evan mcmullin | The Liberty Conservative

November 2, 2016November 8, 2016 in Law/Politics

What would an un-elected White House look like?

This article is a follow-up to my piece about the possibility of an Electoral College tie, available here. We haven’t had a non-partisan White House since before there was a White House. George Washington didn’t affiliate with any political party, though his policies and appointments leaned somewhat to the Federalist end of the spectrum. By the time John Adams moved into the White House during his only term in office, the country was well established on the two-party path on which it has stayed to this day. This is why it’s so baffling to ask ourselves what it would look… Keep Reading

November 2, 2016November 13, 2016 in Law/Politics

We can no longer write off an electoral college tie

It’s not likely. We’ve been told our whole lives it’s not possible. But here we are, a week from the general election, and we are the closest we have been in our lifetimes to a Twelfth Amendment crisis. The two least popular major party nominees that anyone seems to remember continue their race to the bottom of the country’s expectations. A newly reopened FBI investigation into Hillary Clinton’s emails has sent her campaign spiraling from an unpopular but safe victory into last-minute suspense. Donald Trump is surging back to safety in red states where Clinton was threatening decades of Republican… Keep Reading

October 20, 2016October 21, 2016 in Politics

A Beginner’s Guide to the Wonderful World of Third Parties, Part 3

This article is Part 3 of a 3 part series. See Parts 1 and 2. Suppose hypothetically that the Electoral College vote is close this year. Suppose also that someone other than Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton wins more electoral votes than the difference between them. This could be another candidate carrying a state, say McMullin winning Utah. Or, it could be a number of electors breaking faith. Say Republican electors voting for McMullin in Utah. This is where the Constitution sends the election to the House of Representatives. Why? I don’t know, it was 1787. There was no such… Keep Reading

October 20, 2016October 21, 2016 in Politics

A Beginner’s Guide to the Wonderful World of Third Parties, Part 2

This article is Part 2 of a three part series. Part 1 is available here. So say you run a third party campaign so successful that its vote causes the nearest major party to lose to the other major party. Now, candidates in both major parties see an organized group of very angry voters who need to be won back. This trend has been seen time and again when third party movements grow large enough to force one or both major parties to absorb them by running future campaigns that align more with the views of the voters most likely… Keep Reading

October 20, 2016October 21, 2016 in Politics

A Beginner’s Guide to the Wonderful World of Third Parties, Part 1

With the general election cycle in full swing and the two most hated major party nominees in living memory, Google is hopping with search queries about alternate options. Gary Johnson polls at an undisputed third place in the national polls, but envies the serious prospects of Evan McMullin for winning a state of his own. Darrell Castle is a little depressed that a party he helped to found and run since 1992 is being blown out of the water by an independent who came out of nowhere. And Jill Stein… Jill Stein. She would have something to say to the… Keep Reading