Indiana's 8th US House District race

[Expat]

The Libertarian candidate for Lawrence County Sheriff, when asked what he'd do about attacking drug abuse in the county, said he'd employ and find ways to strengthen a tax payer funded drug intervention program.

Wouldn't that be stealing from tax payers?

 

[88GT]

In before the "He's not a real libertarian" posts.

 

[HoughMade]

Wouldn't that be stealing from tax payers?

Statist. Having no fact-based response to your statement, I am left with this.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

Wouldn't that be stealing from tax payers?

It's certainly not a position of holding people responsible for their own actions.

 

[GodFearinGunTotin]

In before the "He's not a real libertarian" posts.

He must be. He got 2.6% of the vote.

 

[88GT]

He must be. He got 2.6% of the vote.

LOL!

 

[hooky]

Please don't tell me you think we'd get less government with a libertarian. It would take a majority of libertarians to achieve that. They can't get one seat filled.

I merely said believing that the results of last Tuesday's election would result in less gov't is wishful thinking.

 

[andrewhorning]

I still voted for Horning. Before I became someone who paid attention to all sides of political issues, I volunteered for Bucshon. I worked his phone banks and went door to door. I will NEVER vote for him again. Even though he has faults, Andrew Horning was a much better candidate than Larry Bucshon. I can tell you with 100% certainty that one of Larry's staffers is adamantly anti-gun. In his own words, he is "An East Cost Republican." Those aren't the people I want representing me.

Thank you, sir!

 

[andrewhorning]

I find this analogy very interesting. The grand total of your strategy appears to be Anybody But _________ (Fill in the democrat). You compare this to chess? I'd say it's more along the lines of Duck Duck Goose.

Many libertarians, on the other hand, are looking at the long game. The future. I will acknowledge that there is a difference between R and D. Both are stripping away our liberties, but the R's seem to focus slightly less on taking away the liberties that are more personally important to most of us and to me.

If I cast my vote for a republican, that vote sends him a message: His policies will earn my vote. Do I want to send this message to him? Not particularly. Most of the Republicans that I voted for were progressive turds. Why should they change, if their voter base is permanent?

If I cast my vote for a libertarian, that vote sends the republican a different message: His policies likely lost my vote, and he can easily figure out which ones.

I am willing to sacrifice the marginally different 4 years with a democrat in power in order to send this message. If nothing changes beyond this two-party illusion of choice, I doubt that this nation will last my children's lifetimes.

In terms of chess: I'm trying to knock over the king, you're just trying to kill a few pawns.

Yes, but I'm sure you know that this is no game. Both Ds and Rs are militarizing the police in a country that already has the world's highest percentage of citizens in prison.
It's no game.
And the loyal Republicans are losing badly.

 

[andrewhorning]

Don't make me find the plethora of posts where we've been told exactly that.


Please don't tell me you think we'd get less government with a libertarian. It would take a majority of libertarians to achieve that. They can't get one seat filled.

Actually, lots of Libertarians have been elected; even to state legislatures. Several won here in Indiana.
The fact that nobody knows that isn't our fault.
And, in fact, Libertarians have been surprisingly effective in shaping policy, given our small numbers in office.

 

[andrewhorning]

I have to wonder why they even bother running.

Besides being wrong in your premise, the real question of the day is why anybody would bother voting for any D or R? That's the vote that needs some explanation.
I just offered an option. You picked the status quo.
You told the guys in charge that they're doing a good job. I think that's not a wise thing to tell them.

 

[andrewhorning]

Well, I thank some of you very much.
Some of y'all are really screwing up our country, and I wish you'd quit it.

How many of you watched the debates or any of the televised interviews like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMGw9agqZCQ ? Just wondering.

And just in case anybody wants to take a last look, I'll be taking down http://www.horningforcongress.com/ in the next few days.

 

[88GT]

Actually, lots of Libertarians have been elected; even to state legislatures. Several won here in Indiana.
The fact that nobody knows that isn't our fault.
And, in fact, Libertarians have been surprisingly effective in shaping policy, given our small numbers in office.

Okay, first, that last statement was hyperbolic sarcasm. I am well aware that Libertarians are elected.

Second, if you actually believe the bolded, I don't know whether to write you (personally) off completely or the Libertarian party as a whole.

Third, I would like to see some examples of the LP in Indiana shaping policy. What legislation has a Lib authored?

 

[88GT]

Besides being wrong in your premise, the real question of the day is why anybody would bother voting for any D or R? That's the vote that needs some explanation.
I just offered an option. You picked the status quo.
You told the guys in charge that they're doing a good job. I think that's not a wise thing to tell them.

What's wrong with my premise? Tell me with a straight face that the LP is ready to play politics in the big leagues. There are countless no-name D and R candidates that come from no where, without their party's backing, to beat an incumbent in the primary or the challenger in the general. Why can't the LP seem to make the same strides? I've never had an LP candidate canvas my neighborhood. Ever. But I've had both D and R candidates.

Well, I thank some of you very much.
Some of y'all are really screwing up our country, and I wish you'd quit it.

How many of you watched the debates or any of the televised interviews like this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMGw9agqZCQ ? Just wondering.

And just in case anybody wants to take a last look, I'll be taking down Horning for Congress in the next few days.

Blaming others for your failures is seriously unbecoming.

 

[andrewhorning]

This question is so chicken-and-egg-ish. Dead Duck voted using his strategy and he gets more government. Poptab voted his strategy and guess what? He gets the same prize. Libertarians, conservatives, constitutionalists are trying to cure the illness by trying to win elections. We might ease symptoms at the ballot box but the real cure needs to happen in the culture. Until then, we're going to whipsaw from one party to the other every election cycle or so and all the while, getting sicker and sicker.

Exactly right. Our country is sick in the heart and head.
If we cared half as much about politics as we do about sports; or if we researched elections to even the degree we research cell phones, we'd be a lot more free, equal, peaceful and prosperous.
Politics is just our reflection.
It is, sadly, a perfect reflection.

 

[andrewhorning]

What's wrong with my premise? Tell me with a straight face that the LP is ready to play politics in the big leagues. There are countless no-name D and R candidates that come from no where, without their party's backing, to beat an incumbent in the primary or the challenger in the general. Why can't the LP seem to make the same strides? I've never had an LP candidate canvas my neighborhood. Ever. But I've had both D and R candidates.


Blaming others for your failures is seriously unbecoming.

My failures?!?
I feel great about what I did. I am sorry about what voters did.
You should be too.

Oh, and if you think that Ds and Rs win because they're superhuman olympians of intellect...you need to read more.
I ran as a Republican once. I beat their slated candidate in the primary, and probably won the election (we proved significant fraud, but the GOP wouldn't back me for a recount). I wasn't any different than when I ran as an L before or after.

Think again.

Elections aren't about candidates, are they?

 

[HoughMade]

Screw wallet, I'm subscribed to this thread.

 

[88GT]

My failures?!?
I feel great about what I did. I am sorry about what voters did.
You should be too.

Yep. There it is again.

Frankly, I'm glad the 8th didn't put you in office.

 

[andrewhorning]

Anyway, I really would like to know how many attended any debates, or saw any interviews.
I know the media were terrible this time around.
But it looks like, out of over 170K voters, only a few hundred actually watched any of the posted videos of either the last debate, or interviews like the one I posed above.

...Anybody?

 

[Blackhawk2001]

Andrew, until the Democrats - as a political party - are relegated to irrelevance, the Libertarians are not a viable alternative to Republicans. You don't have the organization, popularity or program to even win against Republicans, much less the playing-for-keeps Demoncrats, so it's not surprising that you're not getting any traction in even local elections. As I've been hearing alot lately, our culture has changed - and obviously you Libertarians aren't getting the culture to change the way you want it.

When the choice gets to be between a Republican and a Libertarian in an election, with the Demoncrats playing "spoiler", I'll be happy to listen to what your party has to say. Until then, why don't you keep working to change the culture and stop whining about not being chosen to elective office.