Burnt Orange Report

A Debate of Sorts

By Byron LaMasters

The Green and Libertarian presidential nominees were to debate today on the West Mall of the UT-Austin campus (apparently it was moved inside to the Union, not sure why). I was planning on listening to a few minutes of the debate as I passed by the West Mall, but taking a two minute detour to get to the Union really just wasn't worth my time to listen to two candidates - one of which is not even on the Texas ballot (Green nominee, David Cobb), and the other is a tax evading, UN bomb threatening, prisoner's muscle atrophying, constitution shreading nutcase who doesn't even drive anymore because he refuses to get a driver's license (Libertarian nominee, Michael Badnarik).

The Daily Texan has the story:

The Longhorn Libertarians and UT Campus Greens are hosting a debate between the two candidates in hopes of informing students that they have more than the two traditional party choices when voting. Ben Philpot of KUT radio and Daily Texan associate editor JJ Hermes will be moderating the event for the first 30 minutes. The second half of the debate will be open for questions from the audience.

The debate is targeted at allowing the audience to get honest views from the candidates about issues that the two major parties have avoided, said Bill Holloway, UT Campus Greens liaison and debate organizer.

Philpot said today's event will focus on similar issues as the Bush-Kerry debates, but he also plans to bring up topics specific to Texas, such as education, health insurance and immigration. Philpot said this debate will differ in that candidates are likely to agree on more issues, because they both disagree with the Democrat and Republican parties.

I'm all for a serious debate of the issues, and I'll admit that there's a good number of key issues in which the two major parties largely agree, and opposing views are often not heard (Israeli / Palestinian conflict, the drug war, the Patriot Act, the influence of corporate power, the death penalty, immigration, etc.). But as someone who doesn't really take third parties seriously in the first place, the third parties vying for the presidency this year give third parties a bad name.

Update: Speaking of the irrelevence of third parties, Nader failed for like the eighth time to make the 2004 Texas ballot today with his rejection by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. (Via Kuff).