NEWS AND OPINION:
Polls and press coverage reveal that Americans have a real hankering for a third party as the presidential election season drags on. The Libertarian Party is happy to fill the bill; the national organization has revamped its website and voter outreach and will stage a splashy convention next month in Florida.
Its leading presidential candidates are getting noticed. Gary Johnson, technology entrepreneur John McAfee and Libertarian Republic founder Austin Petersen made a robust showing at an initial Fox Business Network forum last week, moderated by prime-time host John Stossel, complete with live audience.
Part 2 aired Friday night. The second confrontation featured questions from Fox personalities Bill O’Reilly, Eric Bolling, Dana Perino, Juan Williams and Andrew Napolitano. The three candidates answered questions about nuts and bolts matters important to voters - including job creation.
“When I was governor of New Mexico, I didn’t create a single job, Government doesn’t create jobs. The private sector creates jobs. But government can create a level playing field, and I think I contributed to that,” Mr. Johnson said.
See the conversation here
Mr. Stossel, meanwhile, agrees that the Libertarian Party is ramping up its efforts in concert with voter dissatisfaction.
SEE ALSO: Black Lives Matter protestors target Bill on campaign trail; he throws Biden under the bus
“They sure are,” he tells Inside the Beltway, citing ElectionBettingOdds.com, a website that currently reveals that the inevitable favorites are Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.
“Both want to limit our freedom. Hillary wants to micromanage every inch of life, and police the world. Donald wants to punish me for buying things from foreigners, or having the wrong religion. I want to be left mostly free, and all the libertarian candidates want to do that, and all would be better than the major party front-runners,” Mr. Stossel declares.
“As the race heats up, more, now than ever, Americans are looking for someone who represents their beliefs,” the candidate Mr. Petersen, a pro-life Libertarian, tells the Beltway. “In rejecting the major party front-runners, third parties, such as the Libertarian Party, have an excellent chance to be more relevant than ever, and it is important that we seize this opportunity.”
FOR THE LEXICON
“Soft utopia”
— Term coined by former diplomat and author Todd Huizinga to describes the current state of the European Union. Mr. Huizinga explains all at a Hudson Institute forum Friday; yes, C-SPAN will be there at 10 a.m. EDT.
SEE ALSO: Christian cross ordered off Los Angeles County seal
CRUZ BUT NO TRUMP AT GOP JEWISH SUMMIT
Republican Jewish Coalition’s annual spring leadership meeting this weekend begins Friday at the fabulous Venetian Resort and Casino in Las Vegas; the site is owned by Republican philanthropist Sheldon Adelson, a man who donated $90 million to the GOP cause during the 2012 presidential race.
“A terrific weekend of politics, policy and poker. Attendees will have the opportunity to shake hands, ask questions, and be heard by some of the country’s leading politicians, policymakers and influential leaders,” organizers advise attendees.
The speakers include Sen. Ted Cruz, Govs. Scott Walker, Rick Scott and Charlie Baker; Sen. Ron Johnson; Reps. Lee Zeldin, Joe Heck and Carlos Curbelo; talk-show hosts Hugh Hewitt and Dennis Prager; and pastor John Hagee.
GOP hopefuls Donald Trump and Gov. John Kasich were invited but declined — though there is a chance the nimble Mr. Trump will show up. Things were a little prickly the last time Mr. Trump addressed a meeting of the Republican coalition four months ago.
“You’re not going to support me even though you know I’m the best thing that could happen to Israel. I know why you’re not going to support me — because I don’t want your money. You want to control your own politician,” the candidate said at the time.
But that was then. Mr. Adelson, who has donated to Mr. Cruz’s campaign, has yet to endorse anyone. And he may be warming to Mr. Trump.
“Trump is a businessman. I am a businessman. He employs a lot of people. I employed 50,000 people. Why not?” Mr. Adelson noted in late February during a Las Vegas event honoring Rudolph W. Giuliani. The former New York City mayor who has revealed, incidentally, that he will vote for Mr. Trump in the state’s April 19 primary.
WEEKEND CANDIDATE TRACKER
Ohio Gov. John Kasich seems to be the busiest GOP candidate this weekend. He’s campaigning in New York, from the Bronx to Syracuse plus a few stops in Connecticut, for a total of seven events, accompanied here and there by TV host Montel Williams. Sen. Ted Cruz will be in Nevada, most notably attending the aforementioned Republican Jewish Coalition summit in Las Vegas. Donald Trump has bowed out of events in California and Colorado and left his schedule open, according to a spokeswoman. That could change at any nanosecond.
For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton has three grass-roots events in western New York state while Sen. Bernard Sanders lingers in Philadelphia, his rallies staged in one church, a hotel and a college campus.
WEEKEND REAL ESTATE
For sale: “Heart of Oxford,” classic Victorian home built in 1875 on one acre in Oxford, Georgia. Five bedrooms, three baths, 3,258 square feet. Original wide plank wood floors, high ceilings, nine-over-nine windows, completely restored and updated. Verandah with original architectural details, multiple interior built-ins, gourmet kitchen with original ceiling beams, solarium, library, dining room, family room. Detached two-car garage, fenced property, mature trees. Priced at $395,000 through Georgiamls.com; enter 7582917 in the “Georgia MLS No” found in search function.
POLL DU JOUR
• 45 percent of Americans say the nation is now “so off track” it needs a leader willing to break rules; 65 percent of Donald Trump supporters, 40 percent of Sen. Ted Cruz supporters and 43 percent of Gov. John Kasich supporters agree.
• 42 percent overall say “society has become too soft and feminine”; 68 percent of Trump supporters, 57 percent of Cruz supporters and 52 percent of Kasich supporters agree.
• 34 percent overall say they are bothered when they meet immigrants who speak little or no English; 64 percent of Trump supporters, 46 percent of Cruz supporters and 38 percent of Kasich supporters agree.
• 32 percent overall say the government has paid too much attention to minorities in the past few decades; 55 percent of Trump supporters, 38 percent of Cruz supporters and 29 percent of Kasich supporters agree.
• 24 percent overall say the government should ban Muslims from entering the U.S.; 49 percent of Trump supporters, 36 percent of Cruz supporters and 26 percent of Kasich supporters agree.
Source: A PRRI/The Atlantic survey of 2,033 U.S. adults conducted March 30-April 3/
• Hurrahs and hisses to jharper@washingtontimes.com.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.