We Need to Make! A Stand! And Vote for Libertarians!

Wonkette found it first, but this rap video - a promotion for 2007 Louisiana Libertarian gubernatorial candidate T. Lee Horne, III - is more or less fantastic.

Admit it; Michael Badnarik would have done better if he had a video like this.

Comments

[ed]

Created with Windows Movie Maker, no less.
Who needs fancy-schmancy Hollywood effects?

[Lamar]

We need to make a stand and vote for Libertarian. Actually, it isn't half bad!

[madpad]

Cute, yes...but does li'l nuke have any idea what Libertarians are other than not Republicans and not Democrats (who they've already tried)?

I'd be more impressed if instead of focusing just on more money in their check they were also rappin' about how T. Lee Horne, III wants to end welfare, get rid of affirmative action and chuck public education.

[PiGuy]

That was pretty cool. What was cool was that he didn't have to sling any mud at another candidate. Just stated what he stood for. A lot better than the Ehrlich vs. O'Malley ads that were running in MD!

[Geoff]

MTV Power to the people! That was actually pretty good (maybe a little long, but still....)

[Brian]

Catchy stuff. My head is nodding.

[Eric Dondero]

"Make a Stand; Vote Libertarian." That would be great. Only problem is the Libertarian Party just had one of its worst election years in over a decade. Net result; Only two County Commissioners and three Soil & Water Board members elected by the LP in 2006.

The normal number of LPers who win elections in election cycles is 30 to 40 with a few Mayors, Sheriffs and County Supervisors thrown into the mix.

The Libertarian Party model is clearly not working. 35 years, and no Congressmen, not even a State Legislator.

Not time to scrap it, but time for serious reform.

Or a move to the Republican Liberty Caucus. While the RLC had a tough year too, at least many RLC-backed candidates actually won election.

Perhaps the LP should become like the Conservative Party of NY; an arm essentially of the Republican Party.

[panurge]

Anyone remember Joey Lawrence's stab at rap music? I'm trying to figure out if this is better or worse.

Couldn't stop laughing. Thanks, I need stuff like this around noon.

[Mr. Nice Guy]

What I find shocking is that the "rap" is actually quite good, and the performer is obviously talented. Usually, when cluess white people buy into a rap tune the effort ends up being extremely tone deaf and embarassing.

Madpad, you come up with some good points. But it could be said that the young man is gifted enough to take ANY subject matter, even something he may not agree with, and come up with a quality product.

[madpad]

Nice, No doubt. Lil' Nuke's talent is not in question.

The fact that an elderly white politician can get the hipness of a rapper's endorsement (in a song, no less) is deserving of some degree of notoriety, admiration and delighted grins.

But I am both sentimental AND a crank so my appreciation is often blunted by my observations of the ironic.

[andy]

"I'd be more impressed if instead of focusing just on more money in their check they were also rappin' about how T. Lee Horne, III wants to end welfare, get rid of affirmative action and chuck public education."

Shady or not you've got to consider the man's audience. The average Juwan is going to hear "more money" and like that. He won't stop to consider the fact that the more money in his paycheck is due to the cutting of the government services that he and his people are so attached to.

Like I said, it may be a bit sneaky but completely honest fringe parties get even fewer votes than normal fringe parties.

[nominal libertarian]

I will join the "why would a rapper endorse an elderly white politician" speculation fun: legalization.

[madpad]

I didn't consider it shady, andy. Not even sneaky. By any standard set by the campaigns of the other 2 parties this year, lil' nuke wasn't even frontin'.

More ironic, actually.

[James Anderson Merritt]

Andy said, "Shady or not you've got to consider the man's audience. The average Juwan is going to hear 'more money' and like that. He won't stop to consider the fact that the more money in his paycheck is due to the cutting of the government services that he and his people are so attached to."

Nominal libertarian said, "I will join the 'why would a rapper endorse an elderly white politician' speculation fun: legalization."

Listening to the actual song, it appears that Horne impressed Li'l Nuke with his genuine commitment to personal charity, which libertarians do favor over state-sponsored welfare programs. Perhaps the rapper is convinced that, with leaders such as Horne providing an example, personal charity and the greater opportunity for success afforded by a more unfettered economy may actually work. As he rapped, "it's worth a try." Word.

Eric Dondero said, "Only problem is the Libertarian Party just had one of its worst election years in over a decade. Net result; Only two County Commissioners and three Soil & Water Board members elected by the LP in 2006." Are you counting the Juneau assembly member who won office just before the general election in November? I didn't think that was a County Commissionership.

One thing that made this year's poor electoral results so surprising to me, was that I saw more Libertarians mixing it up as equals in official, televised debates this year than in any prior election cycle since I started paying attention to LP politics in 1980. In general, they represented the party and libertarianism well, they got good audience response, and they came across as credible candidates for the offices they sought. If we can keep getting into debates, and focus campaign resources on the promising races across the country, this "worst year in a decade" could easily be the momentary recession of the water before a decent-size wave breaks. Whether that means congressional seats, a good handful of state legislative seats across the country, or a lot more than the usual sub-100 local and regional offices we tend to win, I'm not all that picky. What I AM picky about is that we don't compromise our principles on the way to victory. When you look at Horne's campaign website, you see that he takes libertarian positions for libertarian reasons. (I didn't look at them all, but I was impressed by the many I did observe.) His rap obviously impressed a rapper, so I'd take that into consideration before getting serious about watering down our platform or positions.

Frankly, I think a lot of what we have to offer, voters simply thought they could get by playing the major parties off of each other. It seems to be dawning on some people that the voters are the ones being played, and that they'll start having to vote outside the box to get what they want. If the Demos sell-out on the War issue that swept them into Congress this year, I predict not only a wave breaking in 2008, but perhaps a tsunami. The Libertarians should be waxing up the boards now so we can ride that wave in two years.

[Tim Cavanaugh]

Where does Lil' Nuke hide out? I'm coming up with nothing on Google except a bunch of model rocketry sites. I want to buy Lil' Nuke's whole catalogue!

[madpad]

Tim,

Google "lil' nuke" & rapper.

Gotta bunch of stuff. He's part of the 7th Floor Crew & Hood Figga$ among others

[wingnutx]

One of the first issues brought up in the rap is New Orleans not being fixed yet.

I don't think that's an issue we would win a lot of points on, government teat and all.

[Sam Grove]

Someone needs some tutoring in a decent photo editing program.

[Larry Edelstein]

Yeah jeez Tim don't you know anything? 7th Floor Crew, totally different from the crews of the other Floors, damn.

[Todd]

I don't think the LP has much to be proud of this year. I am little "l" libertarian and the only one I can think of is the blue guy.

Did you hear me? THE BLUE GUY. THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY IS BEST KNOWN IN 2006 FOR RUNNING A MAN WHO TURNED HIMSELF BLUE.

Sorry for the shouting. I just don't see much hope in a party that runs candidates WHOSE SKIN IS NOT A NORMAL HUMAN COLOR.

Sorry, did it again.

[JD]

Oh, so you discriminate on the basis of skin color, huh? Real classy of you! I guess all that "I don't care if someone is black or white or purple" stuff was just a front. Really sad, the state of race relations in America today when a proud and educated Blue man can't be seen for anything but his color. Blue people built the pyramids, did you know that? And all the Greek philosophers stole their ideas from Blue civilization, but you won't learn that in your history books written by White and Black authors.

[Pirate Jo]

Blue people? I sense the Flying Spaghetti Monster is behind this.

[James Anderson Merritt]

Wingnutx said, "One of the first issues brought up in the rap is New Orleans not being fixed yet.

"I don't think that's an issue we would win a lot of points on, government teat and all."

Yet, at least one 2006 Libertarian candidate, Bob Smither of TX, knows something about how the federal government prevents the people from fixing things for themselves. He put a volunteer aid effort together, only to be turned back by FEMA when he got close to NOLA. He had quite a bone to pick with federal authorities during the campaign season. Perhaps he could compare notes with Mr. Horne and give the latter some good anecdotal ammo for explaining how NOLA could get on its feet a LOT faster without either federal aid OR interference.

[smiffler]

The fact that an elderly white politician can get the hipness of a rapper's endorsement (in a song, no less) is deserving of some degree of notoriety, admiration and delighted grins.

L'il nuke said in the song that Mr. Horne bought him the equipment used to record the song. That might be why he decided to endorse Mr. Horne.

[dpotts]

That rapper's endorsement is about as hip as the aforementioned Joey Lawrence. Seriously, why does Libertarian always mean "half assed?"

[Akira MacKenzie]

Oh Jeebus! And I thought conservatives were banal when they tried to ape pop culture.

[Rimfax]

Who needs hallucinogens when you've got things like that happening in real life.

[Again]

Lil Nuke at his previous job:

Lil Nuke

[Russell]

Total dweebout- who needs Libertarian as a second language?

[Sandy]

Akira, the backing music was a little lame, but the guy actually isn't a bad rapper.

Yes, yes, OK, this is a white guy saying this, but I do own Digable Planets.

[Andrew Ian Dodge]

A rap video would convince me not to vote for a candidate. I mean that is so lame its pathetic.

[GILMORE]

Yes, yes, OK, this is a white guy saying this, but I do own Digable Planets.

ouch.

the only thing you could have cited that would have given you less credibility would be like... Arrested Development, maybe. I thought white people all owned a copy of 'the chronic', or NWA or something, to at least pretend they tried at some point.

if you had been like, 'i love Jazz! have you heard of Kenny G?' it would have similar ring to it.

[madpad]

That rapper's endorsement is about as hip as...

Yes, yes...there's hip and then there's 'hip' (whatever the hell THAT means).

Euphemistically, you're dissing the vocal quality of a singing horse when the miracle as that the horse sings at all.

Applied here, the sole 'hipness' imbued was that a rapper - even a relative unknown of mediocre stylings - wrote & performed a piece called "Vote Libertarian."

But then as a white guy with little appreciation for rap, my expectations of a rap song are not particularly high (although I do like Ice T, Beastie Boys and the aforementioned Diggable Planets).

[Yes, I\'m such a bigot]

Rap is the lowest form of artistic expression.
With the exception of gospel music.
And country.

[madpad]

and kenny g.

...and political speechwriting.

...and self immolation (though that certainly gets something for effort.)

[frogman302]

You guys wouldn't know good rap if it slapped you in the face. This guy's a pretty good rapper, excellent beat, and he's on our side.

"Make a stand, and vote libertarian"

Mr. Lee Horne indeed.

Ha, good stuff.

[Eric Dondero]

BTW guys, Ballot Access News is reporting that statistically, the Libertarian Party had its worst year since 1998.