The anti-Barr party endorses the anti-Barr candidate in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. by George Dance
(libertarian)
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
The August 11 on-line edition of Freedom News Daily carries a press release announcing that, on August 8, the Boston Tea Party National Committee (BTPNC) unanimously endorsed George Phillies as its presidential candidate in New Hampshire and Massachusetts.
Phillies, of Worcester, MA, was a presidential candidate at the Libertarian Party convention in Denver in May. He placed fifth, and was eliminated on the third ballot. Former Republican Congressman Bob Barr won the nomination after six ballots.
However, Phillies' name was used as a placeholder on ballot access petitions in some states where the deadline to submit signatures fell before the Libertarian nominee had been selected. After the convention, the Secretaries of State of both MA and NH refused to substitute Barr's name.
The BTPNC also endorsed Phillies's running mate, Chris Bennett of Illinois. Bennett is an at-large member of the BTPNC.
"We nominated our national presidential slate too late to get it on the ballot in those states," explains BTP National Chair Jim Davidson. "Fortunately, George and Chris are well qualified to offer the voters of Massachusetts and New Hampshire a real libertarian alternative to the sad major party tickets." [Stress added]
The Boston Tea Party was founded in 2006. Wikipedia says that: "After an early period of activity, it became moribund in late 2007. However, there was a flurry of new activity by party members in late spring of 2008," as some Libertarians upset with Barr's nomination joined the smaller party.
As late as Aug. 9, the Worcester Telegram & Gazette was reporting that:
George D. J. Phillies is a reluctant candidate. Actually, he says he's not a candidate at all.
The Worcester man, a physics professor at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, is so unwilling to stand for office in November's election that he is taking part in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts against Secretary of State William F. Galvin's office seeking to be removed from the ballot as the Libertarian Party's standard-bearer for president.
Mr. Phillies, 60, says that while his party's state committee chose him as its nominee here, he told state election officials in Mr. Galvin's office last spring that if he did not win the national nomination at the party's convention in Denver last May, he would want the winner to substitute for his place on the state ballot....
After the May 25 convention, Mr. Phillies asked the Secretary of State's office if he could substitute the names of Mr. Barr and Mr. Barr's running mate, New York businessman Wayne A. Root, for his name. But in June, election division officials denied the request....
Mr. Phillies is not a big fan of Mr. Barr, even though he says he plans to vote for him and supports him as his party's nominee.....
"I think most of the state members of the party will not be heartbroken if this suit is not settled until after Nov. 4," Mr. Phillies said. "But if you want to be a good man or a good woman, you have to keep your word."
However, according to the BTP release, "With the disintegrating Libertarian Party conducting a lackluster campaign on behalf of national nominee Bob Barr, Phillies chose to continue running an active effort of his own.
'Freedom-lovers in Massachusetts and New Hampshire will not be deprived of the opportunity to support a libertarian presidential ticket so long as I have the ability to offer them that opportunity,' says Phillies, 61, of Worcester."
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Sources:
"[FND] 08/11 -- Mars needs saloons!; George Bush: Let my people go," Visa Analysis, Aug. 11, 2008. http://visa-analysis.blogspot.com/2008/08/fnd-0811-mars-needs-saloons-george-bush.html
The views expressed
in this article are those of George Dance only and
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