by John Murphy

According to Congressman Andrew Ogles (R-TN)’s interview with The Epoch Times‘ Roger L. Simon, we know McCarthy made these concessions to win over his opposition:

1. Jeffersonian Motion – It takes only one congressperson to bring a vote on the removal of the McCarthy as Speaker. This was the policy in place before Nancy Pelosi removed it. 
2. A Church Committee to investigate possible overreach in surveillance by the FBI and other government organizations.

If there is one thing libertarians can be optimistic about, it is the appointment of a congressman that was not one of the 20 “Never-Kevins”: Part of the concessions to the Freedom Caucus was to appoint Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) as head of the Church Committee. 

This will give Massie the ability to investigate and bring light to waste in any area of the federal government.  After the revelations made in the past by Snowden and others, as well as Elon Musk recently, finally many mainstream Republicans in the party are ready for investigations into potential overreach.  

1. Bills presented to Congress will be single subject, not omnibus, with all the attendant earmarks, and there will be a 72-hour minimum period to read them.

2. The Texas Border Plan will be put before Congress. From The Hill: “The four-pronged plan aims to ‘Complete Physical Border Infrastructure,’ ‘Fix Border Enforcement Policies,’ ‘Enforce our Laws in the Interior’ and ‘Target Cartels & Criminal Organizations.’”

3. COVID mandates will be ended as well as all funding for them including “emergency funding.”

4. Budget bills would stop the endless increases in the debt ceiling and hold the Senate accountable for the same.

By now libertarians know to set low expectations when it comes to the Republican Party and spending, but with a split government, it sounds like they are comfortable again back to at least talking a good game in regards to COVID funding and the debt ceiling.

We also know from Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) comments that

1. A vote on term limits will be a priority

Inevitably there are rumors of the existence of other concessions that have not been made public.  Could there be something related to January 6th?  A Dr. Fauci investigation?  Or a Biden impeachment vote?  Perhaps these are the insider details that we will never know.  

The last four days has shown the establishment running up and down the aisles of Congress in disbelief that they were facing such a struggle with a vote that they expected to be purely procedural.  Some libertarians may have also taken enjoyment in the fact that during the process Congress has been at a legislative standstill.

It will be interesting to see where McCarthy finds “compromise” between the different parts of the modern day GOP. Could this division be a foreshadow of more challenge for the party to find common ground between the establishment and the various groups passionately fighting to define conservatism? And could this be the start of Republicans realizing that libertarianism is the heart of conservatism and that it’s also good politically?

People respect principled politicians and since COVID a whole lot of people have been hoping for a real alternative to the status quo. Freedom is exactly what the people need. And as much as they try to vilify people that think like Massie, in his new position he will be able to be a libertarian voice that represents freedom well. It will be one more step towards convincing non political types that a free society is not only what is morally right but also what generates the most prosperity for everybody. 

The post Libertarians Win With McCarthy’s Concessions For Speaker appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

The tweet read: “Natural immunity >> vaccine immunity

So why force or coerce those with natural immunity from prior infection into taking the vaccine?”

Twitter labeled the tweet as misleading. Twitter disabled the ability to favorite or comment on the tweet, leaving Retweeting or Quote Tweeting as the only option.

According to Twitter, they’ve purposefully limited the ways in which people can interact with the tweet in order to diminish its reach.

However, prior to Thomas Massie authoring this Tweet, Bloomberg released a Tweet effectively making the same statement, based on a study.

The only difference between the Tweet from Thomas Massie and Bloomberg, is that Massie asked the logical follow up question. 

If a prior COVID infection provides better resistance against Coronavirus than vaccines do, then what incentive does a previously infected person have to get vaccinated?

The answer to that question is that there is clearly no benefit.  There is no scientific benefit, nor is there a moral argument to be had. This demographic of previously infected is also a threat to the idea of vaccine passports, if people who clearly do not need a vaccine opt not to do it, which is their right.

Yet Twitter, being the arbiters of whatever truth to whatever narrative they fancy, has censored an actual sitting Congressman who posted absolutely nothing misleading. His post was forthright and truthful, and the question he posed was logical.

The post Twitter Censors Rep Thomas Massie Over (Not) Misleading Tweet appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

It was a political wave that boosted Liberty Republicans into office in the 2010 midterms, such as Rand Paul, Justin Amash and Mike Lee, as well as Thomas Massie and Ted Cruz during the 2012 Election.

From then until now, the name has largely been irrelevant. 

The mainstream media has declared Joe Biden to be the President-Elect of the 2020 Election. This is despite incoming lawsuits from the Trump Administration to address Election irregularities. These things include Pennsylvania defying a court order that mandates them to follow their own Election Law regarding observers, and a software glitch in Michigan that allegedly flipped 6,000 votes for Trump to Biden. This software is used in 30 states.

The President certainly deserves his day in court to make the case for ballot audits and recounts. The results of such should be accepted, regardless of the victor. But the America First crowd has bones to pick either way, and a new Tea Party movement is being born right now.

Former Republican United States Senate Candidate Austin Petersen of Missouri is in the beginning stages of organizing the movement. It has already gained the interest of Scott Pressler, an activist who travels the country and who organized the Baltimore Cleanup.

A Facebook group called GOP Tea Party 2.0 has also started and is growing.

Whether Trump wins or loses, the biggest grievance remains the same: The Old-Guard establishment Republicans who have congratulated Biden and have refused to back President Trump’s appeal to address what are suspicious and glaring irregularities with the vote. Whether President Trump wins or loses, establishment Republicans eager to return to business as usual in Washington DC will be on the chopping block in 2022. Raging primaries will take place in 2022, attempting to replace the Neoconservative Old-Guard for good. They should consider themselves on notice.

The current state of the Left is calling for unity now that they’ve won, while simultaneously compiling lists of Trump officials, campaign workers and donors for future retribution.

If the Left believes unity is suddenly possible simply because they feel they’ve won, then they are shortsighted and naive. After spending the last 4 years decrying the idea of civility and calling everyone Nazis, now they are extending an olive branch and nobody is going to take it. There will be backlash against them, and the Republicans who are enabling them.

A reinvigorated movement to elect Liberty Republicans is rumbling. Those who are good at getting those candidates elected are excited for this inevitable new wave. People like Maggie Anders, a Regional Director for Young Americans for Liberty, which has won over 170 State Representative Elections.

The Republican Party has changed drastically in the last 4 years. Women and minority candidates won a large number of the Republican Party’s new seats in the 2020 Election. The Republican voting base has shifted to Anti-War. There is even a much larger LGBTQ acceptance in the Republican Party than many outside of it realize.

Brandon Straka who founded the Walk Away movement has found a large and welcoming following within the Republican Party.

A diverse army is growing, and it is the best opportunity for Right-wing Libertarians to get into office since the last 8 to 10 years.

Join and get trained.

The post The New Tea Party Is Rising. Libertarians, Pay Attention appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

“Other members of Congress own cattle, but only a few of us RAISE cattle.

I fix the fences, feed the hay, castrate bulls, fertilize fields, put tags in their ears, move them between pastures, wean calves.

FOOD SHORTAGES ARE COMING.

USDA needs to acknowledge and respond now.”

“The alternative is to do nothing while staring at bare supermarket shelves. Farm animals will be euthanized and buried in pits or burned if nothing changes. Crops are already being plowed under, and milk is already being poured out. 

I am only 1 of 435, call your congressman now”

H.R. 2859, otherwise known as the PRIME Act would loosen or abolish certain FDA rules pertaining to the slaughter of animal carcasses for human consumption, making it easier for the consumer to obtain meat locally slaughtered meat. 

As the resolution states:

“The provisions of this title requiring inspection of the slaughter of animals and the preparation of the carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products at establishments conducting such operations for commerce shall not apply to the slaughtering by any person of animals at a custom slaughter facility, and the preparation at such custom slaughter facility and transportation in commerce of the carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products of such animals if—

(A)the slaughtering and preparation carried out at such custom slaughter facility is carried out in accordance with the law of the State in which the custom slaughter facility is located; and

(B)the animals are so slaughtered and the carcasses, parts thereof, meat and meat food products of such animals are so prepared exclusively for distribution to—

(i)household consumers within the State; and

(ii)restaurants, hotels, boarding houses, grocery stores, or other establishments located in such State that—

(I)are involved in the preparation of meals served directly to consumers; or

(II)offer meat and meat food products for sale directly to consumers in the State.”

Congressman Massie explained how the PRIME Act would provide a limited government solution to the coming food shortage in a recent interview with Liz Reitzing, Founder of “Real Food Consumer Coalition,” which can be viewed below.

The post Congressman Massie Offers a Limited Government Solution to Coming Food Shortage appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

As the COVID-19 death toll eclipses 34,000 in the U.S., it’s fair to say that the American people have a right to be worried about the public health crisis posed by the novel coronavirus. It’s also fair to say that, as terrible as this outbreak is, this is not the greatest threat facing our country today.

With the latest figures predicting an unemployment rate of 20% by 2021, we are on the verge of plunging ourselves into another economic catastrophe, the likes of which this country has not seen since the Great Depression.

Rather than prioritizing finding a vaccine, increasing test availability, or building up the dwindling supply of medical equipment, the government has declared total war on free enterprise. And by picking and choosing which workers are “essential” and which are not, the government shows its true priority: control.

These sweeping stay-at-home orders (like that from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer) are the “let them eat cake” of the 21st century. Fewer than one-third of Americans can work remotely, and the rest are left to wonder how to make a $1200 check last for an ever-longer economic freeze. 

Politicians don’t bat an eye when they tell people to stay at home, not go to work, and wait months to earn another paycheck. They won’t have to wonder how they’re going to pay the rent, keep the lights on, or feed their children — unlike the 22 million Americans who’ve filed for unemployment in the last month. 

The beauty of a free market is that it is based entirely on consent. Workers consent to share their skills for certain pay under certain conditions, and in turn, businesses consent to pay them for their labor. Either party is free to walk away if the arrangement no longer serves them. The government has no business monitoring those transactions, yet lately, it is going so far as to ban them in the name of safety. 

It’s time to drop the ax on this Sheriff of Nottingham business. Americans do not want smug, well-fed bureaucrats and greedy career politicians making decisions for them concerning their health and financial well-being. 

When Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the average family got over $2,000 back (and that wasn’t even a major change to the tax code). Cutting taxes is still a perfectly viable option — but we can all guess why it’s not the one the government is interested in. 

In a turn in the exact opposite direction, Congress shoved through a gargantuan stimulus package that put us $2.2 trillion deeper into debt. To make it worse, Representative Thomas Massie was tarred and feathered for criticizing the bill as the crony wealth transfer that it is. 

What kind of upside-down world are we living in when the first response to a crisis is to increase our national debt by twelve figures?

Not one of the congressmen who voted for this stimulus package will pay the price for it. My children, my grandchildren, and generations of future Americans will read in the history books about this good-intentioned, but ill-fated attempt to spend ourselves out of an economic downturn.

They will be the ones to pay for this mistake.

If Americans are mad that $1200 is supposed to get them through this, wait until they find out how much tax revenue the government brought in this year. Out of the $8 trillion politicians squeezed out of us this year, taxpayers are getting a measly 3.1% of it back, while the remainder goes to corporations and government programs.

Shutting down private industry and pouring stimulus money on the spoils is not how a free country tackles a crisis. We should not be fooled by candy-coated spending bills or empty promises of economic revival. Our economic liberties and our very way of life are under siege.

Emma Meshell is a spokesperson at Young Americans for Liberty (YAL).

The post A Second Great Depression Is Not How We Will Defeat COVID-19 appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

Many of these supporters have been motivated to drain the swamp of Washington DC for a long time. But just weeks ago, we were reminded that only one man in DC is truly concerned with protecting Americans from an ever-growing government that takes from the least of us and gives to the rich. I’m referring to the 2 trillion dollar stimulus that Congressman Thomas Massie famously called for a roll call vote on, “I came here to make sure our republic doesn’t die by unanimous consent in an empty chamber”.

There was principled outrage about the bill being a large corporate welfare scheme from left-wing members like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. However, the only House member that took the stance against economic inequality perpetuated by government cronyism and overspending when the vote happened was Massie

But hope springs eternal and there is an opportunity to send Massie some backup in the swamp. This is why those Liberty warriors are hard at work to send another principled conservative to Congress. Gurtler is a proven small government, low-tax, pro 2^ndAmendment conservative. His record as a Georgia State Representative shows it. Plus, he was endorsed by Thomas Massie himself.

To get involved with Gurtler’s campaign or learn more about him, visit his website MattGurtlerForCongress.com. Donate what you can in money, making calls, or just put out a yard sign if you happen to live in the 9^th district of Georgia. Most importantly, tell the good people of Georgia to send Thomas Massie some back up in Washington DC and drain the swamp… for real.

Follow him on Twitter @MatthewGurtler 

*This is not an official endorsement by The Libertarian Republic.

The post Sending Thomas Massie Some Backup: Matt Gurtler For Congress appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

Chris White 

President Donald Trump and former Sen. John Kerry joined forces Friday to criticize Rep. Thomas Massie after the Kentucky Republican tried to derail the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill.

Massie announced Friday that he intends on forcing a quorum vote on the stimulus package, which is designed to help Americans who were rendered unemployed following the coronavirus pandemic. Trump and Kerry expressed their frustration with Massie in dueling tweets.

Trump kicked off the charge with a tweet Friday morning suggesting the libertarian-leaning congressman looks like a “third rate Grandstander … He just wants the publicity. He can’t stop it, only delay, which is both dangerous … ”

The president said that “workers & small businesses need money now in order to survive,” adding that Republicans must win back the House of Representatives and “throw Massie out of Republican Party.”

“Congressman Massie has tested positive for being an asshole,” Kerry said of the Kentucky lawmaker. “He must be quarantined to prevent the spread of his massive stupidity. He’s given new meaning to the term #Masshole. (Finally, something the president and I can agree on!)”

Trump quote-tweeted Kerry’s tweet, saying: “Never knew John Kerry had such a good sense of humor! Very impressed!”

Massie can raise a point of order and ask if there’s a quorum under House rules, then he can ask for yeas and nays, which would need one-fifth of those present in order to scuttle the bill. Massie shared his thinking in a tweet Friday, telling his Twitter followers that he “swore and oath to the constitution.”

Massie described the package in a tweet Thursday as “not a good deal,” suggesting House Speaker Nancy Pelosi constructed in a way to make it loathsome to conservatives.

“They’re trying to convince us it should be a voice vote, it shouldn’t be recorded. And I’m struggling with this,” Massie told an Ohio radio station Thursday.

The House passed phase three of the bill Friday afternoon over Massie’s objections.

Phase three of the Senate bill would give $1,200 checks to every American, with married couples receiving $2,400. That check will go to Americans making less than $75,000 per year. Income earners who make above $99,000 would not receive any money.

This article is republished with permission from the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The post Trump And John Kerry Team Up To Take On Rep Massie For Tossing A Wrench In Coronavirus Bill appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

Admittedly, there is much to be desired from the Indiana mayor. Mayor Pete has a lot of brand recognition work to be done, given his position as a mayor of a relatively lesser known city (it’s barely in the top 5 for Indiana). His policies are rather middle-of-the-road in the current Democratic Party primaries, and yet they may prove to be just as much a hindrance as a boon should he fail to accumulate enough votes from the moderates given his lack of radical appeal. This may prove to be even worse in the general election.

Good presidential candidates are hard to find these days, but here are six that would be far better than Buttigieg:

#1: Congressman Thomas Massie

The Republican Congressman from Kentucky is certainly a top pick not just in comparison to Buttigieg, but as a whole. Having literally described Washington D.C. as “Mordor”, his mindset hearkens back to a Calvin Coolidge style of disdain for the acts of government. Congressman Massie would be a welcome change with his desire to open private competition, where most Democrats in the running say “what if Government ran this?”. Internationally, we would also perform better with a Massie presidency given his dedication to free market energy solutions, trade deregulation, and non-interventionist foreign policy .

An MIT graduate, Massie would have no problems bringing the White House into the digital age, and would be a very good pick for technologically knowledgeable leadership that could at the very least properly explain how to wipe a hard drive. In an era where cyberattacks are just as much if not more dangerous than physical attacks, it would be in America’s best interest to have a leader cognizant of that reality and better able to enact policy that would benefit national security while also being considerate of the rights of American citizens. It may seem like this would be easy to implement, but given the current policy is “spy on literally everybody until we find crime”, the reality is much more bleak.

#2: Governor Chris Sununu

Hailing from the land of ‘live free or die’, the New Hampshire governor is a fine pick, having led his state to extreme productivity and growth since being elected to office in 2016. A more modern man of the Republican Party, he has no qualms with being concerned for the environment. In fact, he’s an environmental engineer. Another one of Governor Sununu’s positives is the Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative, thanks to which a roadway is being paved toward approaching addiction as a disease to be treated rather than a crime to be stigmatized. He’s also worked on cultivating adoption, families, and other solutions to contemporary social issues. For the concerned individual, Sununu is your quintessential non-discriminatory moderate Republican, and his appeal isn’t just in civil matters either. Thanks to his policy on taxes and business regulation, there’s also been widespread growth as the New Hampshire economy chugs along in salubrious advance. Ultimately, all of Mr. Sununu’s efforts have been fruitful, and New Hampshire is now one of the nicest places to live in all of the United States (in fact it’s #2).

#3: Congressman Justin Amash

I may have my gripes with the honorable Congressman from Michigan for his involvement in senseless impeachment and abandonment of the Republican Party, but ultimately I can’t disagree with his policy positions. As a Republican, Amash served as a Congressman in the Michigan House of Congress from 2009 to 2011 before running in 2010 to handily win Michigan’s 3rd District, serving in that seat to this day. His approval is quite favorable too, with elections turning out much better than might be expected considering his having been at ends with Republican Party leadership the entire time. For perspective, this is difficult to do given the House’s ironclad authority and power distribution.

As chairman of the House Liberty Caucus, Amash runs a fairly tight ship, having been able to at least personally maintain Tea Party levels of fulmination well after the movement’s post-2016 slump. Plus, with his approach to privatization, there would be a massive decrease in the cost of services should he be able to implement smart and efficient regulatory policy, that instead of roadblocking development would  allow cost alleviation via private alternatives (such as charter schools). Red tape would become a thing of distant memory – or at the very least an endangered species.

This principled behavior is what sets him above the rest as someone who is truly concerned for the American people, even if it means he does things that are extremely frustrating. Considering Mr. Amash might vie for a 2024 ticket for the Libertarian Party, a rivalry between the two could actually arise.

#4: Mayor Glenn Jacobs

Played college ball, don’t you know? Could’ve gone pro if he hadn’t joined the…World Wrestling Federation. Glenn Jacobs is an All-American guy, and a prime example of someone who can represent American strength and might, both physically, philosophically, and politically.

You might know him from WWE, where he partook in the pandemonium as none other than “Kane” from 1995 up until 2016. Now, Mr. Jacobs is the Mayor of Knox County, Tennessee and thus has about the same level of qualification politically. Although relatively new to life as an elected official, his tenacity and principled (daresay hyper-American) views make up for lack of experience. His stances on small government and liberty would be a welcome change in the White House, especially when considering his stances on taxes. There’s also the added bonus of the meme material of a WWE wrestler being elected to office, since this is probably the closest we could ever get to electing a real life Senator Armstrong.

#5: Mayor Maximus Mighty-Dog Mueller II

You might argue that putting Mayor Max on this list is unfair to Mayor Pete. That a dog can’t be president and that no amount of joking or libertarian cynicism will say otherwise, but honestly just look at this good boy.

He’s adorable, the kind of good dog that everyone wants to pet and the drive-thru wants to give those little treats. After the amount of division and conflict this country has been going through, four or eight years of the adorable President Maximus Mueller II might be just what we need, after all. I mean, what world leader wouldn’t have their icy heart melted by this best of puppers?

#6: Andrew Yang

Look, I’m no socialist nor an advocate of universal basic income, but between the guy who’s going to give me a cool easy $1000 a month or Buttigieg’s milquetoast Democrat offerings, the choice is pretty easy. The truth of the matter is that between the two, at least one can skate. But really, the actual differences worth noting are Yang’s more acceptable view of leaving minimum wage up to the states (then at least it’ll cease in some states) versus that of Pete’s $15 minimum wage notion. Yang is also more realistic about college, one of the only Democrats who, up until his departure from the race, actually opposed “free college”. Andrew Yang will truly be missed both for his absolutely scattershot interesting (albeit sometime insane) ideas and for being glorious meme fuel. See you, space cowboy…

Image: Gage Skidmore

The post Six Politicians Who Would Make a Better President than Pete Buttigieg appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

That said, I’ve never been one to give up, even if it all can seem like a losing battle, or that the country’s been “progressing” in the wrong direction overall for generations. Nothing is inevitable, and there’s always hope. Two of the liberty wing’s Senate primary stars are starting from scratch, taking shots at lower races to the House. Amash faces an uphill battle without the backing of his former party, while Massie’s gained a primary challenger.

I’m only highlighting major party races because, well… they have consistent primaries and it’s primary season. I’m mostly highlighting Republican primaries because, well… have you seen the modern Democrat Party???

Every one of these candidates make the 2020 primaries more interesting, and every one of them seems undeniably better than their primary competitors.

US Senate (TX)–Dwayne Stovall

William Buckley’s famous formulation in who to vote for was essentially to vote for the most conservative candidate – who can win.

In some states, especially in places like the Northeast, conservatives may need to be moderate to do so. They may need to hem and hedge and dance around until they are acceptable, docile moderates unwilling to buck the status quo and indistinguishable from moderate Democrats.

But not Texas. God willing, never Texas.

So why the hell is my state, time and again, willing to accept John Cornyn when there are better options? Because he’s a long term incumbent? If the Texas GOP was half of what they billed themselves to be, that wouldn’t be seen as even a positive thing, much less the end of the conversation.

Dwayne Stovall, by contrast, is exactly what a GOP candidate from a deep red state should be. And whether or not he’s likely to win against the incumbent shouldn’t even matter to a real Texan. The primary is exactly the place for them to show what they will and won’t accept from leadership, and the choice is clear.

Cornyn is not just accepting of, but an embodiment of the DC status quo. Enormous budgets and deficits. Unchecked executive power. Federal control over states and individuals, regardless of the tenth amendment or the Constitution. By contrast, Stovall is a Federalist. He describes himself as a Jeffersonian constitutional conservative, and on most issues he is. He certainly isn’t running just to do whatever Mitch McConnell or Trump will tell him to, because he’s got concrete beliefs and grit.

US House (KY 4^th District)–Thomas Massie

Everyone sort of knows that the two members of the house with the strongest claim to libertarianish adherence are Thomas Massie and Justin Amash. Within the liberty community, it’s well understood that the main difference between them in recent history has been willingness to play the game and placate Trump’s massive ego as a means to reach liberty objectives.

In other words, it’s billed as a pragmatist/purist divide defined by strategy more than an ideological split.

Massie has been seen by his detractors in the liberty community as having been far too conciliatory toward Trump in exchange for far too few tangible results, while Justin’s detractors there see his unwillingness to compromise at all in exchange for, well… sleeping well, I guess, and the ability to spread his message more broadly through greater independence.

Which makes Massie’s race ironic in that what his primary competition is running on is the premise that Massie hasn’t been conciliatory enough.

Only time will tell whether Massie or Amash’s strategy is more effective. But it seems obvious that they are, without any competition whatsoever, the most liberty oriented members in the body as judged by their votes and their voice. At a time when liberty voices are receding, and allies are few, keeping them in Congress at least holds the line. They’re stable and consistent voices of reason within an institution that’s gone insane and has been consistently getting worse every two years.

Given current political realities, having some lone “no” votes in order to say “I told you so” later seems the best one could realistically hope for until Americans can be convinced in the wisdom of historical American principles once again.

US House (VA’s 7^th District)–Nick Freitas

In the 2018 primaries, Freitas was the most effective messenger for conservatarian ideas running for US Senate (and I say that despite the best efforts of the owner of this site… sorry, Austin). Nick has a firm understanding of the Constitution and maybe more importantly, it’s spirit… and the balls to defend our founding principles.

His narrow loss in that GOP primary really hit the movement in the feels. Many of those who saw the GOP as the preferable vehicle for advancement of traditional American liberty ideals saw his loss to someone that seemed so antithetical to them as part of a trend of decay. These failures seemed to solidify Trump sycophants as the dominant internal party force throughout the nation, less than a decade after the TEA Party offered hope of revival.

Regardless of what side of the aisle you’re on, there’s one thing that can’t be denied about Freitas. When it comes to the issues he cares about, he’s a fighter, and someone you want on your side.

The race he’s in now is a winnable one, and so is the general. For those who feel our nation’s history speaks to larger truths and values worthy of preservation, there is no better advocate running.

US House (MI’s 3^rd District)– Justin Amash

Amash is the most unapologetically libertarian member of Congress, bar none. For his purity and consistency, he’s been summarily punished by an abandonment of every major PAC pretending to support fiscal conservatism. For refusing to fall in line when the GOP drifted further and further towards statism as its default, and refusing to pay lip service required by a cult of personality which defines virtue as deference to a man rather than ideas, he was ostracized until he declared his independence from the GOP.

Politically homeless, without a party, and without support from the organizations that have backed him in the past, his re-election prospects look slim. It’s up to us, The People, to show that rejection of partisanship for principle isn’t an electoral suicide. Is it possible to win, even as an incumbent, when opposed by both major parties simultaneously? We’ll see what Michigan decides.

(Assuming, of course, he doesn’t finally decide to run for President).

US House (ME’s 2^nd District)– Eric Brakey

In one of the highest compliments I could give, Eric Brakey might just be the House candidate running most likely to carry on Ron Paul’s legacy. He’s young enough and full of enough potential that it’s possible. He’s no 2012 Ron Paul, but he may just be a 1976 one – if he can avoid too much compromise and moderation in pursuit of what he obviously believes.

Thomas Massie needs reinforcements to hold the line, especially with Amash’s seat in jeopardy, and I trust Eric Brakey would be an ally. He’s principled and thoughtful, relatable and reliable. He’s given intelligent consideration to his beliefs without becoming pretentious, allowing him to appeal to blue collar workers with white paper ideas. I’ve interviewed him twice, and he impressed me both times.

He can and just might win this race. If he does, the only thing I’m likely to have to criticize him for may just be that he occasionally gives Trump too much credit and not enough criticism, while voting the correct way on actual bills. I’ll take that any day.

Democrat Presidential Primary–Tulsi Gabbard

I’m not planning to vote in the Democrat primary. There are plenty of reasons not to vote for any Democrat in the general election. Tulsi isn’t a libertarian or a constitutional conservative – or even Democrat-light given how close her ideology is to Bernie’s.

But compared to her primary opponents? The choice couldn’t be clearer.

She is, at heart, an independent. Her conclusions, even those vastly different from my own, aren’t reached through blind tribalism rather than sober consideration. Her focus, however, aligns with the overlap, and she never misses an opportunity to opine on the warfare state and its effect on civil liberties.

Besides, she’s running for President, an office which has been given wide berth to act unilaterally in issues of war and peace, general foreign affairs, and attacks on basic civil liberties. Best case, even semi-realistic scenario for the next four years is a President Gabbard with a Republican Congress that refuses to pass any of her domestic economic agenda.

Not that it’s likely. She’s not going to be the Democrat nominee, much less the next President. But supporting her regardless sends exactly the right message to the DNC, which like the RNC has shat on its own base for decades.

From a liberty standpoint, well… she may be awful on the issues Democrats have been historically awful on. However, she represents the best hope of Democrats to return to the issues they’re supposed to be libertarian on, especially when it comes to foreign policy. The anti-war left may have left under Obama, but that doesn’t mean Democrats can never be anti-war again.

The post Opinion: Six 2020 Primary Candidates Worth Consideration appeared first on The Libertarian Republic.

“Then your favorite president wouldn’t have been able to conduct his foreign policy.”

Wow, that went from 0 to Iran-Contra very quickly. It was a discussion between me and my college professor. His reference to my “favorite president” meant Ronald Reagan. Reagan is indeed one of my favorite presidents because, as I alluded to before, his foreign policy was much more limited and informed than others we have seen.

My strong and loud declaration that the War Powers Act is unconstitutional might have been a bit dramatic. I tend to take extreme positions just for the heck of it and it happened a lot in college. I was known as that libertarian girl. You know, the one still making isolationist arguments when discussing World War 2, passionately defending over-the-counter birth control and legalizing prostitution, carrying a Gadsden flag around campus, and fervently insisting the 17^th Amendment is wrong.

No one that I can see is arguing that the War Powers Act is completely unconstitutional, but some in Congress are finally demanding their constitutional power when it comes to war approval.

On January 9, the House passed a resolution to limit a president’s ability to wage war with Iran. All Democrats voted for it except for eight members who are known to be moderates and/or facing difficult reelections in districts that Trump won.

All Republicans voted against it except for three. The dissenting Republicans include: Matt Gaetz (R-Fl), Thomas Massie (R-Ky), and Francis Rooney (R-Fl).

Neither Congressman Gaetz nor Massie are against Trump, but, let’s be honest, anti-Trump hysteria is likely the main motivator behind the Democrats’ new-found concern about executive overreach and endless war. However, for Gaetz and Massie, the principle of congressional approval for war is the main thing at stake.

We have been at war in the Middle East for 18 years. The authorization for military force in Iraq was passed in 2002 and they’re still using it. Gaetz is adamant that this resolution did not criticize Trump for killing the Iranian General Soleimani. He celebrates what he calls the “Trump Doctrine” where we “kill the terrorists and come home”. He voted for this resolution because if any president wants to drag us into another war, they need to gain congressional approval.

The thing about limited government is it doesn’t matter if it’s your guy or my guy in office. If the government is limited, we have more checks and balances to keep one man from calling all the shots. If you worried about Obama misusing power, limit government. If you worry about Trump misusing power, limit the government.

What usually happens is that Democrats get concerned with overreach, congressional approval, checks and balances, and constitutional limits when it is a Republican in office. Then, act like nothing is wrong when their preferred candidate has the power. Republicans do the same thing. Governmental power is rarely limited in a serious way and so we have a behemoth federal government, and an ongoing war that is older than some of the soldiers fighting it.

The War Powers Act might not be unconstitutional, but a resolution to limit presidential power to declare war is definitely sensible… and conservative.

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