A lot of people are picking on Kent McManigal for not being a ‘real candidate’ for President. The main reason seems to revolve around his standard not to take any money for his candidacy. This is a good and noble thing on Kent’s part. A ‘real candidate’ does take money from anyone they legally can according to the naysayers in the peanut gallery. Even though I won’t pick sides in a race which features at least a dozen candidates, I will defend Kent in this regard. I’m enjoying the LP process far more than anything Chris Matthews or David Brooks are thinking about. 
How can the LP expect to run anything but a protest candidacy when one looks at the historical and electoral realities ? Unless a compromise candidate of some largesse and fame were to step forward, why would we nominate anyone who didn’t value freedom above simple pandering to get along ? The formula for a ‘successful’ third party attempt for the American Presidency is literally not known. Perot may have shown that it requires a large disgruntled ‘middling’ for any traction to be had. But is that what we want so much ? Is the risk of it being taken over by Lyndon LaRouchies or Lenora Fulanies worth it ? Certainly a little giddiness at declaring taxation as theft isn’t so bad Dr. Milstead . . .
What’s the incentive for a ‘real’ player to purchase the LP franchise of less than 500 thousand votes ? Certainly a well to do candidate might only look at the value of ballot access above any other third party. Do we have a plan for Unity08 in terms of ballot access ? That will be a financed affair, but money is no substitute for dedicated believers out there hitting the streets in the great American begging game. Given the amount of money required, why would someone bother with so much risk on a small brewery batch. A Sam Adams story is indeed rare. Past experience and understanding has great value. The yearning and burning for Liberty should not have a light touch. Subtleties are permitted and deft handling is even better. Let’s play those cards instead of the shrill game.
Kent’s been kind enough to drop by the old blog and leave a few thoughts. The least I can do is point out that he ultimately is no less serious in terms of Liberty than anyone else. Everyone in America should be able to relate to him if they suddenly decided to run for President. In our case all you gotta do is go to the convention and get thirty signatures from delegates willing to listen to your case on Liberty. This is not kooky, desperate or hokey. Only in the LP race will you see businessman, comedians, writers, professors, activists, truck drivers and hippie anarchists step forward and declare their vision of Liberty. While I refuse to take sides given my current LNC stint, I would step down altogether if the spirit of competition, interests and ideas were tossed aside altogether.
As everyone says ‘yeah’ Kent seems cool I’d love to hang out with him, but if he doesn’t take money, well, why bother ? Anyone who decides to seek office has a reason to bother. More often than not they start with blathering and move to blithering. Kent writes about the spirit of Liberty and the practical application of life and human beings. This is a spirit the likes of Thoreau or Rothbard would recognize and celebrate. I’m sure if Kent were to get the nomination he would accept the gravitas of the honor and allow generous libertarian donations to help spread his message of common sense and hope. I’m no Tom Knapp tossing down for my homeboy like a rapid Carville in Missouri, but I am concerned about what the expectations in this race are. Pamphlets, websites and media exposure are all great things for a campaign, the reality is that people go with their gut when it comes to people. I suspect that there a bunch of people who follow Kent and his writings and see something of themselves in a battle for sensibilities and awareness. Whether or not we get a hundred thousand votes or a million, the LP should be proud of its choice and not blanch at whoever is the best voice of Liberty. I salute Kent McManigal and wish all others the best in their quest.
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