List of Liberty-minded Candidates for US Congress

[Spoa]

DISCLAIMER: PEOPLE HAVE A RIGHT TO DISAGREE WITH ME.
This is a response to criticism of Dan Bongino, but also to criticism of Justin Amash, Rand Paul, and several other good leaders!

I think there is a huge problem with the liberty movement. Many people want the "perfect" candidate. They are looking for a saint, a hero, a patriot. I do not fault them for this, but we must remember that no candidate/elected official is perfect. Ronald Reagan once said that if people were 80% with him, they were his friends. I take the same approach...if we want to kick everyone out if they vote against what we want a few times, the RINOs and Obama lovers will just be enjoying the show. Recently, some Ron Paul fans went onto Justin Amash's webpage and blasted him when he praised Senator Rand Paul, calling him a neo-con. Here is Congressman Amash's response:

Justin Amash Rand Paul is not "too neocon." I don't know which votes people are referring to when they make such allegations. One vote to sanction Iran's central bank does not make you a neocon. Jim DeMint voted "no" on final passage of the NDAA conference report.
Thursday at 11:50am • 14

Even Justin Amash recognizes that no representative is perfect. I disagree with Ron Paul on a few things, Justin Amash on a few things. Rand Paul on a few things, but that doesn't mean I want to kick them out. They are some of the finest gentlemen and statesmen I have ever known.

Supporters of the liberty movement must be careful. We must be united in our understanding that no representative or senator is perfect. If they were, they would be named Jesus Christ (they aren't!). We must be able to accept representatives who are with us 80% of the time. We must be willing to respectfully disagree, but still vote for these people if they are doing some good. In closing, I believe that we cannot let the enemy of perfect be the good...otherwise the liberty movement will not survive. Thank you.

 

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

Remove the two incumbents from GA and Chaffetz from Utah. No way in hell they're liberty candidates.

 

[Krzysztof Lesiak]

Also take Jeff Flake of AZ and Mourdock in IN off... they do not belong. Establishment neocons

 

[deadfish]

Is the OP list still up to date?

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Is the OP list still up to date?

Pretty much. After next Tuesday's election, we'll need to update the list with results.

Edit: Actually there are some minor changes reflected on the last update that I posted.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Remove the two incumbents from GA and Chaffetz from Utah. No way in hell they're liberty candidates.

Also take Jeff Flake of AZ and Mourdock in IN off... they do not belong. Establishment neocons

Well, you did note the less than 5 star ratings...they are mostly fiscal conservatives.

Mourdock could probably be removed, but he did say he wants to abolish the IRS. (Mourdock won the Primary, so it's either him or the Libertarian, who is also on our list).

Of course everyone should research candidates in their areas before they vote, and especially if they are thinking about donating.

Broun recently voted with Amash on the Amash amendment to the NDAA, for what it's worth.

 

[Spoa]

Objection!

Remove the two incumbents from GA and Chaffetz from Utah. No way in hell they're liberty candidates.

I oppose removing Reps. Graves, Broun, and Chaffetz from the list and take offense at the statement that "no way in hell they're liberty candidates". That would only be true if you support removing people who don't agree with you 100% of the time. Human nature is to look for the bad things in people, I try to look for reasons to support people. Here are some for each of the three:

Rep. Graves: He voted against raising the debt ceiling along with Ron Paul. He supported the RSC Budget just like Justin Amash did. He voted against authorizing the use of US forces in Libya. He has given the leadership in the house a lot of headaches (http://www.romenews-tribune.com/vie...servative-leadership-?instance=home_news_lead) , and while he may not be perfect, he should definitely remain on the list.

Rep. Broun: He voted against CISPA, in support of the Amash-Smith NDAA amendment, and has been a leading voice in cutting spending. Just this morning, Politico published a report about how he has led the fight in eliminating wasteful spending. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0512/76747.html

He also voted to protect the right of people to protest peacefully by voting against a bill that would have taken it away (only 2 others did: Amash and Paul...that should tell you something.) ( http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?364221-H.R.-347-passed-the-House-yesterday-388-to-3 )

Rep. Chaffetz: A member of the House Liberty Caucus, his authenticity for liberty isn't perfect but his heart is in the right place. He was one of the key leaders, who led the fight against SOPA/PIPA (http://www.redstate.com/neil_stevens/2012/01/18/sopa-and-protect-ippipa-an-update/) . He has been pretty good about cutting spending and is leading the good fight for liberty.

Are all of these guys perfect? I would be the first to admit that they are not. I disagree with them on some votes that they have taken. But if you want people who agree with you 100%, I feel sorry for your liberty movement. As for me, my liberty movement will seek to get people who agree with me at least 80%. I can argue later on about the other 20%, but if our country is doing 80% well ...I would say we are doing well. So to conclude, I object to my fellow liberty poster's belief in removing these three representatives who have done many good things for liberty and reducing our debt. I hope that they will remain one the list. Thank you.

 

[realtonygoodwin]

Can you add Lela Pittenger to the list (US Senate - TX)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKeprHVpL2U

http://www.libertarianrepublican.net/2011/06/meet-lela-pittenger-republican.html

http://twitter.com/LelaforSenate/status/198203563850219520

Her personal FB likes include Ben Swann, the RLC, LvMI, and a host of other liberty-friendly pages.

From http://c3.thevoterguide.org/v/dalla...5420FEA5586C230F7FF77E8EF4D8D192?id=10253526:

President Barack Obama wants to hand over all security of Afghanistan to Afghans by the end of 2014. Do you support that goal? Why or why not?
Lela Pittenger: As a strong believer in national sovereignty, I support giving Afghanistan back to its own people. ..

What steps should the U.S. take to keep Iran from developing nuclear weapons?
Lela Pittenger: It is time to rethink warfare. No longer must we send thousands of troops to deal with a rogue nation. Something as simple as freezing assets in banks or using computer viruses to shut down reactor operations can go a long way in restricting the use of nuclear weapons without destroying lives and nations. I believe we can look to the 1s and 0s that now make the world turn to help us avoid violent conflict while remaining the world superpower.

 

[Spoa]

Also take Jeff Flake of AZ and Mourdock in IN off... they do not belong. Establishment neocons

Calling Jeff Flake and Richard Mourdock "establishment neocons" is like calling Barack Obama a conservative...both are not true. I will explain why these two should be supported, starting with Richard Mourdock:

Richard Mourdock: If you think that Mitch McConnell and Barack Obama were happy to see Senator Dick Lugar unseated in the primary, I don't know what country you've been living in. To call Richard Mourdock an establishment figure would be incorrect. As stated by B4L (whose posts I appreciate due to his respect for all), Richard Mourdock wants to abolish the IRS. He has also come out against indefinite detention and SOPA/PIPA (http://www.upholdliberty.org/2012/05/07/indiana-senate-race/). His Democrat opponent this fall supported Nancy Pelosi for speaker in 2007 (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2007/roll002.xml). His opponent voted against the Amash-Smith Amendment (http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2012/roll270.xml). His opponent is a big government liberal while Richard Mourdock will bring change to D.C. If you are looking for a 100% liberty fighter, you probably will have to go look somewhere else. If you are looking for a person who will work his hardest to improve our nation, Richard Mourdock is your man!

Jeff Flake: I know some people have complained about Jeff Flake's support for Governor Romney, but I look more at votes than rethoric. Jeff Flake has opposed debt ceiling increases since he started out in congress. He is one of the few to have scored a perfect 100% from the Club for Growth. He has been endorsed by Jim Demint (who whether you like it or not helped Senator Paul quite a bit to get elected). Jeff Flake is more of a fiscal conservative, but during our national debt crisis, he is better than his opponents and has a proven record of cutting spending. Jeff Flake has also worked to repeal the Patriot Act. I support keeping Jeff Flake on the list.

Liberty fighters must be careful about attacking good men like Jeff Flake and Richard Mourdock. If you want 100%, don't vote because you will just end up disappointed. Nobody is perfect, but if people like Flake and Mourdock vote with us most of the time, they deserve our support. We must not let the enemy of good be perfect...otherwise our nation will not be saved!

 

[Spoa]

I don't have any objection to Lela Pittenger. I personally support Ted Cruz, but I have no objection to adding her to the list. People need to do their own research, and the main purpose of this list is to propose candidates that would bring benefits the liberty movement. So I support adding Lela to the list, but my support for Ted Cruz remains.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Can you add Lela Pittenger to the list (US Senate - TX)?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKeprHVpL2U

http://www.libertarianrepublican.net/2011/06/meet-lela-pittenger-republican.html

http://twitter.com/LelaforSenate/status/198203563850219520

Her personal FB likes include Ben Swann, the RLC, LvMI, and a host of other liberty-friendly pages.

From http://c3.thevoterguide.org/v/dalla...5420FEA5586C230F7FF77E8EF4D8D192?id=10253526:

My vote is "no" on adding her at the last minute. She has not come up before, and we already have two acceptable Republicans on our list that have been debated ad nauseum.

I also noticed in one of your links that she has been touted by Dumdero. Not a positive endorsement around here.

She is also not listed on http://libertycandidates.com/category/Texas-2012/

 

[realtonygoodwin]

I posted about her on April 13, so I don't know how she hasn't "come up before" but whatever. I already voted.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

I posted about her on April 13, so I don't know how she hasn't "come up before" but whatever. I already voted.

My apologies. A search shows her name came up a couple of times in the past, but nowhere near the amount of posts about Cruz and Addison. If she's a good RP conservative, she will get our support for a future race. Her chances in this race are non-existent, but she may have a chance in the future.

Here's an example after someone mentioned her:

http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...-on-Dewhurst-(Latest-PPP-Tx-Senate-race-poll)

Never heard of her. Most RP peeps I've talked to speak favorably of Glenn Addison. I saw Glenn talking to Debra Medina last week at the State capital when Debra testified before the House Ways and Means committee in favor of eliminating property taxes. If Lela was there, she wasn't handing out any campaign literature or wearing any pins, buttons, etc. to announce her presence.

More info on Cruz and Addison in this older thread where a debate was highlighted: http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showth...TX-one-of-us&p=4051907&viewfull=1#post4051907

 

[realtonygoodwin]

That's fine, I just thought this thread was for listing Liberty-minded Candidates. The last poll I saw that included both had her ahead of Glenn Addison.

And the whole, we don't talk about someone because they don't get talked about enough seems like a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

That's fine, I just thought this thread was for listing Liberty-minded Candidates. The last poll I saw that included both had her ahead of Glenn Addison.

And the whole, we don't talk about someone because they don't get talked about enough seems like a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Since she is polling higher than Addison, maybe we should drop Addison from the list and add Pettinger instead?

Found a link where she is at 4%, Addison at 2%:

http://blog.chron.com/txpotomac/201...ng-shows-dewhurst-a-clear-senate-frontrunner/

Also got another e-mail from Ron Paul endorsing Cruz. Best (realistic) outcome will be a run-off between Cruz and Dewhurst.

 

[realtonygoodwin]

No need to drop Addison, ideally we would include all pro liberty candidates and let the voters choose.
I agree about a Cruz / Dewhurst runoff.

 

[Adrock]

Kerry Bentivolio needs a rating update and more visibility after McCotter's blunder. I would give him four stars.

 

[WeThePeople777]

edited for privacy

 

[PowerOfLiberty]

Who is the best candidate in that race based on the debates?

Note: Mike Lee endorsed Bongino.

Robert Broadus was closest to our ideas. He sounds like Ron Paul when he speaks foreign policy, but he is also caught up in social conservatism which is a turn off to some Ron Paul supporters. He now doesn't speak kindly of libertarians and criticized Ron Paul for not saying enough about appealing Obamacare. So I don't know. I just know that Bongino is a moderate and establishment favorite.

 

[Dissent]

Hess and Mack are getting destroyed in their races Riddle is in 2nd and I believe if neither gets 50% there is a run off. So hopefully!