Third-party and independent candidate roundup

I eventually decded to pull these items from the most recent presidential roundup, as it was getting long. It posted yesterday; here it is. Also yesterday, a roundup of major international recent elections news.

Interestingly, a couple of items center on New York State. Cue Huey Lewis:

First, though?

Chase Oliver is the Libertarian presidential nominee. Not a Mises Mouse, but otherwise, on many issues, full of the Olde Tyme Libertarian gospel. Climate change is the biggest. The free market caused the climate crisis; it's bullshit claiming it will get us out. Gunz would be second. Supporting educational vouchers would be third. 

The batshits of Twitter, whether Mises Mice, or non-LP alt-rightists. started hating on him immediately anyway. And, then there's his own party chairwoman. See below.

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Second?

#MAGAts like to talk about election fraud. As Robert F. Kennedy Jr. moves in that direction, more and more, in many ways, will he talk about the moral version of election fraud, on residency, he seems to be committing himself? Showing the fear that full-on MAGAts have of Brainworm Bobby stealing votes from Donald Duck Trump, the Guardian piece notes that the New York Post reported on it first.

Meanwhile, even after being gaslit by him on abortion, Bob Jr.'s Veep, Nicole Shanahan, gave $8 million of her bucks to the campaign.

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That said, Oliver has, or had, another problem: LP Chair Angela McArdle. As of last week, McAwful, she of the idea of bringing Donald Trump and RFK Jr. to the Libertarian convention, had yet to endorse Oliver as party prez nominee, and in fact was still fellating Trump.

And, since writing that paragraph above June 2, it's gotten worse. McAwful officially has Trump Delightment Syndrome, per Third Party Watch, which reports she will officially, so it seems, fellate Trump in red states, but, poutingly I presume, endorse Oliver in blue states. A 37-minute video of her ramblings for the strong at heart.

TPW also reports that the Montana LP has officially rejected him as a candidate. Will he sue? McAwful will surely do nothing, contra the Green Party, which in 2021 decertified the Alaska GP for pulling that stunt with Jesse the Body in 2020. So, Chase, it's you or nobody.

As for the Montana LP claiming "it's looking out for itself"? The Alaska GP made vague nods that way, too. Know what? Whether true or not, it still turns a national party into Articles of Confederation US instead of Constitution US. And, GP National, unlike McAwful's likely inaction a year from now, decertified Alaska's GP at its 2021 convention.

Sidebar: One IPR commenter is a birther, tho not a MAGAts member, and I can't tell if they're a Mises Mouse or not. I told him on one post I wasn't engaging with him there any more on the birtherism. Said nutter, "Nuña," has gotten worse since then, being a No True Scotsman on L/libertarianism, then claiming (no, really) that neoliberalism is "far-left."

Update: Colorado LP has joined Montana. Let the Libertarian crack-up begin.

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And continuing on that thread?

"Libertarians for Kennedy" is looking at getting Brainworm Bobby and Cucker Shanahan to run on certain state LP ballot lines. Organizers of this effort say that Oliver would have to cooperate, but put that in such a way that they expect it to be guaranteed. More on the batshit lunacy here, which, given that McAwful refuses to endorse Oliver, has more than 0, even if not a lot more than 0, chance of success.

It has less than zero to the degree that McAwful will back Trump as much as possible. State LPs like Montana will probably look at a Mises Mouse Libertarian first and Trump second. Maybe the other way around. Brainworm Bobby will be a distant third.

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And, just when I think Brainworm Bobby's campaign can't get worse, it does! Turns out that old Movement for a People's Party grifter Nick Brana is Bob Jr's campaign ballot access director, per an IPR piece about Bob and the Natural Law Party.

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Now, New York.

Dear Jill Stein: Answer me this. How could you fall short on New York ballot access signatures when a LaRouchie independent candidate for US Senate crushed it with ease, with the same numbers required? (Yes, Sare also ran in 2022, but she's an independent, not a third-party candidate, and you ran in 2016 and 2012.)

Actually, maybe Libertarian nominee Oliver should answer first. According to Independent Political Report, which says RFK Jr. will be the only non-duopoly candidate on the NY ballot, Oliver was WAY behind Stein. 

Actually, that's been answered in comments at Independent Political Report. LP national apparently refused to pay the freight for signature gathering, apparently pouting, even before the convention, that they couldn't get a Mises Mouse the nomination. See below.

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Related to other Brainworm Bobby stuff? Shanahan loves her some Tucker Carlson, er Cucker Tarlson.

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Meanwhile, for the Ye Olde Time Libertarians who have tired of the Oliver-McAwful drama, and who had tired of the Mises Mice long earlier, the YOTLs are officially founding a "Liberty Party."

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Finally, though not tightly tied to the 2024 elections, via IPR, this year's Freedom Fest promises to be a lollapalooza of nuttery.

• Ev Psych fundamentalists like Steve Pinker (also full of shit on other things) and Matt Ridley (ditto).
• Rob Schneider, not funny in movies and not intelligent as a would-be pundit;
• Javier Milei, who will Make Argentina Garbage Again;
• Michael Schellenberger, fake enviro and climate change denialist;
• Pseudoskeptic Michael Shermer;
• Antivaxxer deluxe Del Bigtree;
• A bunch of other A-list grifters;
• Wayne Allen Root, Libertarian edgelord-grifter, and junior Trump wannabe;
• Multiple Skousens;
• Junior grifters that also appear to include at least one transhumanist and definitely include at least one other antivaxxer;
• A guy who self-presumes to be so well known that he's "Joe from Texas."

Gee, who could not fall in love with an event that once again proves that when "FreeDumb" is part of the name, the Dumb is usually along for the ride. (Oh, and on most the names above, either here or on Twitter, I have the receipts.)

Yeah, Jill Stein is there, but, per the above? She at least plays footsie with antivaxxerism. Anyway, she's not a featured speaker; she's on the B-team.

Also, the event is tawdry in some ways. You can't spell Jacob Sullum's name correctly? There's a couple of others, too.

And, there's a number of investment advice gurus. How much you wanna bet they're all peddling crypto?