Dallas LP candidate spreads fun while spreading liberty

  John Jay Myers regales the gathering
  of libertarians at Government Sucks
  Day in Hillsboro, Texas. (photo by
  Dallas Libertarian Examiner)

Don't look now, but John Jay Myers is running for the US Congressional seat in Texas District 30.

The "don't look now" part refers to Myers' observation in a recent email to supporters that, "Considering no one does anything before Christmas, the official announcement (as they say) will be made in January...at a fun and interesting (of course) fund raiser."

District 30 is a primarily Black and Hispanic area carved out of Dallas and Dallas County that has been represented by Democrat Eddie Bernice Johnson since its creation in 1993.

As for the current serving Congresswoman, Myers says, "Going against Eddie B is a tough race. My goal is to at least spread the ideas of the Libertarian Party throughout a minority district. If I do a good deal of that, it will be a success."

And his words about a "fun and interesting (of course) fund raiser" refer to Myers' own approach to campaigning: it should always be fun.

Addressing the gathering of libertarians at the First Annual Government Sucks Day Rally in Hillsboro, Texas, in early November, Myers' speechmaking style elicited frequent fits of laughter with lines like these:

• "I want you guys to know that during the time period I'm giving this speech I will have saved or created over 35,000 jobs. It is up to you to prove that I did not."
• "I'm not against Barrack Obama, I'm for freedom. I do not believe that one man from Chicago has suddenly taken control of the United States and is single-handedly destroying the country. I know that like the Republicans he is using both hands. (See, it's funny, right? You guys can use these. I know we're trying to spread liberty here.)"
• "The left and the independents are our future customers. We are selling freedom. Why are we shouting at them? Why am I shouting at you? I'm kind of a shouter."

So many Libertarian candidates emphasize vote-getting over principles that they end up sounding like Republicans. In "Politics not as usual" LP of Iowa candidate for Governor Eric Cooper openly admitted he's not in it to win it. His goals are to get enough votes to give the Iowa LP major party status and to influence the major parties into stealing libertarian positions.

With that as his strategy, no one is likely to confuse Eric Cooper for a Republican.

And the same goes for John Jay Myers. With a goal to "at least spread the ideas of the Libertarian Party" Myers is running an educational campaign using what is clearly his own unaffected humor to hook and keep the attention of his audience long enough to apply libertarian concepts to serious issues.

How many Republicans have both the wisdom and the wit to pull that off?

Myers tries to keep it more together in his "video version of me preparing to make the announcement," offered below for your candidate-viewing pleasure.

(video courtesy of John Jay Myers website)

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