Will Libertarians shut Bush and Kerry out of the debate?

Lawsuit filed to stop presidential debate in Tempe

Phoenix, AZ (PRWEB) October 4, 2004 -- Libertarians filed a civil complaint yesterday seeking to shut down the third scheduled presidential debate between President Bush and Senator Kerry. This debate is scheduled for October 13 at the Arizona State University (ASU) campus in Tempe. Representatives of the Arizona Libertarian Party (AZLP) and of the Badnarik presidential campaign conducted a joint press conference after filing the complaint with the Maricopa County Superior Court.

When asked by reporters why the case was filed, AZLP Vice Chair Barry Hess responded, They have absolutely no right to use our tax dollars for what is effectively a very expensive television commercial for Bush and Kerry. This case is about equal protection of the law and specific violations of the Arizona Constitution."

The complaint alleges that certain provisions of the Arizona Constitution are being violated as state resources are being used to carry out the debate. The Arizona Constitution prohibits making grants or donations to any individual, association, or corporation.

Libertarians also claim that by granting special privileges to Bush and Kerry, Arizona Libertarians are being denied their Fourteenth Amendment equal protection guarantee. ASU and the Commission for Presidential Debates were both named as defendants in the case.

The complaint names the AZLP as a plaintiff, representing over 17,000 party members in the state, as well as Warren Severin, ALZP treasurer, as an individual plaintiff. After verifying that the complaint had been filed, Severin stated, We will be continually checking on the disposition of the case, beginning on Monday morning."

A spokesperson for the Libertarian presidential campaign flew in from the Badnarik headquarters in Austin, Texas for the event. When asked his take on the debate between Bush and Kerry the previous evening, spokesperson Stephen Gordon responded, The Bush -- Kerry debate did not do what was reported by many members of the mainstream press, which was to highlight the differences between Bush and Kerry on foreign policy. The key difference I noted was that Bush seems pretty content with over 1,000 American deaths, while Kerry seems to prefer multinational deaths. Inclusion of Badnarik into the debate would have offered Americans a real alternative: a non-interventionist foreign policy, an anti-war president, and a plan of immediate withdrawal from Iraq."

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A copy of the signed complaint is available on the Internet at: http://badnarik.org/supporters/blog/images/Oct2A.pdf