| Libertarian Party of NY -- Press Release -- NY Libertarian Senate Candidate Makes a Difference |
John Clifton is a Navy veteran who favors cutting the Pentagon's pork barrel spending and condemns the Clintons' military adventurism. He is a social work administrator who rejects the welfare state and a drug counselor who denounces drug prohibition, working in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn on the front lines of the social problems that Rudy and Hillary give speeches about. He is the first African-American nominated for statewide office by New York Libertarians, and opposes affirmative-action.
Why is John Clifton running? "Surely, an alternative to two power-driven career patrons of Big Government needs to be on the ballot."
What happens now? According to Richard Cooper of Westbury, the new Libertarian Chair selected at the convention, the Libertarians will need to gather 15,000 signatures to put John Clifton and a presidential candidate to be picked July 4th weekend on the ballot in New York. Cooper reassures voters that signing the petition does not mean they have to support the Libertarians in November, but merely gives the chance to compete.
Clifton already took his campaign to the public before the convention. He spoke at a rally on behalf of bullied St. Luke's Pentecostal Church in New Cassel (Nassau County) threatened with eminent domain by the Town of North Hempstead that State Chair Richard Cooper of neighboring Westbury has been active in defending. Cooper's initiative led to the passage by the House of Representatives of legislation he inspired to prohibit the use of federal funds to seize churches, mosques, temples and synagogues. Cooper pledges they will fight eminent domain everywhere they can.
Exposing what he terms "gun control freaks like Rudy and Hillary" is a major issue for John Clifton. He notes that his opponents are "control freaks" across-the-board. Countering "anti-gun" protesters at a Suffolk County K-Mart, Clifton told a reporter that "Libertarians favor a society based on voluntarism rather than compulsion. We favor the right to self-defense through private gun ownership." Clifton declares himself pro-choice on gun ownership.
Upcoming campaign appearances for John Clifton are May 6th, the Million Marijuana March in Manhattan sponsored by Cures-Not-Wars; May 13th, the Libertarian Party of Queens Convention in Astoria (212-656-1196); and May 20th, the Long Island Libertarian Convention in Islandia (Barry 631-543-3510).
1996 Libertarian presidential candidate Harry Browne , seeking the nomination again, declared that "No one but a a Libertarian will reduce your taxes dramatically, allow you to live your life as a free American, and restrict the federal government to its Constitutional limits." Barry Hess of Arizona, also seeking the presidential nomination, spoke movingly of the need for freedom. Vice-presidential contender Ken Krawchuk of Pennsylvania and 2001 New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mark Edgerton also spoke.
Four candidates contested the Senate nomination: John Clifton (Jamaica) , Thomas E. Loughlin Jr. (Utica), Donald Silberger (New Paltz), and Marc Romain (Chittenango). Donald Silberger is a SUNY- New Paltz math professor hoping to unify the movements against gun control and drug prohibitionism. The Libertarian Party stands for individual liberty, free markets and personal responsibility in order to promote a society that enjoys more justice, abundance and peace. The Libertarian Party of New York can be reached by calling 5l6-746-5769 or writing PO Box 728, Bellport, NY 11713.
|
|
|||
|
To schedule appearances or interviews with a candidate or other party members, please contact the candidates directly, or write to Richard Cooper, LPNY Press Secretary, at: lpnymedia@hotmail.com. (Phone number available to qualified press.)
|
| LPNY Home |