire Kennedy Center audience hooting and cheering. After describing how most university classes — whether it be English, science, or government — tend to begin with a long political harangue by the teachers to condemn the war in Iraq or ridicule George W. Bush, he concluded, “What most faculty want is for students to validate their pathetic life experiences.” Michael, Delaware blogger Hube would point out that you should never apply for a position at the University of Delaware. Guess you...

Dr. Michael Munger did it! Unofficial counts give him 2.87% of the vote in the gubernatorial race, which guarantees the Libertarian Party of North Carolina ballot access through 2012 in one of the worst states for ballot access in the country. More to the point: Munger said in a released statement that although he had obviously lost the race for Governor of North Carolina, the Libertarians had won a victory by "enormous requirements to stay on the ballot and not have to get the damn signatures." "This is just the first step," Munger added. "We got the signatures and we satisfied the requirements of the State by playing 'Simon says' in just the way they want us to." Munger said he will seek the Libertarian Party nomination for a NC State Senate seat in 2010 and again will run for governor in 2012.

The best analysis of a no bail-out/no sell-out scenario is at Red State . You should read the whole thing, but here's the gist: What happens if we let Mr. Market handle the problem all by himself? At this point, credit markets are largely frozen in place, waiting on Congress to excrete or get off the pot. Financial institutions are extremely reluctant to lend any money to each other, even overnight, for fear of trading with someone who will declare bankruptcy tomorrow. That means the normal ebb and flow of ordinary commerce around the world is severely impacted. Every day we wait is forgone economic activity that will never come back, and over time that will make the economy smaller than it would have been. That means job losses and smaller retirement savings accounts. Now what if Congress pulls the plug and adjourns without doing anything? The credit crunch will then resolve itself with a large wave of bankruptcies by banks and financial firms, large and small, around the world....

... could best be found (or lost) in the Bobster's home state. Insider Advantage had him at 7.6% in May. Insider Advantage had him at 5.6% and Zogby had him at 8% in June. Rasmussen had him at 5% in mid-July; Insider Advantage reported him at 5% by month's end. Rasmussen had Barr dropping to 3% in August. The highest Barr appears in any September polls is 3% in Strategic Vision and 1% in Public Opinion Strategies. Rasmussen, Insider Advantage, American Research Group, and Survey USA all found that Barr had completely disappeared from the radar , polling at less than 1% where he show up at all. This is clearly a Bob Barr collapse, and not a Libertarian collapse in Georgia, as the countervailing case of Libertarian Senate candidate Allen Buckley proves: Buckley was not even included in polling questions until August, when Mellman Group showed him at 3%. During the month of September (aided by a series of debate and forum appearances), Buckley has been placed at 2% (Rasmussen), 4%...

... he doesn't allow the bureaucrats and the politicos to buffalo him into believing we're on the brink of the New Great Depression : When you hear someone say “The government bailout of Wall Street,” make a mental substitution: “The taxpayer-funded bailout of Wall Street.” And then remember that we have a federal debt bigger than Jupiter. Deficits are future taxes. The bailout is simply a way of allowing irresponsible lenders to escape unharmed. If you have a mortgage, and can't pay, then you are responsible. If AIG has debts and can't pay, our leaders want to soak taxpayers for the bill. The point is that you can't take money away from taxpayers who earned it, give it to the financiers who squandered it, and call that a good policy. There is no danger of another Depression, which was caused by a deflationary monetary policy. We are facing a temporary credit crunch, and it will sort itself out if we leave it alone. Things aren't so bad that a panicked bunch of...

... is that he believes in the right of the State to kill prisoners, as long as the State is careful about it. According to the AP , Bob Barr wrote recently to the Clemency Board in Georgia on behalf of convicted killer Troy Davis: Barr wrote the board Wednesday saying he is "a strong believer in the death penalty as an appropriate and just punishment" but said the proper level of fairness and accuracy required for the ultimate punishment has not been met in Davis' case. Maybe part of this non-Libertarian belief in the State's right to execute prisoners is part of the reason that Bob Barr is polling at 2% in North Carolina, whereas Dr Michael Munger--a death penalty opponent--is garnering 6%. Food for thought, eh?

Here [courtesy Last Free Voice ] are excerpts from Dr Michael Munger's education commentary after he was again excluded from a major gubernatorial debate in North Carolina. First, on the debate itself: The Democratic and Republican candidates held another alleged debate today, sponsored by a supposedly non-partisan group, which excluded the third candidate in the race. Predictably, their answers focused on how they are going to fix the problem by using government power. The event was ironically held under the banner: “Education: Everybody’s Business.” Everybody, that is, except those who challenge the status quo, including a professor with nearly 25 years as an educator. Compounding the irony was the fact this “public” forum was held on private property and attendance was by invitation only. The program was recorded by the NC Telecommunications Association, another supposedly non-partisan group, and will be aired by WUNC on cable systems across the state. News14 Carolina aired the ...

This from Now Public on May 19, 2008, which I missed at the time, but which contains some excellent points (some excerpted below): 1. What motivated you to run for Governor of North Carolina? I have been a political scientist for nearly 25 years. I have testified before the U.S. Senate on campaign finance law, I have written books, and many articles about campaigns. But I have never seen a campaign from the inside. Then, once I started the campaign, I became very involved in the ballot access movement here. That is the most important issue, I think. But there are other issues I care about, including ending corporate welfare and ending capital punishment in our state.... 4. What can the Libertarian Party offer North Carolina that the Republicans and Democrats are unable or unwilling to offer? There is no real difference between the state-sponsored parties. Both depend on the state for their existence, using public financing and the public purse to pay off their supporters. Both...

After major polling organizations strangely ignored Dr Michael Munger in their May questioning (following his strong showing in April polls), the Libertarian candidate for Governor has abruptly re-appeared in June polling data. Thus, at Real Clear Politics , we find: In a year in which the one thing missing is a number of good governor's races, add North Carolina to the list. For the second month in a row, a conservative think tank in the Tar Heel State released a poll showing a tight race between two candidates who made it through contentious primaries. Democrats, it appears, are going to need to play serious defense to keep outgoing Governor Mike Easley's seat, while Republicans have a real opportunity. The poll, conducted 6/11-13 among 600 registered voters, has a margin of error of +/- 4%, and was conducted by Tel Opinion Research, a GOP firm in Alexandria, Virginia, on behalf of the Civitas Institute. Lieutenant Governor Beverly Perdue, the Democratic nominee, and Charlott...

Mr. Allan Head, Executive Director of the NCBA, has not responded to any of my inquires regarding his organization's decision to exclude Libertarian gubernatorial candidate Dr Michael Munger from its upcoming debate this Saturday. Mr. Head, however, apparently felt constrained to answer NC attorney, Lenoir NC city council member, and Libertarian T. J. Rohr, when he asked much the same question. The entire exchange is reprinted at the Munger Campaign blog , but here's a taste: Mr. Head: With regard to the annual meeting, 10 months ago we invited all announced candidates, Those coming accepted our invitation. I believe Dr Munger did not qualify until May 22nd. By that time we had confirmed the other candidates and firmed up times for our convention Saturday morning that is full of award recognitions, elections, a Judicial candidate’s forum, as well as gubernatorial and senatorial forums. We could not add another award or candidate if we wanted to. So, I hope that speaks to your...

I know that we have lots of political differences, but the one thing that has always tied the Delaware blogosphere together is a commitment to open government and transparent process. Part of that is the commitment to letting all legitimate voices be heard no matter how much we may disagree with them. Currently, in North Carolina, there is a situation that needs our attention, and--if you're willing--our voices. North Carolina has some of the most restrictive ballot access rules in the nation. Despite that fact, the Libertarian Party of North Carolina this year raised over $200,000 and did the legwork to collect 108,000 signatures to get the party, and gubernatorial candidate Michael Munger on the statewide ballot for the first time in history. Michael you have all met through my previous posts, if you are a regular reader. He is the Chair of the Political Science Department at Duke University, who recently gave the keynote address at the Libertarian National Convention. He is ...

That's the general consensus over at Delwareliberal , where it is fascinating to watch our more progressive friends pile up an ever bigger and longer list of items they want the State to monitor and regulate. But let's do a reality check. Did you know that roughly a dime's worth of the cost of a gallon of over-priced gasoline can be traced to the fact that-wait for it-- our government actually imposes an import tariff on foreign ethanol ? That's right: $.54/gallon on foreign ethanol entering our country. According to CNN : The import tariff of 54-cents a gallon on ethanol - a required component in gasoline - keeps the price of imported ethanol high. Much imported ethanol is made from sugarcane which is cheaper-to-produce than domestic corn-based ethanol. The fact that the government has a tariff on any energy product in these times of high prices is illogical to some. "We don't have a tariff on oil or natural gas or anything like that," said Bill Koetzle...

. . . which is a good thing, because it's literate, impassioned, and carefully critical without being cynical. Waldo has functioned, on and off, as a part of my conscience for over thirty years. Sometimes when he did not even know he was doing so (I do remember Mitch P. and the injustice too few people--including myself--were willing to see.) So, as I contemplate what a Libertarian does when confronted with a Barr/Root candidacy, I have to take this argument into account: But if I were a card-carrying Libertarian, I'd be majorly pissed at the idea of my party being led by the likes of Bob Barr. For one thing, I'd be upset that a party would nominate a man who by his own admission was wrong about most of the great issues of his time in Congress. He was for the Patriot Act; now he's against it. Munger says, well, politics is about the art of the possible. You have to make compromises. Which is true. But the compromises that brought Barr around weren't substantive;...

Michael Munger is the Libertarian candidate running for Governor in North Carolina . He's polling around 4% . He's also the Chair of the Department of Political Science at Duke University. His regular blog (which I've just added to the blogroll on the left) is Kids Prefer Cheese . Munger is a gentleman and a team player. It is fairly obvious if you read his positions on same-sex marriage , victimless crimes , and corporate welfare , that Michael and the new Richard Viguerie-Shane Corey-Bob Barr-Wayne Allyn Root party line is not necessarily his brand of Libertarianism. Yet when Michael shared the keynote speech honors with Viguerie at the convention--even though I noted he gave quite a different type of speech -- he went out of his way to say positive things about Viguerie after the fact . Likewise, in the aftermath of the Bob Barr nomination, Michael published For Those Upset About Bob Barr , which is brief enough to quote in its entirety: For those upset about the Bob...