election 2008

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Former Rep. Bob Barr announced Monday that he’s running for president as a Libertarian.

His candidacy could be a wild card in the White House race that many believe would hurt Republican Sen. John McCain.

“I will be a candidate for the presidency of the United States, and it is precisely to give the American people a voice, to give them a meaningful choice so that they do not have to once again go into the polling booth on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, hold their nose and pull a lever — or touch one of those magical touch-screens that seem to be so much in vogue now — and vote for the lesser of two evils. America deserves better,” Barr told reporters at his Washington, D.C., announcement.The former Georgia Republican congressman said that having spent several weeks roaming the U.S. and abroad and talking to people from all walks of life, he has heard the same complaints.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - A central Indiana regional mass transit plan has been bantered about for decades. Expanded bus service? Light rail train? HOV commuter lanes? These ideas and more have been explored, but no solution has met with an approving consensus.

Steve Keltner has attended the public meetings. He has written on the subject on his blog, Plain & Simple. His conclusion is a far cry from the standard responses, however.

Keltner, a Libertarian candidate for U.S. Senate District 30, counters the rail project with a proposal that is out the play books of the Connecticut state legislature. Telecommute Connecticut has created a program of training and education that coaches private companies into offering employees a telecommuting option.

CYBERSPACE, US -- If you've been following the oddities of the presidential race this year on the internet, you have no doubt come across the cyber antics of Amber Lee Ettinger, beter known as "Obama Girl".

Obama Girl's videos have been among the most-watched YouTube videos and the branding continues to prolong her fifteen minutes in the spotlight.

HAGERSTOWN, IN -- In a recent Courier Times article, my honorable Republican opponent for this fall's District 54 race, Tom Saunders, states that "Rex wants you to do away with a lot of government, but I'm not sure that's what the public wants." He's right about me wanting to do away with a lot of government.

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Hon. Bob Barr will hold a press conference on Monday May 12 to discuss his future plans and the 2008 election. Rep. Barr (Barr's Bio) launched an exploratory committee last month to determine whether he should file as a candidate for the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination.

Who: The Hon. Bob Barr

What: press conference

When: 11:00am ET on Monday May 12, 2008

Where: Zenger Room at the National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW, Washington, DC

PLYMOUTH, IN -- Ryan Liedtky is new to Indiana politics. The soft-spoken writer, college student and baseball coach is up for the challenge. He has filed to run as Marshall County's first libertarian candidate.

For a county established in 1836, that's quite a few years without a libertarian choice. So why now?

Consider Liedtky is one of four candidates running for the best of three at-large positions for the County Council. Consider he's the only candidate in the field not directly employed by the county or area municipal governments. And, consider he's the only candidate vowing to give proper scrutiny to county expenses.

"Looking through the Council minutes, every vote has gone uncontested," Liedtky explains. "There are no questions being asked. None."

The lack of inquiry and due diligence has proven costly to Marshall County taxpayers, also.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- In 2006, the Libertarian Party of Indiana lost one dozen candidates from the general election ballot due to a technicality in election law. The party leadership is not going to allow that to happen again in 2008.

"We took a real hit in 2006," LPIN State Chairman Todd Singer noted. "We lost a lot of momentum with some great new candidates that year. It's taken some time to get that momentum back. This year looks great for us."

In 2006, the Indiana State Election Division disallowed the libertarian candidates' filings stating that the LPIN did not meet the requirement to file an intent to fill a vacancy ten days prior to the deadline to fill the vacancy."

"We met the filing deadline," Singer continued. "We just didn't tell them we were going to meet the deadline. It was a change in election law in 2005 that caught us off-guard. We know now."