Fresh Loaf

The Libertarian Party of Atlanta (!) is calling for Mayor Shirley Franklin to publicly apologize and Atlanta Police Chief Richard Pennington to resign over the APD’s Thursday night raid on popular gay bar The Eagle. The chapter says the APD “acted in a manner that would have been common in a different age” during the controversial bust and should “[use] their officers to protect the citizens of Atlanta, not [raid] a private club containing a group of consenting adults.”

From a Libertarian Party press release:

THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY OF ATLANTA DECRIES THE ACTIONS OF THE ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT RAIDING THE EAGLE.

ATLANTA – The Libertarian Party of Atlanta is deeply disturbed by the actions of the Atlanta Police Department (APD) when they raided popular Atlanta gay bar, The Eagle on September 10th. . In June 2009 according to statistics published by the APD, 331 crimes against persons were committed and there were 3,379 crimes against a property reported. The APD should be using their officers to protect the citizens of Atlanta, not raiding a private club containing a group of consenting adults.

The government has no right to determine what is a permissible activity within a private space between consenting adults. The Atlanta Police acted in a manner that would have been common in a different age. The Libertarian Party of Atlanta believes that all individuals, regardless of sexual orientation, preference or gender identity, deserve to be treated respectfully by the government and its agents.

It is to this end that we call for a public apology from Mayor Franklin and the resignation of Chief Pennington for this egregious abuse of government power and the rights of individuals.

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Christopher Barber, who wants ballot access eased, said we could use this awesome photo of him and one of God's most poetic creatures

For decades, most third-party candidates in Georgia who wanted to gain ballot access have had to circulate petitions and gather signatures. The process has been derided as unfair, unnecessary and an obstacle to public service.

And now, a Libertarian Party of Georgia member has asked Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel — who’s also a gubernatorial candidate — to ease third-party ballot access in the Peach State.

In a letter sent last Friday to the Secretary of State’s office, DeKalb County resident Christopher Barber — who’s allowed me to reveal his identity as the mysterious “man in the Hawaiian shirt” from previous posts — asks Handel to embrace the Internet and TEAR DOWN THIS WALL.

Barber says allowing potential candidates to petition via e-mail for ballot access would save her department — and in turn, Georgia taxpayers — money.

Judging that Handel has been gung-ho on cutting her department’s waste and keeping elections fair — and considering the allure of winning the kind graces of the burgeoning number of residents who identify with the Libertarian platform — this should make for some interesting theater.

More from the letter — and a copy of the letter itself — after the jump.

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JASON PYE: No tea and no sympathy for Republicans who neglected to complain about big government when Republicans were the ones growing it.

The Washington Independent’s David Weigel interviewed local Libertarian Jason Pye about mainstream Republicans piggy-backing on the Tea Party protests.

In Pye’s estimation, the participation of people like Newt Gingrich taints the tea party’s small government message:

“Bringing in someone like Gingrich takes away from the message,” said Pye, a Libertarian Party activist and writer who lives in the suburbs outside Georgia’s capital city. “It makes the people putting together the rallies look like pawns, for lack of a better term.”

Last November, we profiled Pye on our list of Atlanta’s 11 Least Influential People. He has since made us look bad for bestowing that honor upon him by showing up on lists of influential Liberatarian bloggers and writing a column for the Examiner. How un-un-influential of him.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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How’s that for a headline, eh?

Tomorrow night at the Capitol, thousands of people will gather as part of the Atlanta Tea Party, one of more than 500 scheduled on Tax Day. There, outside one of the most beautiful and useless buildings in the state, the crowd will complain about something that’s been going on for years — gross misuse of taxpayer dollars and business-as-usual politics. Emceeing this affair will be Sean Hannity, Fox News’ angriest white man.

Turns out Hannity and some of the various dignitaries who’ve signed on for the event might not get the warmest of welcomes. A tipster tells us that some members of the state Libertarian Party — have they gone rogue?!? — have printed more than 600 signs that scold the talk show host and politicians for turning their heads during Bush-era bank bailouts and excessive spending. (Even if you disagree with their policies, Libertarians have an incredible sense of humor. The Allen Buckley radio ads during the U.S. Senate race gave that grueling contest a much-needed jolt of excitement.)

(UPDATE: Just spoke with Daniel Adams, chairman of the Libertarian Party of Georgia. He wanted to stress that these signs were made by individual party members and not endorsed or approved by the party. Adams says the state party is co-sponsoring Atlanta’s April 15 protest to show support for the grassroots movement that’s organized these events. He says the website listed on the signs is a mirrored site belonging to the national party, not that of the state’s.)

The aforementioned tipster was kind enough to pass along PDFs of the signs, which I’ve posted after the jump. You can download them all here. Print ‘em out and join the crowd! It’ll be fun!
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The Cairo, Ga., resident — who ran for Public Service Commission last year — is set to announce his bid at 4 p.m. tomorrow at the Capitol.

From an e-mail release:

Monds and the Libertarian Party believe Georgians are ready for something new and different. “It’s difficult to tell the difference between Republicans and Democrats; both want to raise your taxes, waste your money and increase the size and scope of state government,” said Monds.

“We must be competitive in the 21st Century. We must have meaningful tax reform that allows businesses and individuals to thrive, a transportation system that eases congestion without raising taxes, an education system that gives more choices and returns control to the local level, and we need to stop wasting the taxpayers’ money with mandated long term incarceration of individuals for non-violent victimless infractions of the law”

John Monds, 43, is a graduate of Morehouse College with a degree in Banking and Finance, President of the Grady County NAACP and currently serves on the Grady County Planning Commission.

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Usually the Libertarians end up siding with Republicans. Not so in the Public Service Commission Dec. 2 runoff between Republican Lauren “Bubba” McDonald and Democratic nominee Jim Powell.

Brandon Givens, the Libertarian challenger for the seat who received the strongest showing by a third-party candidate in the Nov. 4 General Election, has announced his endorsement for Powell in the Dec. 2 runoff.

From the Powell campaign:

“After speaking with Mr. Jim Powell I’ve discovered that he too has the vision for a new system that would allow for both a free market in energy and a growth in green technology,” Givens said in a news release. “Mr. Powell also shares my strong opposition to ex parte communications, the behind-closed-doors dealings between PSC members and the industries they are charged with regulating. He will stand up for transparency in government. I strongly encourage all voters, Libertarian and fiscally conservative to vote for Jim Powell.”

…

“I congratulate Brandon Givens on the strong race that he ran and bringing attention to many of the important issues in this campaign,” Powell said. “I am honored to have his support in the runoff election.”

Powell has also been endorsed by incumbent Public Service Commissioner Angela Speir, former Republican candidate Pam Davidson, and four of the state’s major daily newspapers: the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the Savannah Morning News. the Rome News-Tribune and the Waycross Journal-Herald.

Powell won the popular vote in both the Democratic primary and the Nov. 4 General Election. He also fought a long and tiresome battle with Georgia Secretary of State Karen Handel over his residency. Just one week before the General Election, the state Supreme Court  ruled he was eligible to run.

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No one really expected Georgia’s U.S. Senate race to be this tough, cost this much or last this long. Incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss started off with more money than God, favorable approval ratings, and a late-in-the-game Democratic challenger whose heart, critics said, seemed to be elsewhere. And the Libertarian nominee Allen Buckley? Puh-lease.

But then Wall Street had its meltdown and Congress threw it a gold-plated life preserver. Chambliss was among the 74 senators who voted for the bailout package in a move that angered a great number of conservatives — and royally pissed off Libertarians.

And according to results of Tuesday’s General Election, Buckley gobbled up more than 100,000 votes that arguably would’ve gone to Chambliss. Why do I think that? Buckley’s take for the night was 127,050 votes, or 3.4 percent of people who voted in the race. Libertarian Presidential nominee Bob Barr only snatched 28,583, or 0.7 percent. And everyone — including me — was wondering what impact the presidential race would have on contests farther down the ticket.

After the jump is a transcript of a chat I had nearly two months ago when I interviewed Tom Perdue, the political veteran who managed Chambliss’ campaign, for a story I wrote about the U.S. Senate race.

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You could go to your local bar to watch the Election Night returns, you could fight the crowds at Manuel’s or you could party down with the parties – that is, the official political parties and their major candidates.

The Georgia Democratic Party and the Obama campaign will be cutting a rug at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Atlanta, beginning at 7 p.m. RSVP required.

Democratic Senate hopeful Jim Martin will be partying separately, in the Park Tavern’s event facility overlooking Piedmont Park.

Republicans, on the other hand, prefer to cluster together for warmth. Most GOP bashes will be consolidated in the Intercontinental Hotel in Buckhead.

We also have a home-grown presidential candidate, former Cobb County Congressman Bob Barr. The Libertarians will be holding their Election Night gala at the Mansour Center in Marietta. No, I’ve never heard of it, either, and I used to work up there.

The shindig begins around 7:30 p.m. and Barr is expected to address the crowd at 9:30 p.m. As the party’s own less-than-optimistic website notes, “If you don’t hear any noise, look for suite 100.”

Are there any other Election Night wing-dings we should know about?

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Jason Pye of Peach Pundit reports the residency of Public Service Commissioner Doug Everett has been questioned by Libertarian Party nominee John Monds, the lone challenger in his re-election bid.

Pye writes:

The complaint alleges that Everett lives in Clarkesville and Atlanta, but not at any of the addresses provided in official filings to the State Ethics Commission.

The Atlanta residence is rented, though paid for with campaign funds since 2006. The home in Albany that Everett has used in filings is actually owned by his son, Michael C. Everett. A homestead exemption has been filed to this effect as well.

Monds writes, “It is very reasonable to ask Mr. Everett to come forward and provide evidence of his residency. I ask that you use all means within your power to expeditiously resolve any questions that exist concerning this matter.”

As Pye notes, it may be too late to file a residency challenge.

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Allen Buckley, the Libertarian nominee for U.S. Senate, has three new radio ads targeting incumbent Republican Saxby Chambliss. Whereas the first ads focused on Chambliss’ spending policies and his first term in the U.S. Senate, these spots — which don’t mention Buckley’s name or say he approved the ads — look at the incumbent’s ties with Imperial Sugar and his “bum knee” that got him out of serving in Vietnam. One even depicts a phone call between a soldier in Iraq and his mother talking about Imperial Sugar, the Savannah sugar refinery that exploded earlier this year and killed 14 people.

Just like the first set of ads, these ones are quite interesting. The Imperial Sugar ad will be targeted around Savannah, the “Chambliss deferments from Vietnam” ad will be aimed at Columbus and Augusta, and the one that discusses Chambliss’ alleged role in the nation’s faltering economy will be geared toward smaller Georgia towns where workers are most likely feeling the pinch.

The gentleman who dropped off the ads at CL’s offices — the same man-in-the-bad-Hawaiian-shirt who gave me the first set of spots a few weeks back — says the Buckley campaign has been working with a 527 to promote the candidate’s message. He declined to name the group, but said it’s “not a Libertarian one.” He said the campaign is also reaching out to Chambliss’ old Sigma Chi brothers from the University of Georgia for information about his deferments. (”We hear Saxby used to like to play football behind the house,” he said.)

Follow the jump to hear the ads and read the scripts.

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We writers are pleased when people read our articles and we’re thrilled when they take the time to send us a comment. So imagine my giddiness yesterday when I saw that one Zac Carter had penned, er, tapped a 1,280-word response to my cover story about Bob Barr.

Apparently, the article about Barr’s efforts to win votes as the Libertarian candidate for president spoke to Carter. While he didn’t address the details of the story itself, he offered a veritable cri de coeur about his own disillusionment with the Republican Party. Here’s an edited excerpt:

The Republican Party today would be unrecognizable to my favorite Republicans of yesterday, such as Barry Goldwater, who said, “A government that is big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take it all away.”

As I heard one of the presidential candidates say in regards to these stimulus checks, “Whose economy are we stimulating here? Ours or Chinas? We are borrowing more money from China so everyone can go buy more stuff made in China.”

I get it, others in the GOP get it, so why doesn’t the party leadership?

I can’t take anymore disrespect for conservative values, and unless the Republican Party wakes up and gets its head on straight real soon, I will be taking my vote, time, energy, money and passion from the GOP and giving it to the Libertarian Party.

Even Reagan said, “Libertarianism is the very heart and soul of conservatism.” I will be doing everything I can to sway like-minded conservatives to join me in this exodus and vote for Bob Barr for president and Wayne Root for vice president. Both were recently Republicans and are among countless conservatives I’ve heard say, “It wasn’t that I left the Republican Party, it was the party that left me.”

Carter’s entire comment can be read here. If I’d known he had so much to say about the matter, I would’ve gotten him to co-author the article and saved myself a lot of time.

BTW, if you, too, are interested in Bob Barr and the Libertarian Party, don’t forget to check out CL’s Big Bob Barr Page.

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It’s the biggest night of the year for Georgia Libertarians. Daniel Adams, the state party chairman, seems energized and a bit anxious as he crisscrosses the room greeting guests. In a few minutes, the Libertarian Party’s 2008 presidential nominee is expected to arrive as the guest of honor, and Adams wants his group’s chief fundraising banquet to exceed everyone’s expectations.

Compared with most big-city political confabs, however, this one feels a bit, well, small-time. The Dunwoody hotel setting is nice enough, but the ballroom space is so cavernous it makes the modest crowd appear even smaller. The ill-fitting blazers and mismatched ties worn by some guests suggest a blue-collar demographic that’s a far cry from the cliques of deep-pocketed lawyers and lobbyists who typically haunt such events. Then there are the guys who stand out because of their long hair or eccentric appearance, such as an older man wearing a black leather jacket and a black T-shirt dotted with white skulls.

It’s no stretch to imagine that the largely male, suburban, middle-aged, outsiderish gathering of white folks wouldn’t feel out of place at Dragon*Con. Which is fitting, since Dragon*Con founder Ed Kramer is among the attendees, dressed head-to-toe in black and wheeling about on an electric scooter.

When former Congressman Bob Barr and wife Jeri arrive at the reception, there’s no public-address announcement, no Secret Service detail and no sudden crush of well-wishers seeking face time with the would-be president. Most of the people here have met Barr before and are content to wait as he makes his way around the room exchanging pleasantries, shaking hands and posing for photographs. The only TV cameraman at the event snags a quickie interview with the presidential candidate, then heads for the door.

Read the rest of this article here.

(Photo by Joeff Davis)

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When a man in a bad Hawaiian shirt invites you into his pick-up truck to “hear something,” it’s quite normal to be apprehensive.

That was the case a couple of hours ago when I scooted over to Octane to meet with this mysterious gent, a “Libertarian community activist” who asked I refer to him by his shirt. He was happy to pass along four new radio ads from Allen Buckley, the Libertarian Party candidate who’s trying to unseat U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss. The ads, which slam the Republican incumbent, started airing today on 920 AM (WGKA), home to such far-right syndicated scholars as Hugh Hewitt, Bill Bennett and Michael Medved.

Buckley’s been relentless in his attack on the Republican incumbent. The Libertarian’s trying to pull some of Chambliss’ base, and call me crazy, but such a tactic could bode well for Jim Martin, the Democratic nominee. The former state lawmaker, according to an August Rasmussen poll, trails the incumbent by six points. Look for the Libertarians to harp on the cozy relationship he’s enjoyed with Imperial Sugar. (Chambliss received $21,500 in campaign funds from the Texas-based company whose Savannah refinery exploded earlier this year, killing 13 workers. Chambliss later berated a company whistleblower.)

We gave Buckley’s campaign a call to confirm the ads were his and the candidate called us back. (They’re legit, he says.) When posed with the statement that he was hitting Chambliss rather hard, Buckley replied, “I think he’s bad news. Martin’s a good guy. I like Jim. But I’m what we need at this time in our country.”

Drill Instructor: “Illegal immigrants at my door, Saxby says make room for more.” (30 seconds)

“Saxby Chambliss spends money like a drunken sailor.” (30 seconds)

“Have you been to the emergency room lately? Did you bring an interpreter? Thank YOU, Saxby.” (30 seconds)

Child: “Saxby spent all the money for social security on pork” (30 seconds)

More ads are supposedly on the way. Muchas gracias, bad-Hawaiian-shirt-wearing dude. Don’t be a stranger, now!

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Wayne Allyn Root, the Libertarian Party’s vice presidential nominee, would step aside should Ron Paul accept Bob Barr’s offer to become his running mate. A source inside the Barr campaign has confirmed this as well.

From a post on the campaign’s blog:

Atlanta, GA – Bob Barr, the Libertarian Party nominee for president, has invited GOP Congressman Ron Paul to be his running mate in the upcoming election. In a letter sent to Paul, Barr called Paul one of the “few American patriots” who exist in today’s society, and asked him to “seriously consider this final offer as an opportunity to show true, lasting leadership beyond party politics.”

…

Barr’s running mate, Wayne Allyn Root, expressed support: “As the Libertarian Party vice presidential nominee, I believe in one thing above all else—principle. There can be no compromise on the ideals of limited government, lower taxes, lower spending, and more freedom for the American people. Those are the principles to which I’ve dedicated my life. The GOP and Democratic candidates only give lip service—at best—to these ideals and principles. It is only an act at election time every four years.”

“I want to end the charade once and for all,” Root continued. “I am willing to sacrifice anything to advance the cause of liberty, freedom, smaller government and to enable the American taxpayer to keep more of their own money and property. Understanding Dr. Ron Paul’s reputation and name recognition in the freedom movement, I am willing to step aside as Libertarian vice presidential candidate if he would be willing to take my place. I will pledge to work day and night, just as I have as the vice presidential nominee, to support Dr. Paul. I believe this is a wonderful opportunity for the Libertarian and freedom movements. I encourage Dr. Paul to accept Congressman Barr’s offer. The campaign is making this offer because we believe there is no sacrifice too large when it comes to improving the lives of the American people and American taxpayers.”

A presidential ticket with a total of four syllables — success.

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Former contender for the Republican nomination Rep. Ron Paul urged his supporters today to shun McCain and Obama.

Paul wants them to vote instead for Libertarian Bob Barr, the Green Party’s Cynthia McKinney, Constitution Party candidate Chuck Baldwin, or independent Ralph Nader.

Barr, a former Republican congressman from Georgia, returned Paul’s hearty quarter-endorsement with a written plea asking Paul join the Libertarian ticket as his running mate.

I know Libertarians are, by their nature, wary of rules, but didn’t the Libertarian Party already select Wayne Allyn Root as its V.P. nominee?

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Allen Buckley, the Libertarian Party candidate for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss‘ seat, came out with a one-two punch today against the Republican incumbent, accusing him of a shoddy voting record and sidestepping debates in which he previously agreed to participate with Buckley and Jim Martin, the former state lawmaker and Democratic challenger.

First, the debate issue. Jim Galloway wrote a good run-down of events over at the AJC’s Political Insider. In essence, the three camps agreed to eight to ten debates both in Georgia and Washington, D.C. in order to accommodate Chambliss. Buckley now says Chambliss has pulled back, and he’s accusing the well-funded incumbent of trying to carpetbomb the airwaves with commercials rather than defend his record with evidence.

As for Chambliss’ voting record, Buckley sent out a press release this morning accusing him of having “the record of being a liberal spender.”

Examples of that spending are posted after the jump.

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How would you like some face time with a real-life presidential nominee whose first name starts with a “B”?

That’s right – this Saturday, for only $100 a ticket, you can attend a cocktails-and-dinner fund-raiser in Dunwoody with Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr. Who’d you think we were talking about?

Enticingly titled “An Evening with Bob Barr,” the event also will feature appearances by fellow Libertarians, Senate candidate Allen Buckley, PSC candidates John Monds and Brandon Givens – and, if you’re lucky, current Johns Creek City Councilwoman Karen Richardson.

Anyway, if you want to go, the Georgia Libertarian Party would love to have you.  Register here.

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The Libertarian Party of Georgia is hosting “An Evening With Bob Barr and Friends” on Saturday, Aug. 23 at the Crowne Plaza Ravinia at 4355 Ashford-Dunwoody Rd.

Cocktails start at 6 p.m., seated dinner at 7 p.m. Barr, the party’s presidential candidate and former CL columnist, and entertainment are scheduled for the night.

A $100-per-plate donation is required. RSVP by Monday, Aug. 18 by calling 404-888-9468 or clicking here. More information is available here.

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Last week, former Congressman Bob Barr announced he’s running for President as a Libertarian.

Today, the AJC reports his political action committee raised $4.3 million since 2003 ostensibly to defeat liberal congressmen, but gave just $125,000 to federal campaigns and campaign committees.

Most of the fund’s spending — $3.3 million, or about 78 percent of all gifts from donors — paid for raising more money, including mailing lists, postage and telemarketing.

In other words, the real purpose of Bob Barr’s PAC is to raise money for Bob Barr’s PAC.

It’s not illegal, but it’s the sort of thing that gives potential donors pause. It also contradicts the central premise of Barr’s campaign — that he’s a paragon of fiscal responsibility.

Does Fresh Loaf have any Libertarian readers?

If so, what do you think of Libertarian candidate George Phillies? I haven’t audited his website, but I receive at least one e-mail each week from his campaign and they’re mostly terrific. I’d love to see him at a podium with McCain and Obama come debate season.

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