Post by RS Davis on Aug 4, 2004 13:43:51 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS[/glow]
[glow=red,2,300]by James W. Harris[/glow]
[shadow=red,left,300]Libertarian Party's Badnarik: Second Choice for 43% of Americans[/shadow]
If the presidential election were held today, three percent of Americans would vote for Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik.
Surprisingly, though, Libertarian Badnarik is the *second* choice of more than four in 10.
So says a new nationwide poll conducted last week by the respected Rasmussen polling firm, commissioned by the Badnarik campaign.
The poll of 1,000 adults found that Democratic John Kerry leads incumbent president George W. Bush by a slim margin of 46-43%.
However, when asked to choose between Badnarik or their first choice's main rival, a whopping 43% of voters chose Badnarik. (In other words, roughly 40% of Bush voters would vote for Badnarik rather than Kerry, and roughly 40% of Kerry voters would choose Badnarik over Bush.)
This is remarkable in many ways. It shows that the Libertarian Party -- and libertarian ideas -- have gained a significant amount of public understanding and support over the years.
Indeed, that is further reflected by the survey's finding that fully 10% of Americans explicitly identified their political ideology as libertarian rather than conservative or liberal. This would have been almost unthinkable just a few years ago.
Badnarik says he is not surprised by the results. "The American electorate is extremely polarized this year," he said. "And the Libertarian Party arguably constitutes the new center of the debate."
Badnarik also emphasized the same point the Advocates' World's Smallest Political Quiz makes about the difference between liberals and conservatives.
"The Democrats and Republicans stand at two extremes, characterized by which parts of our lives they emphasize their desire to control," he said.
"Libertarians reject both extremes in favor of the government leaving control of your life to you."
If Badnarik received 3% of the vote in November, that would be more than three times the largest showing ever by a Libertarian Party presidential candidate.
It's also important to note that Badnarik's 3% is enough to make him the difference between a victory or a loss for Kerry and Bush in many razor-close "battleground" states -- and perhaps even the deciding factor in the presidential race itself.
Badnarik campaign manager Fred Collins says this poll indicates that the Republican and Democratic politicians will be forced "to fight us for the swing votes that we control."
Finally, Rasmussen also discovered that the vast majority of Americans want Badnarik in the presidential debates. 68% said he should be included; 12% were unsure; and only 20% said he should be excluded.
(Sources: Badnarik for President:
www.badnarik.org/
Rasmussen Reports:
www.rasmussenreports.com )
[glow=red,2,300]by James W. Harris[/glow]
[shadow=red,left,300]Libertarian Party's Badnarik: Second Choice for 43% of Americans[/shadow]
If the presidential election were held today, three percent of Americans would vote for Libertarian candidate Michael Badnarik.
Surprisingly, though, Libertarian Badnarik is the *second* choice of more than four in 10.
So says a new nationwide poll conducted last week by the respected Rasmussen polling firm, commissioned by the Badnarik campaign.
The poll of 1,000 adults found that Democratic John Kerry leads incumbent president George W. Bush by a slim margin of 46-43%.
However, when asked to choose between Badnarik or their first choice's main rival, a whopping 43% of voters chose Badnarik. (In other words, roughly 40% of Bush voters would vote for Badnarik rather than Kerry, and roughly 40% of Kerry voters would choose Badnarik over Bush.)
This is remarkable in many ways. It shows that the Libertarian Party -- and libertarian ideas -- have gained a significant amount of public understanding and support over the years.
Indeed, that is further reflected by the survey's finding that fully 10% of Americans explicitly identified their political ideology as libertarian rather than conservative or liberal. This would have been almost unthinkable just a few years ago.
Badnarik says he is not surprised by the results. "The American electorate is extremely polarized this year," he said. "And the Libertarian Party arguably constitutes the new center of the debate."
Badnarik also emphasized the same point the Advocates' World's Smallest Political Quiz makes about the difference between liberals and conservatives.
"The Democrats and Republicans stand at two extremes, characterized by which parts of our lives they emphasize their desire to control," he said.
"Libertarians reject both extremes in favor of the government leaving control of your life to you."
If Badnarik received 3% of the vote in November, that would be more than three times the largest showing ever by a Libertarian Party presidential candidate.
It's also important to note that Badnarik's 3% is enough to make him the difference between a victory or a loss for Kerry and Bush in many razor-close "battleground" states -- and perhaps even the deciding factor in the presidential race itself.
Badnarik campaign manager Fred Collins says this poll indicates that the Republican and Democratic politicians will be forced "to fight us for the swing votes that we control."
Finally, Rasmussen also discovered that the vast majority of Americans want Badnarik in the presidential debates. 68% said he should be included; 12% were unsure; and only 20% said he should be excluded.
(Sources: Badnarik for President:
www.badnarik.org/
Rasmussen Reports:
www.rasmussenreports.com )
