Running for Congress in 2010

I put out the announcement today that I'll be running for the US Congress in 2010 for Arizona's 5th district:

http://www.nickcoonsf...

The main campaign site can be found here:

http://www.nickcoonsf...

I put out the announcement today that I'll be running for the US Congress in 2010 for Arizona's 5th district:

http://www.nickcoonsf...

The main campaign site can be found here:

http://www.nickcoonsf...

For what it's worth, I think these are the 3 key mistakes made by Libertarian candidates.

1) Drugs. Obviously I totally oppose the drug war. The problem is there is too much focus on it by Libertarians as the first issue in any discussion. Neither party wants to end the war on drugs now and there are so many government outrages to focus on. I just think the party is too much, "Hi, I'm a Libertarian, legalize drugs." We need to get people to realize the government isn't the solution to pretty much everything BEFORE we focus on that one issue.

2) The war in Iraq. Obviously opposing it is right. The mistake that Libertarians make is not explaining WHY they oppose it. The Libertarians SOUND like the Left. Bush lied, cut funding. That turns off the Right and does nothing to attract the Left who already have that. We need to focus on that we don't need to be in regions like the middle east and we don't need to have government providing lower gas prices using the military. Look at BigAllen, he still thinks that Libertarians agree with the self serving narrow liberal position on Iraq when we don't. But as I said, Libertarians make it sound like we do by using Liberal talking points.

3) Focusing on irrelevant issues like the National ID card to stand out. We stand out but look like nuts. The National ID card is a non-issue. Everyone has an SSN and the government tracks us in every financial way with that. We all have one of 50+ State/DC/Territory licenses in interconnected databases. When I moved from Connectitut to North Carolina this summer I had to prove I wasn't a guy in NY State with a similar name and the same birthday. How exactly does not having a National ID in any way protect my privacy?

We need to get people to rethink government. I think Iraq if we focus on the real issue is excellent. Focus on the DYNAMICS that got us into Iraq which is both parties endless foreign involvement instead of jumping into the blame game of just Iraq. Focus on the reality that foreign aid is not charity for the poor but props up bad governments. Focus on opening interstate trade by eliminating stupid politically motivated bureaucracies like forcing people to buy cars from local dealers. Focus on simplifying taxes even over reducing them. Focus getting people to understand that all taxes are paid by consumers, there is no such thing as a corporate tax and income taxes (et al) are baked into the prices paid by consumers so leveling and simplifying taxes doesn't redistribute any wealth, it raises prices.

Just my 2 cents. Good luck!

One other thing on Iraq specifically, here is how I would present it.

- Both parties have gone down a path that led us into this situation. While the war in Iraq itself is not for oil, it is over terror, oil is why we are there in the first place making ourselves a target of terrorists. And now that we didn't find the WMDs both parties said were there we're in a massive finger pointing exercise.

As a Libertarian, I am not interested in supporting either party in their endless blame games. I want to use Iraq to look forward, not back. Looking forward, most middle east oil goes to Europe and Japan, not the United States. We have the most powerful economy and resourceful industry in the world. Rather then putting our military in volatile regions, let's invest in US energy, Nuclear, eliminating restrictions on local gas blends and exploration.

And while we like low gas prices, we have to be practical that we are using too much and that use is growing too fast. While gas over the long term has not risen as dramatically as is being portrayed but has only risen with inflation, we still don't like to pay more at the pump. However, we have to recognize the only way to change behaviors and spur innovation by our great industrial strength is to allow prices to rise. If we are honest, we already know that. There is no way to keep prices low and reduce usage.

I think with this story you won't attract the true Right or Left who are lost in ideology, but there are a lot of people who are with each side because the other scares them more. Focusing on blaming one side or the other will never persuade them. Giving them an alternative that makes sense could. Libertarians sound like throwing votes away. I think by focusing on the real issues we are facing as a country and that we are part of the process, not a "none of the above" vote would make it a lot more palatable to a lot more of the country to support us.

Thank you for the input. I think it's good advice.

I think I've so far avoided the mistakes that you've mentioned; my site currently has no mention of the Real ID or the war on drugs, and the section that talks about War & Foreign Policy discusses the "why" behind it without pointing fingers. There is a blip on the home page that effectively says, "tired of the Democrats and Republicans? Here's an alternative."

I have yet to get into gas prices, though I'm constantly adding new content to the site.

I'll take a look at your site. Like I said I'm just giving you my opinion, and I appreciate you take it that way.

The drug war is a tough one because ending it would be one of the greatest steps towards liberty this country could take. The problem is to the American population it's like liberty calculus and they need to study basic liberty at this point. The Right is determined to control people's bodies and just don't get that government can't make people's choices for them. When you try you just end up funding organized crime, empowering the government to trample on our privacy and freedom, creating cultures of crime and shootouts in the street and it DOENS"T WORK ANYWAY! Hello! We STILL have the DRUGS! And the Left who claim to support privacy support it too! More evidence of my point the parties are the same.

One thing I don't get about the Libertarian party is that while they so totally get that, they don't support the Fair Tax. Hello, square the damage the drug war does to our liberty and that's the IRS and their endless crusade of terror into every aspect of our lives.

Gas prices are huge becuase they tie both into our miltaristic foreign policy and our energy policy. I think that's really an issue that Libertarians could make gains in with education because other then the ideologs on both sides, I think people don't realize how simple the solutions are. Those are both issues that both sides are just pounding ideology and people don't realize that. I think people would love to reduce our military presence in the world and loosen up government control of energy and neither side is pointing out how simple and effective that actually is because both sides want to maintain the power of government, and hence their own.

Who is comming out for you beside you Republican friend? Boy, 2010 I can hardly wait! I might move to Arizona and vote for the Democrat!

Who is comming out for you beside you Republican friend? Boy, 2010 I can hardly wait! I might move to Arizona and vote for the Democrat!

Oooohhhhh, I'm a Republican. . From small minds come small products. The only solution your tiny little liberal brain can come up for any problem is government and the only insult your tiny little brain can come up with is to call me me a "Republican." You're like a 3 year old calling someone a poopy pants. It's all you got. Or a Christian bigot saying someone's filled with the "devil." They have God and the Devil. You have Democrats and Republicans. There just isn't any more room in your little itty-bitty brain.

How about Tyler Hansbrough for president. Let's make Kaz happy!

How about Tyler Hansbrough for president. Let's make Kaz happy!

Dude, you are SO funny! Who writes your material, the baby in your photo? BTW, I was roaming around the message boards. Wow, you copy the same liberal tripe in every forum, don't you?

I do have a serious question for you. Is there anything YOU are responsible for? Every board you write about what you want government to give you. In your mind, are you responsible for anything in your life? Or is it all just the job of government to burp you from cradle to grave?