Eric Dondero and Sane Libertarianism
By Nathan Nelson Posted in 2008 — Comments (20) / Email this page » / Leave a comment »
After Congressman Ron Paul's (R-TX) horrifying display of anti-American defeatism during the Fox News Republican presidential debate, it was clear - if it hadn't been already - that Ron Paul would not be the Republican presidential nominee. Now it appears that he may not be the congressman for Texas' 14th District for much longer either. Condemning Paul's anti-American tirade, former Ron Paul campaign coordinator Eric Dondero has announced that he will officially declare against Congressman Paul if none of the other Republicans who have expressed an interest move to do so. Dondero also has a Q&A with Latest Politics explaining his decision to challenge his former boss.
Read on...
Eric Dondero is the founder of the website Mainstream Libertarians. It's a site for sane libertarians who, unlike Congressman Paul, believe in:
Defending our borders, and maintaining a strong and well-equipped Military to protect our nation from any terrorist or foreign state. Using the Military to fight terrorists overseas, when necessary, rather than here at home. Support for the All-Volunteer Armed Forces.
Back when I was in the process of leaving the Democratic Party and deciding whether or not to become a Republican, Eric Dondero commented on my old blog and left me information about Republican libertarianism. This information was a major factor in my decision to indeed leave the Democratic Party and become a Republican. To this day, I consider myself a Republican who seeks to balance conservatism and libertarianism. I don't believe that these two ideological systems are mutually exclusive, nor do I believe that either system is incompatible with the Republican Party. I think that Republican libertarians are a valuable part of our coalition and will only become more valuable in the years to come, because libertarianism is growing and our party can grow with it.
With that said, Congressman Ron Paul is like a sore on the behind of Republican libertarianism. He makes it seem as though Republican libertarianism is nothing more than Buchananesque defeatism and isolationism. Eric Dondero is a positive alternative to Ron Paul: unabashedly Republican, unabashedly conservative, unabashedly libertarian, and unabashedly willing to balance these three systems. Perhaps most importantly, he is unabashedly willing to vote in favor of defending our country. He is a better choice for Texas' 14th District and for America.
which makes him more consistent than many who'd carry the label. His foreign policy pronouncements strike me as immature, gut reactions -- myopic tantrums -- but I'd sooner keep him in Congress. CAVEAT: By "keep him in Congress," I do not mean, per se, him, Ron Paul. With a healthy libertarianism and a sane foreign policy vision, Eric would be a great man to replace him.
Know any good fundraisers?
Calling Eric Dondero "sane" is a bit like referring to Rudy G as a "conservative." ;^) Dondero claims to speak "10-15 languages" (can't decide?) (source: http://americanlibertarian.blogspot.com/), owns multiple blog sites under different names, and left the Libertarian Party in the 1980s then rejoined in 2004, only to leave again. Anyone who's met him tells me that he's seriously unstable. Seriously.
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freestateproject.org - Liberty in Our Lifetime
he's 10,000% better than Ron Paul.
BTW, Eric listed his languages and his proficiency here.
English (native), Spanish, French, Portugues (and Catalan), completely fluent.
Chinese, Filipino - Mid-level
German - Travel fluent
Russian, Dutch, Greek, Turkish, Arabic, Hebrew - Basics
I know rudimentary phrases in another 10 or so, including Tibetan, and the hardest language on the Planet IMHO - Vietnamese.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
After 7 years, I still cn't pronounce my wife's first name. And don't even ask me to try her last name...
"It's a book about a man who doesn't know he's about to die, and then dies...
...But if the man does know he's going to die and dies anyway. Dies, dies willing, knowing he can stop it, then...
Well, isn't that the type of man you want to keep alive?"
Karen Eiffel, Stranger Than Fiction
"Marriage should be reserved for a man and a woman."
But the sticking point, which is misconstrued is the 2004 quote "That's why you have civil partnerships. So now you have a civil partnership, domestic partnership, civil union, whatever you want to call it, and that takes care of the imbalance, the discrimination, which we shouldn't have."
And that he signed into law as mayor of NYC the Empire State Pride Agenda.
But he has never said Gay Marriage.
under different names. Why I myself blog here and also as Glenn Reynolds, Captain Ed, and Michelle Malkin.
has his own, under his name - we JUST found that out! Why's he been hiding it?
I have it on authority that he's also Andrew Sullivan and Jonah Goldberg.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
I think it was Moe that sent out a blast email. Or maybe Kos sent out blast email. Oops, caught again. Moe and Kos are the same guy too. I mean, have you ever seen a picture of them together? See. Proof!
Rosie O'Donnell will be talking about this next week.
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CongressCritter™: Never have so few felt like they were owed so much by so many for so little.
Just because I quit on TheVew doesn't mean I'm going to let you get away with anti-atheistic bigotry!
"It's a book about a man who doesn't know he's about to die, and then dies...
...But if the man does know he's going to die and dies anyway. Dies, dies willing, knowing he can stop it, then...
Well, isn't that the type of man you want to keep alive?"
Karen Eiffel, Stranger Than Fiction
Then what makes you think he'll care about what I say?
"It's a book about a man who doesn't know he's about to die, and then dies...
...But if the man does know he's going to die and dies anyway. Dies, dies willing, knowing he can stop it, then...
Well, isn't that the type of man you want to keep alive?"
Karen Eiffel, Stranger Than Fiction
I believe libertarian Republicans are crucial for the salvation of both the party and this country. I just recently had coffee with Eric in Houston (where we both reside) after exchanging several emails and I was really impressed by how articulate and sensible he is on the issues of the day. There are areas where we disagree, but many more where we have agreement.
I have known Ron Paul since the early 1980s when I was a leader in Young Conservatives of Texas. He is articulate and intelligent, but completely off his rocker when it comes to our national security. If Ron Paul had his way, the United States would be come a third world country succumbed by a world that considers us a door mat. Liberty? Absolutely, but without protecting our national interests, that is the global equivalent to libertine, which always translates into destruction.
I believe an Eric Dondero candidacy for Congress would be a move that would be beneficial to Texas.
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Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (Monday at 1 PM on CNN 650), Publisher of the HoustonBusinessReview.com and writes frequently in his www.BizPlusBlog.com.
and I too have met Eric. Wish I could vote for him.
"Nothing works like freedom, Nothing succeeds like liberty"
Kyle
My comments regarding Eric Dondero and Ron Paul are being interpreted as an endorsement of the former's campaign. Please note my comments about a Dondero challenge in a recent post:
http://www.redstate.com/blogs/kevin_price/2007/may/22/ron_paul_vs_eric_d....
Kevin Price is Host of the Houston Business Show (Monday at 1 PM on CNN 650), Publisher of the HoustonBusinessReview.com and writes frequently in his www.BizPlusBlog.com.
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Internet member since 1987
Member of the Surreality-Based Community