Nice Guy, Wrong Year

Libertarian Republican B.J. Lawson struggles against an Obama storm in North Carolina

David Weigel | November 3, 2008

(Page 2 of 2)

"And it's getting worse and worse," Lawson says. "We're spending $700 billion to bail out the banks—"

"Exactly!" she interrupted. "Exactly!"

Anger at the bailout has helped Lawson frame his message down the stretch. "It's finally blown away the illusion that our government is responsible to the people," he explains. "Nobody wants to bail out Wall Street when the average American is losing his job. The bailout didn't change the campaign, but it put an exclamation point on what I had been saying."

State Republicans have warmed to Lawson since the primary. "We're the grassroots of the party here," says volunteer John Lahtinen, a Paul supporter who helped Lawson work the early voters on Saturday. Lawson's distasteful connections to Ron Paul are outweighed, in Republican minds, by the strength of the race he's running. "Every dollar Price spends is a dollar he can't give to someone to use somewhere else," Lawson says.

Even if Price wins, Lawson is still cheered by an organization that "came out of the woodwork" and survived past the flash of Ron Paul's presidential campaign.

"Maybe," says Lawson, "I'll become a community organizer."

David Weigel is an associate editor of reason.

Comments

|11.3.08 @ 12:10PM|#

It's thrilled to see an article about BJ. I helped out early in his campaign, before I went to study abroad this fall. He's a great guy with a great message. I wish I could've been more active in helping him. Whatever happens, this is a man to keep your eyes on.

Hmmmm...???|11.3.08 @ 12:12PM|#

If Obama already released his birth certificate, why would he fight the lawsuit to make him release his birth certificate?

|11.3.08 @ 12:25PM|#

We need more BJs.

BDB|11.3.08 @ 12:27PM|#

"Hmmmm"--

Because Malcom X is his father. That's why!

Kaiser|11.3.08 @ 1:03PM|#

I don't know much about BJ but from the article he sounds like a great guy and candidate.

|11.3.08 @ 1:14PM|#

"If Obama already released his birth certificate, why would he fight the lawsuit to make him release his birth certificate?"

Now you're just being partisan. Shame on you. How DARE you cast aspersions on The Obama?

|11.3.08 @ 1:16PM|#

BJ is a great candidate! I'm a voter in his district and I'm excited to cast my vote for him! As a college student I don't have a lot of money but I've donated to his campaign and I'm campaigning for him as well. We have an amazing grass roots effort supporting him and I think it's going to be a very close vote.

|11.3.08 @ 1:20PM|#

CORRECTION

You said:

"Lawson has raised nearly $600,000-half out of his own pocket-in a district where the last Republican candidate raised less than $50,000."

This is not true. Dr. Lawson has contributed $53,000 to his own campaign out of more than $560,000 raised.

This will be confirmed by visiting Dr. Lawson's FEC or Open Secrets page.

Please issue a correction.

|11.3.08 @ 1:49PM|#

David Weigel gotta love that misprint about Dr. Lawson's campaign contributions;p this just prove that he is just a Neocon spreading misinformation and besides I cannot WAIT to elect a socialist or a fascist in office! Go Karl Marx!

Dave Weigel|11.3.08 @ 2:26PM|#

Paige-Michael - that was a really basic error in editing - the fact that the 2006 candidate got half of his campaign funds from himself was inserted one clause too early. It was fixed a while ago.

|11.3.08 @ 4:21PM|#

BJ Lawson seems like a good guy, but I think he might be the exception. Perhaps he would do better as a "conservative" Democrat. The GOP has no use for such elitists.

I am glad the "Ron Paul" Republicans kept the birth certificate fuckwads over there in the Republican party with the rest of the conservative wingnuts. I hope people remember and identify them correctly as Republicans and not Libertarians.

Craig|11.3.08 @ 6:51PM|#

Lawson has raised nearly $600,000 in a district where the last Republican candidate raised less than $50,000-half out of his own pocket.

This phrase is still not as clear as it might be. When I read the article the first time, I assumed it meant that Lawson contributed $300K to his own campaign, not that the previous candidate contributed $25K last time.

bill|11.3.08 @ 10:58PM|#

OMG, Reason sights The Daily Kos as a source for reliable information about Obama! That's not a birth certificate. That's a SCAN of a certificate of live birth (which could be easily faked. Obama could have been born in Kenya come to the US and is mother gotten one of those in Hawaii days or weeks after the event. Where's the name of the hospital? Where's the name of the attending doctor? I can't believe you'd fall for that Weigel.

Brian|11.5.08 @ 2:22AM|#

Why are connections to Ron Paul "distasteful"?