I just found out about Mia Love and now to a certain degree, I resent the LP

[Vanguard101]

I saw Compromise's Liberty Picks for 2014 and just clicked on Mia because she was a female. Found out she was Haitian (#TeamHaiti) and then I did a bit of research.
http://love4utah.com/issues/

I'd give her an 7.7/10.

She ran in 2012 for US House in UT and lost by about 800 votes.
Democratic Jim Matheson (incumbent) 119,803-48.84%
Republican Mia B. Love 119,035-48.53%
Libertarian Jim L. Vein 6,439-2.63%
Oh how this angers me. I see this a lot in some elections in Texas. The time has come for the LP to come back to the RP. Face it, we can't get elected that way and there are more liberty-minded Republicans that have made an impact than there are liberty-minded Libertarians.

[thoughtomator]

There's a certain percentage of people who have been burned so hard by the GOP that they will never vote Republican again. Nothing you can do to change that - if we are going to win on GOP lines, we need to win without those people. That's the tradeoff for the much greater number of votes that can be gained using the GOP line.

[Cleaner44]

My voting criteria is simple, if the Republican candidate is an ally of liberty, then I vote for them over the Libertarian. If the Republican is an enemy of liberty, McCain, Graham, corrupt neocon, etc, then I vote for the Libertarian over the Republican.

[angelatc]

I saw Compromise's Liberty Picks for 2014 and just clicked on Mia because she was a female. Found out she was Haitian (#TeamHaiti) and then I did a bit of research.
http://love4utah.com/issues/

I'd give her an 7.7/10.

She ran in 2012 for US House in UT and lost by about 800 votes.
Democratic Jim Matheson (incumbent) 119,803-48.84%
Republican Mia B. Love 119,035-48.53%
Libertarian Jim L. Vein 6,439-2.63%
Oh how this angers me. I see this a lot in some elections in Texas. The time has come for the LP to come back to the RP. Face it, we can't get elected that way and there are more liberty-minded Republicans that have made an impact than there are liberty-minded Libertarians.

I don't think most Libertarians can "come back" to the GOP, because most of them were never in the GOP. I think the LP is something that kids experiment with in college. They get disillusioned with politics and go on with life. Only a few people get the addiction.

[fr33]

I don't think most Libertarians can "come back" to the GOP, because most of them were never in the GOP. I think the LP is something that kids experiment with in college. They get disillusioned with politics and go on with life. Only a few people get the addiction.

If they go on with life, then they should abandon politics. You call them "kids" while admitting they are in college. How old are kids these days? Seems like you are enabling the entitlement millennials.

It seems that college has enabled people to not be a part of real life. I guess I'm in need of your prescription. I didn't go to college. When I was college-age I was more likely to vote republican. Now that I'm almost mid-thirties, I'm more likely to vote libertarian. Am I a kid or am I not "going on with with life". (I'm pretty sure I was going on with life when I was college-age)

[cajuncocoa]

Some people love to make generalizations. I was registered as "Independent" before 2007 when I registered as Republican to vote for Ron Paul. I am registered as "Independent" once again. I vote for LP candidates often, because there are no GOP candidates in my state worth getting in the car and driving to the polls for. I'm no kid.

[Vanguard101]

There's a certain percentage of people who have been burned so hard by the GOP that they will never vote Republican again. Nothing you can do to change that - if we are going to win on GOP lines, we need to win without those people. That's the tradeoff for the much greater number of votes that can be gained using the GOP line.

This has to be the problem. It's kinda annoying.

[kcchiefs6465]

This has to be the problem. It's kinda annoying.

That the Republicans have strayed so far they've neutered themselves?

Meh.

[KCIndy]

I saw Compromise's Liberty Picks for 2014 and just clicked on Mia because she was a female. Found out she was Haitian (#TeamHaiti) and then I did a bit of research.
http://love4utah.com/issues/

I'd give her an 7.7/10.

She ran in 2012 for US House in UT and lost by about 800 votes.
Democratic Jim Matheson (incumbent) 119,803-48.84%
Republican Mia B. Love 119,035-48.53%
Libertarian Jim L. Vein 6,439-2.63%
Oh how this angers me. I see this a lot in some elections in Texas. The time has come for the LP to come back to the RP. Face it, we can't get elected that way and there are more liberty-minded Republicans that have made an impact than there are liberty-minded Libertarians.

I can sympathize with your frustration, but don't forget that not all Libertarians are "leftover Republicans." Libertarian views on social issues often line up closer with the left than the right.

And no matter what, (remember you heard it here first!) I don't believe we've seen the last of Ms. Love anyway.

[UWDude]

I don't trust anyone that does not put their foreign policy beliefs on the front page. I wouldn't have voted for her.

She doesn't answer questions about foreign policy, according to this website, she fails the "political courage test". In other words, she won't say what her beliefs are.

Just another politician.

[CaptLouAlbano]

UTE PAC, which is run by Democratic attorney Dimitri Moumoulidis, spent $10,500 hiring a voter contact firm to call thousands of Utah's 4th District Republicans to tell them to forget about Matheson and Love and remember there is a third-party candidate. (source: http://www.deseretnews.com/article/8...me.html?pg=all). This isn't anything new as the LP has been used as a stooge by Democrats for years.

I think Love shouldn't have an issue this time. The CPVI for the district is R+16 and she is not facing an incumbent.

[Voluntarist]

xxxxx

[cajuncocoa]

I don't trust anyone that does not put their foreign policy beliefs on the front page. I wouldn't have voted for her.

She doesn't answer questions about foreign policy, according to this website, she fails the "political courage test". In other words, she won't say what her beliefs are.

Just another politician.

But...but...but...she's Republican. Didn't you read that?? What else do you possibly need to know?

[angelatc]

Why on Earth would anyone want something other than Coke or Pepsi?

I think the issue primarily arises when the LP runs against candidates that, in other circumstances, could easily be on their ticket. It seems, at times, to be a ticket of spite more than principled opposition.

For example, Vein ran on a relatively unknown platform, but it did include paying for child care with tax breaks, and forcing insurers to cover substance abuse. (It also appears that he can't quite string a written sentence together correctly.) Comparing his answers to her answers, which one seriously sounds more libertarian?

I plan on voting LP in the Senate race here in MI this time because the candidate the GOP is fielding is suspicious. But if Mia Love was running in Michigan, I'd certainly be voting for her.

[MichaelDavis]

Why on Earth would anyone want something other than Coke or Pepsi?

Since all of the other options taste like $#@!, I have to agree with you.

[jurgs01]

I saw Compromise's Liberty Picks for 2014 and just clicked on Mia because she was a female. Found out she was Haitian (#TeamHaiti) and then I did a bit of research.
http://love4utah.com/issues/

I'd give her an 7.7/10.

She ran in 2012 for US House in UT and lost by about 800 votes.
Democratic Jim Matheson (incumbent) 119,803-48.84%
Republican Mia B. Love 119,035-48.53%
Libertarian Jim L. Vein 6,439-2.63%
Oh how this angers me. I see this a lot in some elections in Texas. The time has come for the LP to come back to the RP. Face it, we can't get elected that way and there are more liberty-minded Republicans that have made an impact than there are liberty-minded Libertarians.

The Republican's job is to convince the people who vote for the libertarian that they are more liberty-oriented. If they don't, it's not the libertarians fault.

[jllundqu]

My voting criteria is simple, if the Republican candidate is an ally of liberty, then I vote for them over the Libertarian. If the Republican is an enemy of liberty, McCain, Graham, corrupt neocon, etc, then I vote for the Libertarian over the Republican.

This is a pickle. Look at the Virginia gov results. The Lib candidate screwed Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli is, in my estimation, a true friend of liberty. Sarvis (Lib) was even being bankrolled by Obama backers to ensure Cuccinelli got screwed (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepa...-race-n1737981

Now Virginia has one of the most liberal progressives in the nation as govenor.

[rpfocus]

If they go on with life, then they should abandon politics. You call them "kids" while admitting they are in college. How old are kids these days? Seems like you are enabling the entitlement millennials.

It seems that college has enabled people to not be a part of real life. I guess I'm in need of your prescription. I didn't go to college. When I was college-age I was more likely to vote republican. Now that I'm almost mid-thirties, I'm more likely to vote libertarian. Am I a kid or am I not "going on with with life". (I'm pretty sure I was going on with life when I was college-age)

Bingo. As a registered Libertarian, I guess I'm a "kid" too. Sounds like more "if you dont vote X, then you're Y" idiocy. How that work out for the people who tried to bully us into voting for Mittens in 2012?

[cajuncocoa]

Since all of the other options taste like $#@!, I have to agree with you.

Dr Pepper is pretty awesome.

[Vanguard101]

lolololol

[CaptLouAlbano]

I think the issue primarily arises when the LP runs against candidates that, in other circumstances, could easily be on their ticket. It seems, at times, to be a ticket of spite more than principled opposition.

For example, Vein ran on a relatively unknown platform, but it did include paying for child care with tax breaks, and forcing insurers to cover substance abuse. (It also appears that he can't quite string a written sentence together correctly.) Comparing his answers to her answers, which one seriously sounds more libertarian?

Truth be told, pretty much anyone can run on the LP ballot line regardless of their ideology. In Utah, a US House candidate only needs 300 signatures, the basic paperwork and a filing fee to be on the ballot. So one can register LP and go through the steps to get on the ballot. Unless someone else in the LP opposes their candidacy, the guy is on the Nov ballot. The Utah LP state committee is made up of 6 people, and at least two of them are related (source: http://www.lputah.org/organization/). There are no county committees. So hypothetically a Commie could run on the LP ballot line and I doubt anyone would really know.

[Deborah K]

I saw Compromise's Liberty Picks for 2014 and just clicked on Mia because she was a female. Found out she was Haitian (#TeamHaiti) and then I did a bit of research.
http://love4utah.com/issues/

I'd give her an 7.7/10.

She ran in 2012 for US House in UT and lost by about 800 votes.
Democratic Jim Matheson (incumbent) 119,803-48.84%
Republican Mia B. Love 119,035-48.53%
Libertarian Jim L. Vein 6,439-2.63%
Oh how this angers me. I see this a lot in some elections in Texas. The time has come for the LP to come back to the RP. Face it, we can't get elected that way and there are more liberty-minded Republicans that have made an impact than there are liberty-minded Libertarians.

I've never thought it wise to depend entirely on the GOP. While I do believe it can be a prong in a multi-pronged approach to advancing the cause of liberty, I really think it's necessary to infiltrate all parties with our philosophy.

[cajuncocoa]

I've never thought it wise to depend entirely on the GOP. While I do believe it can be a prong in a multi-pronged approach to advancing the cause of liberty, I really think it's necessary to infiltrate all parties with our philosophy.

I agree.

[angelatc]

I've never thought it wise to depend entirely on the GOP. While I do believe it can be a prong in a multi-pronged approach to advancing the cause of liberty, I really think it's necessary to infiltrate all parties with our philosophy.

Oh no disagreement there - I think that it's pretty obvious that we can't (and don't) depend on the GOP. But I think refusing to vote for a good GOP candidate simply because that candidate is running on the GOP ticket is every bit as dumb as voting for a bad candidate on the LP ticket for the same reason.

In Michigan, especially in Amash's district, the LP candidates tend to be liberals hoping to strip support away from Amash. I don't think it would honestly shock anybody to find out that the liberals used Vein for the same exact purpose against Love.

[KCIndy]

Truth be told, pretty much anyone can run on the LP ballot line regardless of their ideology. In Utah, a US House candidate only needs 300 signatures, the basic paperwork and a filing fee to be on the ballot. So one can register LP and go through the steps to get on the ballot. Unless someone else in the LP opposes their candidacy, the guy is on the Nov ballot. The Utah LP state committee is made up of 6 people, and at least two of them are related (source: http://www.lputah.org/organization/). There are no county committees. So hypothetically a Commie could run on the LP ballot line and I doubt anyone would really know.

Just goes to show how important it is for all of us to do our homework before hitting the voting booth. Personally, if I don't have at least a passing familiarity with the candidate - if I don't know where he/she stands on the basic issues pertinent to the office in question, I simply don't vote in that category.

[Deborah K]

Oh no disagreement there - I think that it's pretty obvious that we can't (and don't) depend on the GOP. But I think refusing to vote for a good GOP candidate simply because that candidate is running on the GOP ticket is every bit as dumb as voting for a bad candidate on the LP ticket for the same reason.

In Michigan, especially in Amash's district, the LP candidates tend to be liberals hoping to strip support away from Amash. I don't think it would honestly shock anybody to find out that the liberals used Vein for the same exact purpose against Love.

Well...there's nothin like cutting off your nose to spite your face.....

[compromise]

The good thing is that she's pretty much guaranteed the seat in 2014. Matheson is retiring and is the district is very conservative, the Republican is sure to win the general ection and given how well known she is from her first campaign she's definitely going to get the Republican nomination.

[Vanguard101]

I didn't really know that she was already so well known nationwide. She's been on Fox and The Blaze. I just wish she was elected earlier. We need more minorities, particularly blacks, to help the liberty movement more than ever. Imagine if Paul could have a black female as his VP.

[Cleaner44]

This is a pickle. Look at the Virginia gov results. The Lib candidate screwed Ken Cuccinelli. Cuccinelli is, in my estimation, a true friend of liberty. Sarvis (Lib) was even being bankrolled by Obama backers to ensure Cuccinelli got screwed (http://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepa...-race-n1737981

Now Virginia has one of the most liberal progressives in the nation as govenor.

Yeah, that is a shame because Cuccinelli isn't a neocon turd. Virginia is stocked with statists.

[Mr.NoSmile]

I didn't really know that she was already so well known nationwide. She's been on Fox and The Blaze. I just wish she was elected earlier. We need more minorities, particularly blacks, to help the liberty movement more than ever. Imagine if Paul could have a black female as his VP.

She probably would have, given how close the results were between her and Matheson. But with Matheson on his way out and her being so well known, all she really has to do is secure the nomination and defeat whomever the Utah Democratic Party nominates. No idea who that will be, though, so no knowing if all of Matheson's supporters will just show up and put a replacement Democrat in his seat.