Libertarian Prez Candidate Darryl Perry won't register with the FEC? - Granite Grok

Libertarian Prez Candidate Darryl Perry won’t register with the FEC?

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

Darryl PerryGiven what I wrote here, I thought this was interesting as the First Amendment only talks about speech – with no modifier (e.g., hate, scornful, loving, political) in front of it; any kind of speech is speech:

Libertarian presidential candidate Darryl Perry has refused to file campaign paperwork with the Federal Election Commission because he believes there is no constitutional reason for the agency to exist.  “There shouldn’t be a federal agency that oversees campaign finance,” Perry told TheBlaze in an interview Tuesday.

Remember, it isn’t about the money, it is about the ability to exercise your Right to Free Speech in the political realm.  Which generally means

a lot of money.  Regulate the money, you regulate the speech.  But again, there is always a way to implement, it seems, the “Incumbent Protection Program

 Perry said that a federal agency with the power to control campaign finance through regulations has the power to hinder independent and third-party bids in favor of the current two-party system. A Birmingham, Alabama, native, Perry moved to New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project, an effort to create a Libertarian majority in the Granite State.

I’m not so sure that The Blaze gets that last bit right – a Libertarian majority?  Not quite; from the Free State Project website:

Statement of Intent: “I hereby state my solemn intent to move to the State of New Hampshire. Once there, I will exert the fullest practical effort toward the creation of a society in which the maximum role of government is the protection of individuals’ rights to life, liberty, and property.” Anyone who promotes violence, racial hatred, or bigotry is not welcome.

Hmm, I don’t see the FSP aim for a majoritarian Libertarian State in that.  I do see a very limited government in there – one that I probably would much prefer over the one we have now which inserts itself into almost every thing.

But I can agree with the notion that like small elegant programming code that keeps growing until it is a complete spaghetti mess, I do believe that our Foundational Law of the Constitution has had law after law after law piled upon it, with court decisions based more on case law than the plain words in the Constitution, the simple proscriptions in it have become buried.  If you really believe in “Congress shall make no law…abridging the freedom of speech” and that should trump any efforts in restricting it by any means, he does have a point.

Perry said he is seeking the Libertarian nomination for president because he believes the party has “drifted away” from its core beliefs to present a “watered-down” version of its philosophy. “Libertarians aren’t Republicans who like pot,” Perry said.

OK, I think I can agree with that last statement.  But the following is one reason why Libertarians don’t do well in elections – sure, they actively stand up for their convictions (unlike most Republicans lately, it seems), but you really do need to make it as easy as possible for people to help you.  I am not going to bother to buy gold or Bitcoin (I have more pressing priorities taking up my time) so he has already self-selected a lot of folks out of assisting:

Asked if his refusal to file with the FEC has negatively impacted his campaign in any way, Perry replied that his decision to accept campaign contributions only via alternative currencies — such as Bitcoin or gold — has hindered him more. He has declined to accept regular currency because he believes the federal reserve should be abolished.

This next item could be true, however but as much as I may agree with a lot of Libertarians, especially on a smaller government, I do hesitate on how much it will do (I just don’t know but boy, this has been a rather surprising election cycle):

Perry said that a general election between two “unpopular” candidates could present an opening for Libertarians to make an impact in November.  “On paper it looks like an excellent opportunity,” Perry said, adding, “At the end of the day, Republicans will vote Republican because they fear the Democrats more than they support what they claim to support, and Democrats will vote Democrat because they fear Republicans more than they support what they claim to support.”

 

And that is the rub for Libertarians – agree with conservative Rs about the size of Govt and with liberal Ds on social issues.  No, it’s not an “in the middle” Party, it is on a plane of its own (geometrically speaking).

Heh:

A spokesperson for the FEC told TheBlaze the agency does not comment “on specific situations.”

(H/T: The Blaze)

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