Sarvis…Libertarian or LINO

Below is an email I received from my friend Patricia Evans from the Southern Virginia Tea Party. To paraphrase the movie the Princess Bride…. “Sarvis…this Libertarian thing you keep talking about, I don’t think it means what YOU think it means.” It is a shame that Libertarians have embraced (for political convenience) a candidate whose core policy issues are counter to core Libertarian values.

I mean, if your Libertarian candidate poo poo’s Ron Paul’s crusade for Austrian economics…you must be a LINO. A Libertarian I Name Only. As I am a subscriber to the Austrian School of economic thought, that one statement is enough to cure me of any curiosity about this candidate. But there is more….much more. Take it away Patricia…

Maybe we’d know more about Sarvis’s positions on expanding Medicaid, tax hikes, and more if he’d taken candidate surveys or evaluations from the Campaign for Liberty, FreedomWorks, or Americans for Prosperity. He dodged all three.

Sarvis is a Moderate, not a Libertarian – In his own words

http://fauquierfreecitizen.com/sarvis-moderate-libertarian-words/

Robert Dean and other Libertarian leaders are backing Ken Cuccinelli for Governor Nov 5^th because Cuccinelli is the only choice for Liberty-minded voters. ( Both Ron Paul and Senator Rand Paul endorsed Cuccinelli over Sarvis last month )

The reason?

Robert Sarvis has recently broken with Libertarians on key issues*

Recent interviews with Chuck Todd and Reason.com reveal:

Sarvis FAVORS higher taxes, including

* higher gas taxes and
* a new “miles-driven” tax and
* opposing any tax cuts, including the Cuccinelli Tax Cut Plan

Sarvis also favors expanding Obamacare

* Through massive Medicaid expansion in VA
* Adding 400,000 new permanent enrollees to this social program
* Price-tag to taxpayers: $3B per year.

Despite going through George Mason’s program, Robert Sarvis doesn’t sound like he shares their views, telling Reason:  “I’m not into the whole Austrian type, strongly libertarian economics, I like more mainstream economics and would have been happy to go elsewhere.”

In this article by Justin Higgins, Ben Domenech takes Sarvis out behind the woodshed.

I recommend reading the entire thing:

Is Virginia Gubernatorial Candidate Robert Sarvis a Libertarian-In-Name-Only?

   http://thefederalist.com/2013/10/25/virginia-gubernatorial-candidate-robert-sarvis-libertarian-name/
Domenech is outlining an ideological argument which could be a lot more poignant with many libertarian-minded Republicans. Sarvis isn’t even a proper reflection of his own third party, and that should tell you something about his ego and motivations.   

Excerpt:  “Maybe Sarvis isn’t the political naïf that he seems to be. Maybe he has a particularly good explanation for why he thinks these abortion clinic safety regulations should be rolled back, or why he thinks there’s no health risks involved in the kind of situation the facility reports indicate. Maybe he has a good libertarian explanation for why he thinks we don’t need to cut taxes further in Virginia, or why he thinks we should expand Medicaid, or why he thinks it’s a good idea to install a government GPS to tax you for driving your car. Unfortunately, Sarvis’s campaign didn’t respond to my requests for an interview on any of these subjects. Sarvis’s search for free media, it seems, only takes you so far.”

Update: Maybe we’d know more about Sarvis’s positions on expanding Medicaid, tax hikes, and more if he’d taken candidate surveys or evaluations from the Campaign for Liberty, FreedomWorks, or Americans for Prosperity. He dodged all three.

• Campaign for Liberty: Robert      Sarvis Never Even Filled Out Our Candidate Survey (Editor Note: Campaign For Liberty is a group that supports Ron Paul..the natural place for a good libertarian to gain traction.)