U.S. Senate candidate William Redpath, the current Libertarian National Committee chairman, spoke yesterday about his ambitions and goals for the country if elected, primarily those regarding national security, social security and public education. The Liberty Coalition at the University hosted the event, which provided a forum for numerous views running contrary to those espoused by Jim Gilmore and Mark Warner, the Republican and Democratic candidates for the U.S. Senate, respectively.
Redpath, a clear non-favorite to win the election according to the most recent polls, which show Gilmore and Warner far ahead of alternative candidates, emphasized that he is running for office just as much for the chance of succeeding as for the chance of spreading different opinions and views.
“I wanted there to be a Libertarian voice in this election,” Redpath said.
The core of his platform, Redpath explained, focuses on reducing of the general scope of the federal government. He noted that for the nation to move forward successfully federal officials must reduce spending on a “long list of things.”
Scaled back federal involvement in areas like education, which Redpath said should be handled by state, local and private institutions, was also echoed in other aspects of Redpath’s platform, including national security.
Redpath said national security is — and will always be — one of the most vital issues facing the United States. Contrary to how some other politicians might address security concerns, however, Redpath said he believes the best way to secure the nation’s borders and take care of external military affairs is to practice “non-interventionist” foreign policy.
“I think that certainly getting the U.S. military out of Iraq is a no-brainer,” Redpath said.
Redpath said extending such a non-interventionist policy to more native concerns, such as the economy and pressing social concerns, is also needed.
“The U.S. should unilaterally drop its trade barriers, to bring other nations of the world into a great capitalist peace,” Redpath said, noting that he is a proponent of unrestrained free trade.
“Free trade is a pro-consumer policy and that’s the only thing we all are, we’re all consumers,” Redpath said.
Less trade regulation, in conjunction with reduced government spending, a flat tax system and an emphasis on improving the value of the dollar — possibly via the implementation of a gold standard — would better help address the financial concerns facing the country and world today, Redpath said.
Among those economic concerns, Redpath identified Social Security as one of the most significant. In fact, he said he believes the nation’s biggest economic problem this year is that the first wave of baby boomers are now eligible for Social Security.
“The Social Security trust fund is a complete economic illusion,” he said.
The “6.2 percent solution” provides the best option for the Social Security problem, Redpath said, which would allow workers to waive their Social Security accounts in order to put that money into their own accounts.
Individual citizens, though, are not the only ones who should be saving, Redpath noted. Government officials also need to cut back spending in both energy and regulatory sectors, he said. In regards to energy issues Redpath said the development of new energy technologies should be left to the energy experts — not the federal government.
Redpath’s numerous, alternative ideas, however, may not be enough for him to pose a threat to Gilmore’s or Warner’s U.S. Senate campaigns. He admitted that he is a long-shot to win the U.S. Senate seat in November, and at least one expert agrees. Dan Keyserling, deputy director of communications at the University’s Center for Politics and former Cavalier Daily executive editor, said the Libertarian U.S. Senate candidate has a slim chance of making any sort of impact on the upcoming senate election, as the race is already strongly divided between Republican and Democratic candidates.
“Warner is still polling with a seemingly insurmountable margin ahead and unless some aspect of the race changes between now and election day, it will probably stay that way,” Keyserling said.
Despite his current low numbers in the latest polls and his own admission, Redpath said he remains determined and will continue to work “for liberty.”
“I’m going to be as much of a U.S. Senator as Jim Gilmore will be,” Redpath said.
Officials from Gilmore’s campaign declined comment on Redpath’s campaign. Calls to Warner’s campaign were not returned as of press time.
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