Michael Badnarik earned the Libertarian Party’s nomination for president, despite having little political experience.
Badnarik won the Libertarian Party’s nomination May 30 at the Libertarian National Convention in Atlanta, Ga.
According to CNN.com, he “came from behind to defeat movie producer Aaron Russo and radio talk show host Gary Nolan.”
Badnarik and his running-mate Richard Campagna, an attorney from Iowa, are currently on the ballot in 48 states, more than any other third-party candidate.
“I am delighted that (Badnarik) is running,” Richard Kerr, the communications director of the West Virginia Libertarian Party, said. “He has the attributes we want in a candidate – strict obedience to the Constitution. He realizes that almost everything the federal government does is in violation of the Constitution.”
According to his Web site, Badnarik.org, he believes in the “Libertarian philosophy” of “‘Self-Ownership:’ You own yourself, and no one else on Earth has a higher claim to your body or your labor than you do. So long as people act in a way that doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s freedom, Libertarians believe that they should be free to do what they please.”
He also believes that the U.S. government ought to strictly adhere to the U.S. Constitution. According to his Web site, he “became interested in the U.S. Constitution in 1983, and began a life-long journey in self-study of this founding document of the country he is so proud to call his home.”
Badnarik also supports ending the prohibition of medical marijuana and the War on Drugs in general because “it is the unalienable and constitutional right of individuals to medicate themselves and choose for themselves what to put into their bodies, as long as they live up to the consequences of their actions.”
On his Web site, Badnarik calls the war in Iraq a “failure,” and says he would quickly implement an exit strategy and withdraw U.S. troops as quickly and safely as possible if he were elected president. He also supports a foreign policy of “national defense” not “international offense.”
Badnarik is strongly opposed to the Patriot Act, and promises that if elected, he will do away with it and any similar legislation. “As your president, I will act in accordance with my oath to the Constitution of the United States, all of it, with special emphasis on the Bill of Rights,” he says on his Web site. “I will veto legislation which in any way infringes upon those rights. I will shut down any agency or activity in the executive branch which has, as its mission, the infringement of those rights.”
Immigration is another of his concerns. According to his Web site, he supports the entry of “peaceful” immigrants after a “brief vetting to ensure that they are not terrorists or criminals.”
“This nation was built on immigration,” he says. “Allowing peaceful people to enter our country is not just an option. It’s a benchmark by which we measure whether or not we’re living up to the American ideal.”
He also believes in restitution rather than punishment for criminals. His Web site reports that Japan is the only industrialized nation with crime rates that have consistently declined since World War II. Badnarik attributes this success to Japan’s emphasis on restitution (formal apologies from offenders to victims, and compensation agreements for offenders in exchange for leniency from courts). “Such restitution is the most effective rehabilitation known today,” Badnarik says.
In accordance with the Libertarian Party platform, which favors individual rights, Badnarik is also against gun control because he believes it violates the Second Amendment. Calling this his “hot button” issue, Badnarik says, “Don’t even think about taking my guns! My rights are not negotiable, and I am totally unwilling to compromise when it comes to the Second Amendment.”
As with other third party candidates, there is concern that Badnarik could siphon votes away from a major party candidate.
“If (the Libertarians) get media attention and the message gets out, then George Bush could get Nadered,” Lawrence Jacobs, a professor of political science at the University of Minnesota, told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Kerr disagrees. “In any contest beyond (a city council election), your vote is not going to determine who wins,” he said. “The most it can do is express your views.”
USA Today reported a similar view from Badnarik.
“I’m not stealing votes from anybody,” he said. “I’m winning votes for liberty.