Topic: Presidential Campaign 2008
LP: I Can't Believe I Watched the Whole Thing But I did, every television ad, every nominating speech and the endless mob scenes.by rtbohan
(libertarian)
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
it wasn't as bad as re-runs of Matlock, or as entertaining as an overtime game of college football. I would rate it somewhere between QVC and the Weather Channel on a calm day.. But I sat there and watched the whole thing, through all six ballots. And while it was not entertaining, it had its moments of rather sordid drama and its points of interest.
On the whole, I was most impressed, as I had been before, by the performances of Christine Smith and Mary Ruwart. Ms Smith, I found out in the speech nominating her, was not indluded in the debate because she did not acquire the necessary tokens from the delegates to qualiffy for the debate. She had realized that might be a problem, and it was that which disqualified her. As I said in my earlier article on the debate, C-Span was indicating that disqualification might be due a requirement of the Party for a donation. I did not think this was the cause, and was glad to find that it was not. Mr. McKinney, in nominating her, said that she had tokens, but not enough to qualify her, so she gave them to other candidates who were short of the necessary tokens. Given who some of the candidates were in the debate did, that may have been a mistake
The first candidate nominated was Wayne Allyn Root. He began with a television ad from Mancow Muller. Root's nomination was greeted with very little enthusiasm from the delegates. He was seconded by his daughter, whom he nominated for President in 2028, follwing his two terms in office. He promised to speak from his heart, and he probably did, since there was no evidence of brain involvement and he spoke mostly about his family and about the money he could raise.
Bob Barr was the second candidate placed in nomination, and there was more enthusiasm among the delegates than there had been for Root. As evidence of his libertarrianism, his nomination was seconded by a representative of the Marijuana Project, who praised Barr for working to correct his mistakes of the past. Barr gave the best speech I have heard from him, promising no compromise of libertarian principles.
Christine Smith was nominated, and gave a good speech, which was not well received by the delegates. Because a part of her campaign for the nomination was a promise to reform the party and she gave indications that there was vote buying and selling among the delegates before the convention began, this was not surprising. Sh did state her commitment to a broad based libertarian platform, and promised to take her campaign into the black community and the immigrant community, something the other candidates do not seem capable of doing.
Mary Ruwart was nominated by Barry Hess to the most enthusiastic reception of any of the candidates. She said she did not recognize right, left or center libertarianism, bu broad based libertarianism and promised a team effort.
George Phillies was nominated with enthusiastic support primarily fromthe Masssachusetts delegation. Although his campaign prior to the convention had included stinging attacks on both Root and Barr, he apparently agreed to be polite during the convention, and offered no criticism of the other candidates either in the debate or in his nomination speech.
David Nolan, one of the party's co-founders, placed Steve Kubby in nomination. Strangely, he spoke several times about "the seven candidates" for nomination. Since, as he knew, eight candidates were scheduled to be nominated, it was strange he did not say whom he was excluding. (Before someone brinags it up, at no time did he say "seven other candidates"). Mr. Kubby, as he had at the debate the night before, appeared tired and ill. His nomination seemed more a tribute to someone who had done great work for liberty in the past than a serious effort to be nominated.
And then things began to get strange. Michael Jingozian was nominated for President to moderate enthusiasm. He promised a well organized and financed campaign. and called on the party to "get in the game to compete."
And then, without withdrawing, he placed the name of Mike Gravel in nomination Gravel said he was for civil rights for all, and then gave a speech for his "Democracy Initiative"
After the nominations were completed, there was a Barr parade across the front of the hall which was received with boos from most of the delegates. It looked a little too much like collusion with the party leadership to stampede the convention to Barr.
The first ballot showed where the real contest lay: Barr 153, Ruwart 152, Root 123, Gravel 71, Kubby 41, Jingozian 23 and Smith 6.
Michael Jingozian and Christine Smith, having failed to achieve 5% of the votes were eleiminated. Mr. Jingozian then had his second moment in the limelight, and it was as strange as the first. He asked his supporters to vote for Senator Gravel, and announced that he had a partnership with Gravel under which the Semator would be the candidate and Jingozian's company would provide the advertizing campaign. Christine Smith withdrew not only from candidacy but from the party (as she had said she would do in her pre-convention campaign) and denounced the party as having capitulated to the neocons.
Neither of these speeches had much effect on the delegates. Gravel's vote on the second ballot actually declined, and the vote for the three leaders left them in the same positions as before. Barr 188, Ruwart 162, Root 146,Gravel 71, Phillies 36, Kubby 32. As the candidate receiving the least number of votes, Kubby was eleiminated and endorsed Ruwart.
Having held the lead for two ballots, the Barr supporters were already approaching the other major candidates, Ruwart and Root, to see if a deal could be made with the offer of the vice presidential nomination. On the third ballot, the vote was Barr 186, Ruwart 186, Gravel 78, Root 146 and Phllies 31. Phillies was eliminated and withdrew without endorsing a candidate, although most of his supporters seem to have gone to Ruwart.
On the fourth ballot, the vote was Barr 202. Ruwart 202. Root 149, Gravel 78. Gravel was eliminated and made no endorsement. He later told reporters than he had not intention of seeking the nomination of another party or runniing as an independent, and had made his last effort in electoral polities.
On the fifth ballot the vote was Ruwartt 229, Barr 223, Root, 165. Root was eliminated and followed Jingozian into the twilight zone. He announced that he was endorsing Bob Barr and would be Barr's running mate in 2008 and 2012, and would be the successful Libertarian candidate for President in 2016 and 2020. he was confident of his election because he intended to spend the next eitght years and Barr's side and learn everything he coule about being a politician. Personally, I have always thought that Root was a competent politician but that he needed to learn more about liberty and more about the operations of government. The moment was not only strange but scary. One thing that must be said about the LP politicians is that they do not make their crass deals in back rooms, they do it from the platform in front of the delegates.
And it worked. On the sixth and final ballot, the vote was Garr 324, Ruwart 276. Ruwart announced that she would continue to write and speak on libertarian topics but would not be involved in the campaign. Root got his vice presidential nomination on the second ballot.
And so it will be a B-Root Libertarian ticket this year. When Barr first expressed interest in seeking the Libertarian nomination, I said that I would probably vote for him in November. Now I can only say that I will possibly vote for him in November. If the Barr-Root coalition continues after this year, it would be the last vote I cast for a candidate of theat party.
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The views expressed in this
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Posted By: Steve Dasbach
Date: 2008-05-27 13:22:39
Given the level of support for Barr, Root, and Ruwart, the Barr-Root ticket was the only one that could obtain the support of a majority of the delegates. I would have personally preferred Barr-Ruwart, but Ruwart had made it clear that she was not open to serving on the ticket with Barr. A Ruwart-Root ticket was even less likely.
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