Last night, the Chapel Hill / Carrboro chapter of the NAACP hosted a forum for all the U.S. Senate candidates for Richard Burr’s NC seat. From the College Libertarians, I, Steve Kwon and David Deerson were in attendance. It was my first time seeing Burr’s opposition (though, quite tellingly, not Burr himself) and they each gave very different and interesting impressions. Here are my views (Steve’s and David’s may differ) on the candidates.
Michael Beitler: The only Libertarian candidate, and probably my favorite in regards to policy. Unlike the other candidates who opened with the Cliff’s Notes versions of their life stories, Beitler introduced himself simply by giving his name, stating his party and highlighting his “fiscally conservative, socially liberal” policy stance. I was most impressed when he was the only candidate to fully commit to a reversal of American imperialist foreign policy and setting a firm time table for troop withdrawals. In addition to being the only Libertarian, Beitler was also the only non-lawyer. With something like 50% of Congress being composed of lawyers, I’m always happy to see a candidate who brings some diversity to the arena. Beitler is definitely not a career politician like the rest, though this may actually hurt his campaign as he hasn’t built up the same polished rhetoric as the other candidates. As a fellow businessman, I understand and appreciate the brevity–but will voters be as impressed? Whether or not Beitler can sway on-the-fence independents remains to be seen.
Cal Cunningham: This guy gives me a John Edwards vibe. And I don’t mean “champion of the people” John Edwards–I mean “scumbag politician with the charm of a used car salesman” John Edwards. I try to give my fellow Tar Heels the benefit of the doubt, but this man oozes with political ambition. I wouldn’t trust him further than I can throw him. He didn’t seem to offer much in the way of sound or sensible policy; but if you like hearing stories about underdogs and war vets and photo ops, he’s your man.
Ken Lewis: I can’t really remember anything important Lewis said (aside from completely misinterpreting Citizens United), but I remember clearly that he said it for longer than any other candidate. He went over his time by a minute for nearly every question. There was no time for the final question round, and I blame Ken Lewis for that. While I was disappointed when Dr. Beitler didn’t say enough, I was far more aggravated when Mr. Lewis said too much. Please learn to shut up.
Larry Linney: Arguably the most entertaining candidate. A Republican, and probably not a popular one since he’s running against a Republican incumbent, Linney was 60% sound policy, 10% pure humor, and 30% totally insane. His economic ideas were similar to Beitler’s, and he delivered them with more polish. His views on immigration and Guantanamo, however, were horrifying. He also seems to be an Alex Jones conspiracy nut. He won’t get my vote, but I’m happy he was a part of the show. My favorite moment was when he insisted that fossil fuels are completely renewable if we just give it enough time.
Elaine Marshall: She showed up half-way through the panel, and probably didn’t smile once. I saw on Twitter that she’s the front-runner in the Democratic primary. Very disappointing. She didn’t seem to have anything substantive to say about policy–or at least I can’t recall anything of merit. She’s a career politician type, just like Cunningham. I get the “I’m an evil robot from Mars disguised as a human woman” vibe from her. In that respect, she reminds me of Hillary Clinton.
Marcus Williams: Probably the most stylish candidate, with a hip suit, shaved head and full beard. (I guess you just had to be there.) Nothing struct me about his policies, judging by the fact that I didn’t tweet about anything he said. Just another Democrat. I think if Samuel Jackson puts on some weight and stops shaving, he could look like Mr. Williams.
