James Allsup

On November 1, a largely-black church in Mississippi was set on fire, and allegedly spray painted with the words “vote Trump.” The police have not determined if the arson and spray painting were done by the same suspects, or if any of those suspects are actually Trump supporters. However, this did not stop Young Americans for Liberty’s National Field Director, Ty Hicks, from immediately using the attack as a way to condemn all- yes, all- people voting for Trump as racists. In a Facebook post that linked to the article, Hicks wrote the following: “I do not see how anyone… Keep Reading

With exactly one week left before the 2016 presidential election, the wheels are coming off the Hillary Clinton campaign. The FBI has renewed their investigation into Clinton’s handling of classified documents, top Clinton aide Huma Abedin may have perjured herself in prior testimony, Donna Brazile has been fired from CNN for leaking debate questions to Clinton, and the FBI has announced- contrary to the Clinton campaign’s narrative- that they do not believe Donald Trump has ties to Russia. This high-speed car wreck of a week on the campaign trail is having a massive impact in the polls: Trump has surged… Keep Reading

It looks like the Libertarian Party will end the 2016 election cycle will end the way it has ended nearly every other presidential cycle: embarrassed, having failed to get any significant share of the vote, and on its way back to the drawing board. That prediction was back in July, in my first piece for The Liberty Conservative. As it turns out, this prediction is coming true. In a campaign that has become known less for spreading the message of small government and more for Nazi cakes, humiliating ignorance on foreign policy, and mentally unhinged rants at reporters, Gary Johnson… Keep Reading

One of the strengths of the liberty movement has always been the web of libertarian think tanks, institutes, and foundations that work to create content and spread the message of small government. From the Mises Institute to the Foundation for Economic Education to the Cato Institute, there are plenty of libertarian organizations that have done good, honest work. And then there is the Stonegait Institute. The project of The Libertarian Republic founder and former Libertarian Presidential candidate Austin Petersen, the Stonegait Institute presents itself as a “nonprofit” organization that aims to “empower activists and advocates to challenge abuses of authority… Keep Reading

Former Ron Paul campaign chairman Jesse Benton has been sentenced to two years probation and six months home confinement for his participation in a 2012 bribery case, according to the Courier-Journal. He will also be required to pay a $10,000 fine. The charges stem from an investigation into a secret $73,000 payment from Ron Paul’s 2012 presidential campaign that was funneled through a third-party video production company and ended up in the account of a limited liability company owned by former Iowa senator Ken Sorenson. The payment was allegedly sent by the Paul campaign in exchange for Sorenson’s endorsement on the… Keep Reading

Remember back in August when Politico authors were gleefully reporting that Donald Trump’s campaign was so hopeless that “insiders” were pressuring him to drop out? Well, the times – and the polls – have changed. As the drip, drip, drip of stories about Hillary Clinton’s corruption continues, and in the wake of the Clinton camp’s botching of the “pneumonia” story (a story that some, present author included, have called into question), the esteemed former first lady has been collapsing precipitously in the polls. A month ago, when “analysts” were scrambling to call the race “over,” Hillary was schlonging Trump in the national… Keep Reading

The discussion of Hillary Clinton’s health was resurrected on Sunday as a video was released that showed her briefly losing consciousness before being pushed into the back of a security van. This incident took place less than a week after the massive coughing fit she suffered at an event in Ohio. What is the cause of Clinton’s recent medical problems? It depends on who – and when – you ask. Questions about Clinton’s health have been circulating since her 2012 fall and 2013 blood clot hospitalization, but they were notably revived this election cycle in early August when Paul Joseph Watson posted… Keep Reading

Unlike many conservative college students, the first political college club I joined was not my school’s College Republicans chapter. Instead, at the beginning of my sophomore year, I was recruited to head up a Students for Rand chapter on my campus, and thus my involvement with politics began. Compared to candidates like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio, Rand was definitely an outsider, but when I joined my school’s CR chapter at the start of the year, I did not feel like an outsider at all. In fact, contrary to preconceived notions I had about CRs, I was pleasantly surprised: everyone… Keep Reading

This election cycle was supposed to be “the” cycle for libertarian Republicans. Ron Paul’s campaign in 2012 had brought in a swath of pocket Constitution-wielding activists, Rand Paul had freshly been coined the “most interesting man in politics,” and acute electoral observers were predicting that 2016 may finally be the year libertarians found success at the ballot box. Yet as politics giveth, politics taketh away: like Clubber Lang in the first fight in Rocky III, reality has been landing body blows on libertarians throughout this election cycle – and the knockout came on August 30th when Kelli Ward, Mary Thomas,… Keep Reading

Author’s note: In doing preliminary research for my piece on European nationalism earlier this month, I reached out to Henrik Vinge, the press secretary for the nationalist Sweden Democrat party that is currently in first place in national polling. Below is the full text of our interview. TLC: Your party is attracting great support in the polls and looks to do well in the next elections. What has been responsible for the increase in membership? HV: I believe the single most important factor is that we openly express what people are actually thinking. A newer party is not weighed down by old loyalties… Keep Reading

Anyone who participated in the Libertarian Party’s 2016 presidential primary had to answer the three following internal questions: “which candidate best reflects my values, which candidate could actually succeed electorally, and which of those two answers is more important when I cast my vote?” The answer to the first question varies. Given the fact that the Libertarian Party is made up of everyone from anarcho-capitalists to disaffected moderate Democrats to hundreds of ideological groups in between, it should be no surprise that the final candidates for the presidential nomination included a pro-life media entrepreneur, a software pioneer advocating the end… Keep Reading