Political mudslingers are hoping some of the dirt blinds the voters
by James Simpson

Potomac News
Friday, October 24, 2003

I wasn't going to write a column about Robert McBride, the Independent candidate running for the Occoquan District seat on board of supervisors. That is until a number of nasty inferences started being written about him and his position on various issues. In the interest of full disclosure I will let you know that I am supporting the McBride campaign both financially and as a volunteer.

It is bad enough that his campaign is being smeared door-to-door, which occurs in virtually every campaign, but now efforts are being focused on openly spreading inaccuracies and false associations. Statements which have no foundation, are taken out of context or have absolutely nothing to do with county government. But hey... conjecture works as long as you make it sound legitimate.

I am currently reading an excellent book titled "Treason: Liberal Treachery from the Cold War to the War on Terrorism" by Ann Coulter. I can't help but notice similarities between some of the tactics being used by folks who support McBride's opponent and the liberals who maligned Sen. Joseph McCarthy. They misrepresent an individual's position on issues to incite fear in the public, or in this case in the electorate. Unfortunately, this has been the case with several items I have recently read in letters and columns appearing on the Potomac News opinion page. To begin with one critic infers that Robert McBride is trying to hide the fact that he is a member of the Libertarian Party. This is untrue. He is required to run as an Independent and it doesn't make sense to confuse the voters by campaigning as a Libertarian. Other criticisms and concerns are not accurate or relevant to a local race. I will briefly address them.

For starters, smearing someone solely by party affiliation is simply ignorant. Individuals are individuals. Howard Dean and Wesley Clark are not identical. Neither are Donald Rumsfeld and Colin Powell. Libertarians are perhaps even more independent. Put three libertarians in a room and you'll end up with four opinions on any given matter.

One writer is critical of the Libertarian Party because it takes no official stand on abortion. It realizes that candidates will run on either side of this most divisive issue. On the other hand, the Republican Party, which I assume from his comment regarding this topic has taken a stand against abortion, regularly elects candidates who are pro-choice - going against their party platform. One governor elect of California comes to mind. However, abortion is not a board of supervisors issue.

Some comments made about the Libertarian Party being isolationist is also inaccurate. All one has to do is read some of the papers at the foremost Libertarian think tank, The Cato Institute, and it becomes quite clear that Libertarians are in favor of international free trade. What some folks like to refer to as isolationism is opposition to giving away $18 billion taxpayer money (read: international welfare) to a nation sitting on one of the largest oil reserves on earth.

Our ongoing support (financially and militarily) of nations around the world must stop. However, foreign policy is also not a board of supervisors issue.

A few letter writers and a local columnist have all attacked McBride on drug legalization. Yet again I need to point out that this is not a board of supervisors issue. However, I will quote William F. Buckley Jr. in a concluding statement he gave to the New York Bar Association in 1995: "I leave it at this, that it is outrageous to live in a society whose laws tolerate sending young people to life in prison because they grew, or distributed, a dozen ounces of marijuana. I would hope that the good offices of your vital profession would mobilize at least to protest such excesses of wartime zeal, the legal equivalent of a My Lai massacre. And perhaps proceed to recommend the legalization of the sale of most drugs, except to minors."

This and links to other National Review articles on the issue can be found on my Web site - jamessimpson.org.

In working with Robert I have yet to see him shy away from the fact that he is a Libertarian ... however he does assert that it is more important to get into substantive discussions about the issues than about party politics.

It is far more important in a county-level race where Robert stands on skyrocketing taxes or protecting our drinking water than his position on state and federal issues such as privatizing state services or getting the FDA to approve life saving drugs faster.

As for growth, I for one believe (as a Libertarian) that protection of our shared natural resources, such as air and water, is absolutely critical.

I don't think that opposition to government interference with private property conflicts with McBride's natural growth position, which includes the protection of our shared natural resources.

If folks want to build in a way that harms the drinking water we all use, or try and make the rest of the county pay for the cost of creating massive developments in the middle of nowhere, then someone needs to be a voice of reason.

It is important to understand that just because a political party, or some candidate in a party, has something in their platform doesn't mean that all people aligned with that party support every single issue. There may be a Libertarian who ran in favor of legalizing child pornography or getting rid of all obscenity laws, but drawing a connection to all Libertarians because of something like that would be akin to calling all Republicans racist because David Duke ran as a Republican.

Contrary to the beliefs of some local pundits, Libertarianism is far closer to the vision of a limited and just government that the Founders envisioned than anything that is currently being offered by Republicans or Democrats.

But there are folks who seem to think that the only way to win is by slinging as much mud as you can at the opponent and hoping that some of it splashes into the eyes of observers. I hope my readers can clear the mud from their eyes before Election Day.

James Simpson is a member of the Libertarian Party. He lives in the Occoquan District.