Libertarians' vision to influence political scenery

The Libertarian Party's presidential candidate for the 2000 election does not expect to win.

Harry Browne, who won the first ballot nomination by 54 votes, just wants to let people know about the Libertarian Party and its platform, said Robert Brunner, deputy press secretary for Harry Browne's campaign.

Browne's platform stresses repealing the income tax, operating under the belief that a constitutionally limited government could be successfully funded through excise taxes and tariffs, said Brunner.

"Now that we have the nomination, we'll be discussing ways we can best spread the message for the least amount of money. The goal is to be on national TV," Brunner said. Currently, Browne has produced four commercial spots that will be aired on cable TV.

The Equal Access law decrees that when one presidential candidate is given air time on television, other candidates must be given equal access. Brunner, however, doesn't expect equal time.

"The debate commission is bipartisan, not nonpartisan, and have established a threshold of 15 percent in the polls, so the chance of that happening is slim," Brunner said. "But the League of Women Voters are including the Libertarian Party in their polls."

Browne's presidential campaign will also rely heavily on the Internet.

Theoretically, people involved in the Internet tend to be more concerned with privacy and individual rights, the primary issues for Libertarians, Brunner said.

There were four other candidates for president, but Browne, the Libertarian candidate in 1996, was the front-runner, according to Dave Hollist, a nominee who received 2,500 votes in the national primaries and eight votes in the convention's official nominations.

"I wish every Libertarian well," said Hollist. "[Browne's] the strongest candidate and I will definitely vote for him. I'm just glad a Libertarian is running."   Browne, an investment advisor from Tennessee, has written 11 books on finance and the Libertarian Party, including a 1996 New York Times No. 1 bestseller, "You Can Profit from a Monetary Crisis," according to Browne's official Website, www.harry-browne2000.org.

The Libertarian Party, which expects to appear on the ballots of all 50 states, has a remarkably different platform than both the Republican and the Democratic Parties, according to George Getz, Libertarian Party press secretary.

The party favors taking the federal government out of all aspects of society not specified in the constitution, Getz said.

In its statement of purpose, the party aims to "challenge the cult of the omnipotent state and defend the rights of the individual."

One of the principle issues debated at the weekend convention was abortion. The party, which draws many of its members from the far right of the political spectrum, is in a constant debate whether the party should take a stand against abortion, or leave it as a individual choice issue without government interference, Getz said.

The party also favors stopping the war on drugs, Getz said. The prohibition on drugs is like the Prohibition of alcohol in the 1920s, which increases crime by creating a black market, according to the official Libertarian Party Website, www.lp.org.