Ex-GOP legislator tries to get Libertarians to quit Texas races

[JosephTheLibertarian]

http://www.independentpoliticalreport.com/2008/08/ex-gop-legislator-tries-to-get-libertarians-to-quit-texas-races/

check out the first comment....LOL


It’s insane how the Republicans always try to block the LP in anything they do. And to the IPR, I’m the Libertarian nominee for district 31 for state senate. What’s interesting about this is that I’m just 17, and I’m still in highschool. There will be a press release soon, but if anyone from IPR would like to speak to me or write an article, please be my guest. To learn more about my platform, please visit my Facebook group at:
http://www.facebook.com/groups.php?ref=sb Thank you. And my email is cooman456@gmail.com. We’re getting a legitimate website underway pretty soon.

I thought you had to be 30 to be a senator lol haha or at least 18 for any office hmm unless he's going to be turning 18.

[powerofreason]

U.S. Senate you have to be 30. Dunno about state senates, probably differs state to state.

[Anti Federalist]

Libertarians: A Pox on Both Your Houses

6:52 PM Wed, Aug 06, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Christy Hoppe E-mail News tips

Libertarians have been getting a lot of attention this month from Republicans and Democrats over Texas House races. Now they've had enough about both parties and their spinmeisters. Hint: it's why they've formed their own party.

It started when former House member and now lobbyist Suzanna Hupp phoned three Libertarian candidates running in close House races and begged them to drop out. The Libertarians said she mentioned board seats and other entitlements that couldn't legally be promised, but were a possibility.

Ms. Hupp is afraid Democrats could win those close races and control of the House could slip from GOP control. And she is a stalwart supporter of House Speaker Tom Craddick.

Then it came out that Libertarian chairman Pat Dixon attended a meeting with Craddick's chief of staff and other top aides in the Capitol.

Now, the Democrats went ballistic, making all sorts of accusations of backroom deals.

Well, Pat Dixon had something to say for both parties Wednesday night:.

"On Monday July 28 I received a call from the office of speaker Tom Craddick. It was an invitation to meet with chief of staff Terrell Smith to discuss issues of common interest. I am always happy to engage in respectful discourse whenever possible and happily accepted the invitation. Our executive director Wes Benedict accompanied me to the meeting at the speaker's office on Monday, August 4. The meeting could not have been more respectful and professional. We did discuss our honest differences of opinion and commitment to grow our party. We stated that while we have some common ground on economic issues, we feel that the Republican Party has departed from the principles of the free market and that we intend for our candidates to do their best to grow the Libertarian Party.

"In response to this, my counterpart in the Democratic Party, state chair Boyd Richie, is now proclaiming that the speaker is using unethical tactics by using his office and staff to strong-arm Libertarians off the ballot. He claims the speaker is trying to manipulate the election through shady dealings.

"I find this vapid rhetoric to be utter hyperbole.

"Mr. Richie should understand that the Libertarian Party has met with Democrats and Republicans over the years, and we are more than happy to accept their invitations. Instead of bitter partisan attacks, our party wishes to sincerely discuss issues of concern to Texas voters. The volume of these invitations have increased now that we are larger and stronger. The Ron Paul campaign motivated many liberty-minded people to become active.

"To suggest that these dealings are shady is easily refuted by their openness. The accusation that we are being strong-armed is dubious, since Mr. Richie was not in the room. I was in the room and I can tell you that the accusation is without basis. We were invited to participate and it was our decision to do so, so how were we strong-armed? The claim that it is unethical to use state-funded office and staff to discuss politics is so ridiculous that Mr. Richie should be embarrassed when voters read such inflated rhetoric. Every informed voter would not be surprised to find that politics are discussed in the state capitol by Democrats and Republicans alike. When these two parties engage in partisan bickering over creating gerrymandered voting districts to benefit their party, does that use tax-funded resources to undermine the electoral process?

"Boyd Richie should understand that unlike his party, Libertarians remain committed to the principles of individual liberty and social tolerance. We do not have a presidential candidate that votes to allow the federal government to listen to your phone calls without a warrant. We don't have a candidate for U.S. Senate whose position on the Iraq war is incoherent. We do not have candidates for the State House promoting statewide smoking bans, illegal cheerleading, and casting votes for absent legislators.

"It has become more clear that the Democratic Party does not offer any commitment to the principles of individual liberty and social tolerance that the voters expect. Even former Republicans like Kirk England can become their candidate. More voters looking for these principles realize they will only find that commitment in the Libertarian Party.

"It is my hope that the voters will make their decision on these important issues and have choices on the ballot that represent their sincere interests, instead of partisan hyperbole. Let us also hope that, regardless of the outcome in November, respectful and constructive dialogue is welcome and common ground can be sought."

http://trailblazersblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/08/libertarians-a-pox-on-both-you.html

[RPTXState]

Any way to find out what three Libertarians they talked to?

[Truth Warrior]

Welll, it certainly sounds like Texas. :D

[nobody's_hero]

Susanna Hupp is a hot lady. I'm a bit disappointed that she isn't offering Republicans positions in return for dropping out. :)

I figured that she'd realize by now that Republicans are no longer the saving grace of the 2nd Amendment.

[Cowlesy]

crazy Texans...

[Kade]

http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/08/03/0803libertarians.html

[Kludge]

Libertarians really should stand down and endorse the GOP nominee if their choice is truly conservative.

There's no reason the LP can't move toward a libertarian gov't gradually and having true conservatives (or even classical liberals) in office would help us move that direction.


(Cowlesy, stop that!)

[Kade]

Ahh, thanks for moving it Invisible Hand.

Bump.

[georgiaboy]

"The fact is, we've got redistricting coming up in a few years," said Hupp, from Lampasas, who served in the House from 1997 to 2007, "and if the Republicans lose the (Texas) House of Representatives because there are a handful of people mad at them and vote for the Libertarians instead, then we could be in big trouble at the federal level."

...

Allport said Huff told him that he could possibly meet with Christian to talk about issues that Allport would like to see pushed.

"She said that she couldn't promise me a board seat or some kind of incentive, but that was a possibility," he said.

Hupp said she was not offering board seats but was referring candidates to hundreds of boards where they could have their voices heard.

Wowza, what a find, Kade. This is spectacular.

One question -- wonder why, Ms. Huff (perfect name) isn't telling the Reps to drop out and push the Libertarian into office? Huh, Huh???



Full article:

Former GOP state representative asks Libertarians to drop out of races
Head of LIbertarian Party asking candidates to 'stand firm' after they were urged not to take votes from Republicans in close contests.
By Melissa Mixon, David C. Doolittle

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF


Sunday, August 03, 2008

A former Republican state representative called three Libertarian Party candidates for the state House on Friday to request that they drop out of their races rather than take votes from their Republican opponents.

Suzanna Hupp, who represented District 54 in Central Texas for 10 years, said she made the calls Friday because of concerns that the Libertarian candidates would take Republican votes and ultimately give Democrats control over state and national seats.

"The fact is, we've got redistricting coming up in a few years," said Hupp, from Lampasas, who served in the House from 1997 to 2007, "and if the Republicans lose the (Texas) House of Representatives because there are a handful of people mad at them and vote for the Libertarians instead, then we could be in big trouble at the federal level."

Hector Nieto, a spokesman for the Texas Democratic Party, said he isn't surprised by Hupp's calls given that Democrats need win only five seats in November to take control of the state House. Republicans currently hold 79 of the 150 seats in the House, Nieto said. Democratic lawmakers hold 71.

"Republicans are scared of losing seats," he said. "With control of the Texas House in the balance of this election, I wouldn't be surprised if Republicans try any trick in the book to maintain their grasps of control."

House representatives are responsible for congressional redistricting in the state, which occurs once a decade after each census. How those boundary lines are drawn to a great degree determines whether Republicans or Democrats get particular congressional seats, and how those lines are drawn depends on which party is in power at the time.

Hupp said she called three Libertarian candidates in races where she knew the margin between the Republican and Democrat candidate figures to be close in November. However, one day after she made the calls, Hupp said she could remember only two of the three districts where she had intervened.

The two districts, candidates and calls that Hupp remembered were the same two that Texas Libertarian Party Executive Director Wes Benedict already knew about and had told reporters occurred.

Hupp acknowledged calls to the Libertarian candidates for the House seats in District 64 (in North Texas) and District 9 (in East Texas). Hupp said the Republican incumbents in those races, Myra Crownover, R-Denton, and Wayne Christian, R-Center, respectively, did not know Hupp was making the calls.

District 64 Libertarian candidate Jason Jordan said that when Hupp called him, she was polite but was concerned that he would pull votes away from Crownover. Jordan said Hupp told him redistricting was coming up soon and — even if he didn't agree with Republicans on everything — "it's important they have a say in redistricting."

Jordan, a 25-year-old high school teacher who lives in Denton, said he has no plans to drop out of the race.

"I know how things work," Jordan said. "It's not always who has the best ideas but 'who do we need to push out of the way? This hit close to home, made me think, 'That's the way things are.' "

District 9 Libertarian candidate Joe Allport said he received a similar phone call Friday from Hupp.

"She was pretty direct. ... She said that she had heard there were two or three state representative races that she had heard would be close because there's a Democratic race," he said.

Allport said Huff told him that he could possibly meet with Christian to talk about issues that Allport would like to see pushed.

"She said that she couldn't promise me a board seat or some kind of incentive, but that was a possibility," he said.

Hupp said she was not offering board seats but was referring candidates to hundreds of boards where they could have their voices heard.

The Texas Republican Party spokesman, Hans Klingler, could not be reached for comment Saturday, nor could Christian or Crownover.

Benedict said he told Libertarian candidates to "sit tight and stay in the race" after the calls were made. "I told them that Republicans need to earn those votes," he said.

mmixon@statesman.com; 246-0043

ddoolittle@statesman.com; 246-0043

[JosephTheLibertarian]

Libertarians really should stand down and endorse the GOP nominee if their choice is truly conservative.

There's no reason the LP can't move toward a libertarian gov't gradually and having true conservatives (or even classical liberals) in office would help us move that direction.


(Cowlesy, stop that!)

You're a fool. I'm not a conservative, fuck conservatism!

M response to Hupp: fuck you!

[Kludge]

You're a fool. I'm not a conservative, fuck conservatism!

M response to Hupp: fuck you!


http://www.evilbeetgossip.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/06/angry_baby_head.jpg