Saturday, January 30, 2010

Whoa, Just Saw This...

My Congressional District, the 6th, has a Libertarian Party candidate for this November's election. His name is Stuart Bain.

I can't find a lot of info on Mr. Bain, as his website runs more like a blog than an actual campaign site, but I understand why...the Libertarian Party is woefully underfunded (thanks to the domination of the two-party system) and most candidates run on a fairly shoestring budget.

However, I like what I have read from the man, thus far. His ideas jive with mine, and he even quotes the same Reagan quote that I have on my blog's subtitle.

Should be interesting, as Bain focuses more on what he stands for, and less about how bad the other guys are. I haven't seen any Democratic Party challengers in the 6th (if there is, they've been quiet), but the incumbent is Republican Bob Goodlatte, who was elected to the seat in 1992.

The Podium endorsed Bob Goodlatte over fiscally conservative Democrat Sam Rasoul in 2008. However, I will be keeping an eye out to see what Mr. Bain has to offer. So far, he looks like a promising candidate based on his principles.

(h/t The Ruby Chronicles)

7 comments:

Adam Sharp said...

Why do candidates reject fundraising?

I mean, it's hard enough to beat an incumbent under normal circumstances. And for an unknown candidate, it's even harder.

But refusing to raise or accept money? That's like cutting off both your arms before attempting to swim across the English Channel.

I bet this guy doesn't even get enough petition signatures to get on the ballot. And that's sad, because Goodlatte deserves a challenge from the right.

Phil Chroniger said...

I never understood that concept either, Adam. I'd be trying to solicit everything I could if I was running a 3rd party campaign that was already lacking in support structure financially.

Do, pray tell, explain to me how this is a challenge from the "right"?

Adam Sharp said...

"If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism." - Ronald Reagan

Hence, if Stuart Bain is challenging Goodlatte as a libertarian, then he is in effect challenging his conservative credentials. Therefore, it is a challenge from the right.

Phil Chroniger said...

I guess you could say that...though personally, I would believe that is more of a call (ony my part, and the part of most libertarians) to conservatives to recognize more socially libertarian points of view, as well.

Stuart Bain said...

Thank you both for your interest in my campaign. Mr. Sharp hit the nail on the head: beating an incumbent is going to be an uphill climb. We're aware of it and planned to use some of the campaign laws to our advantage by employing low-cost, online and grassroots efforts as opposed to raising insane amounts of money. We had the plan ready when SCOTUS overturned McCain Feingold.

Based on this new development and the amazing support expressed for the campaign thus far, we are re-evaluating the decision as to whether or not we will raise funds. An official announcement on this subject is forthcoming after my campaign manager and I discuss it in detail and review all of the pros and cons.

As for the "challenge from the right," concept, yes! I am challenging Congressman Goodlatte from the "right". The campaign website is a living/breathing machine and there will be tons more information soon as we finish up the pages for issues and platform items. In the meantime, I encourage you to have a look at some of the threads on my Facebook Fan page. In particular, this conversation between Adam Wise and myself may shed some light on where I stand in comparison to some of Congressman Goodlatte's previous endeavors.

http://bit.ly/6uRp3d

Thanks again for your interest, and I hope to see you at the polls in November!

Semper Fi,

-- Stuart

Phil Chroniger said...

Thank you for your comments, Mr. Bain. Good luck in your campaign. You have my attention.

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