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“Freaky fast” Libertarians

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* An overwhelming majority of y’all voted to make me go to today’s Libertarian Party press conference.

Thanks so much, by the way.

Ya’ goofs.

* The Libertarians used the presser to complain about ballot access. They were forced to collect over 40,000 signatures, while established parties only have to collect 5,000. They filed a lawsuit a couple of years ago to overturn the signature requirements, but the folks at today’s presser were unclear whether it was a state lawsuit or a federal lawsuit or which judge currently has the case and where it even is.

They also talked a bit about their plans if elected. The party’s gubernatorial candidate said he favors no government regulation of heroin and wants to abolish all state aid to schools, among other things. If you want to watch the whole thing, click here for the BlueRoomStream.com video.

* The policy “hook” was the party’s solidarity with the Jimmy John’s CEO, who said he’s leaving the state because of high taxes. The pitch…

Party leaders said they contacted Jimmy John’s but couldn’t get the company to cooperate.

They had a box of sandwiches, but I didn’t take one. I’m doing Atkins. No bread for me and I didn’t bother to look to see if they had a lettuce-wrapped sub.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:18 pm

Comments

You went so we wouldn’t have to. Thanks, Rich, ya martyr.

Comment by Wumpus Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:21 pm
wow. in a year when lots of gruntled voters are looking for someone, anyone else, way to go and make yourself unacceptable and unelectable. heroin? no school aid–what about that pesky constitution?

is there a green party candidate?

Comment by Langhorne Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:26 pm
Sorry, pal. We owe you one.

Comment by Archiesmom Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:26 pm
Can you drink beer on Atkins? We at least owe you one….

Comment by MP Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:28 pm
I’ve been hearing JJ’s CEO is leaving the state for a long time now. he’s still here?

I noticed he’s not taking all his Illinois restaurants and Illinois employees with him.

Comment by PoolGuy Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:31 pm
Click Bait. I told ya!

Comment by Lobo Y Olla Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:32 pm
A party so ready to lead Illinois that they are encouraging everyone to leave it?

Comment by Dirty Red Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:36 pm
Party leaders said they contacted Jimmy John’s but couldn’t get the company to cooperate.

Did Jimmy John’s CEO “not cooperate” because he’s a Raunerite instead of a wacky Libertarian, or because he is still shopping for the new mansion in Florida? Wasn’t he planning on moving if Quinn was elected back in 2010? Or was it more recently? Its been in the news (his treats to move because Illinois is so bad) but its seems it was a quite a while back…

Comment by Roadiepig Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:41 pm
Oh…sorry Rich…it was the Libertarian party. I thought it said “Limbertarian” .. you know the group that practices yoga. Like MP said, we owe you one.

Comment by Skeptic Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:43 pm
==is there a green party candidate?==

Scott K. Summers, previously their treasurer candidate in 2010.

Anyway, probably a good idea to have your ducks in a row regarding ballot access lawsuits if you’re going to hold a press conference whining about ballot access, regardless of how unfair it is.

Comment by Precinct Captain Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:47 pm
For all righteous Illinois Libertarians yearning to breath free, might I suggest Somalia.

Sun, sandy beaches and no pesky government up in your business — no government at all!

You’re free to do whatever pops into your head, until someone blows it off.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:52 pm
Roadiepig

Jimmy John is a long time supporter of Dan Rutherford… But nice try.

Comment by OneMan Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 3:55 pm
Voted “no” to you having to go, Rich, and sad to see that was probably the best vote.

Yep, Jimmy Johns was all-in for Rutherford, but as I look at this Libertarian Party entrance, Rauner must be pretty happy;

Are there more Quinn or Rauner pool voters looking for another choice than Rauner or Quinn? Hate to say it, and have nothing but “negatives” in polls to partially lean on, but I would lean Quinn pool voters looking for that 3rd choice, and that helps Rauner…today…and possibly in November.

Sorry you lost an afternoon you won’t get back. “Our” collective “bad”, lol

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 4:05 pm
Rauner ought to send this crew a fat check because their presser made his “budget plan” rollout look like a nuclear fission lecture by Enrico Fermi.

Seriously, JJ? That’s your stunt? How timely. He said that nearly four years ago and he’s still here. He was an Illinois Romney delegate last year.

And you filed a lawsuit, but you don’t know if it was state or federal court, who the judge is or where the case stands?

But you should run the state, of course, based on that demonstrated competence and a platform of issues important to everyone like legal heroin and no school aid.

Clinton said he never inhaled, I don’t think this crew ever exhaled.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 4:08 pm
Despite threatening to leave Illinois over high taxes, he still does all the national training at the Urbana, IL Jimmy John’s. Have spoken to various employees from all over the country training there.

Comment by Filmmaker Professor Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 4:10 pm
But we never got to see them pull the sheet off!!!

Comment by Kerfuffle Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 4:12 pm
Idiots. At least they got the sigs. No Democrat or Republican has to get more than 5,000 sigs in Illinois. Discriminatory double standard.

Ask Richard Winger about the lawsuit. I believe the lawsuit is in federal court and it challenges the full-slate requirement that requires “new” parties to run candidates for every statewide office, which makes little sense.

wordslinger, you are smart enough to know there is a difference between anarchists, libertarians, and war lords, right? Somalia only fits one of those three. How original, I’ve heard gullible people say libertarians should just go to Somalia about a thousand times now. Weak.

Comment by Jeff Trigg Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 4:40 pm
Worldslinger- Why don’t you live in Stalin’s Russia?

How about trying a more relevant institutionalized comparison next time.

Comment by CommoNooB Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 4:47 pm
The heroin and the JimmyJohn’s dude all ties together nicely….surprised you fell for the scam to get you attend. Must have need an excuse to get away from Oscar. Was he having a friend over and needed some quiet or were you looking for reason to duck JumpingJason?

Comment by CirularFiringSquad Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 4:54 pm
–Why don’t you live in Stalin’s Russia?–

Not really an option. Stalin’s dead, baby. Stalin’s dead.

Plus, I’m just a couple of punches from a free Potbelly (in keeping with your compelling theme).

But perhaps you could suggest an earthly governing model that comports to the Libertarian “philosophy,” one that would work for a diverse continental state of 316 million.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 5:04 pm
Should have mentioned the diet beforehand. Sorry.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 5:08 pm
I voted no, but I knew you’d go. This all proves “Breakfast is (by far) the most important meal of the day.

Comment by A guy... Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 5:27 pm
Heroin is illegal which equates to absolutely no government regulation already. If it were legal it would be regulated, possibly like booze, oxycontin, bread, guns or plutonium, all of which are regulated differently.

If Libertarians want to be taken seriously they should bring up the racial disparities in felony drug convictions and the long term public costs to such a large population that is branded with a record that will likely prevent further legal employment.

Comment by Abraham Froman Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 6:16 pm
A few years ago, after Rich Whitney ran against Blagojevich and Judy Baar Topinka, I thought the Libertarians achieved established party status. Obviously, the Libertarians did not keep up and lapsed backwards.

Comment by Upon Further Review Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 6:26 pm
Commo -

Wordslinger is spot on. Somalia is as close to no government regs as you can get on this Earth. Liberty for all. 1. You need guns to defend your stuff? Buy as many as you want. 2. You want someone else’s stuff? Take as much as you can get, as long as you don’t get shot. Rule #1 will also be helpful in that regard.

Comment by A. Nonymous Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 6:40 pm
Upon Further -

The Green Party achieved recognized party status for a cycle or two.

Not Libertarians.

Comment by A. Nonymous Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 6:41 pm
Jimmy John hates Illinois so much that he just last month dropped $325k on the City of Champaign to lay down some fresh asphalt on his street because he didn’t like the potholes.

The other bigfoots on the block still think he’s an a**hat.

Comment by Arthur Andersen Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 7:17 pm
Hey Capt Atkins
You can enjoy the insides and skip the bread

Comment by CirularFiringSquad Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 7:23 pm
What was under The Shroud?!

Comment by Bated Breath Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 7:47 pm
Libertarians: Old Indian word for “people who marginalize themselves”.

John

Comment by John Boch Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 8:07 pm
=== What was under The Shroud? ===

Petitions! That wasn’t hard to figure out. Although, I was hoping for a small Guy Fawkes effigy to commemorate one of our favorite commenters.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 8:08 pm
Wordslinger:

Operating Engineers outta do an independent expenditure letting voters know there is a true champion of the Second Amendment on the ballot.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 8:55 pm
The lawsuit is Libertarian Party of Illinois v. Illinois State Board of Elections, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, 12 CV 2511. The case has been in limbo since December 2013. If anybody wants to have a serious discussion with me about any issues you can look me up on the www. I appreciate those hustlers who took the time today to come to our little press conference. Thanks to you.

Comment by Ben Koyl Monday, Jun 23, 14 @ 10:40 pm
Rich Whitney is not a Libertarian, he’s a Green.

Comment by Precinct Captain Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 12:05 am
I haven’t been to a Jimmy Johns in over 3 years (on purpose). Illinois is where Jimmy Johns got started. Illinois put Jimmy Johns on the map, so when their CEO threatened to leave Illinois, I stopped eating Jimmy Johns. He apparently doesn’t understand that those that make good in Illinois should have a responsibility to give back to help keep Illinois thriving. Illinois’ unrealistically low taxes for years had given companies like Jimmy Johns artificial profits. When it was time to finally fix the revenue shortage in Illinois, Jimmy Johns wanted to take their profitable business and run, rather than thank the people in Illinois who got their company going, the ones that made him his millions. Corporate greed, corporate takers. I don’t have to support you, if you don’t support the people who got you where you are today.

Comment by Say It Ain't So! Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 8:14 am
Ben, if we legalize all drugs (which i support) how would we replace the economy that currently supports those labled as felons but still sell drugs due to a drug conviction where there currently isn’t any other significant economic opportunity?

Comment by Abraham Froman Tuesday, Jun 24, 14 @ 10:27 am