Andrew Carroll’s Record-Setting Campaign!

September 15, 2010 by Ian
Filed under: Politics

The detractors in the liberty movement said the civil disobedience in Keene “poisoned the well”. They point to the angry anonymous posts on the Sentinel articles and upset local politicos as evidence of their claim. No doubt, there are haters in Keene. Of course there are – Keene activism is dangerous to the status quo, gets attention and so local awareness means no one is “slipping under the radar” as some other activists are around the state. As a result of the haters, rumors fly around town about Free Keene and the liberty activists here. It sounds like a dire situation, doesn’t it?

Could things be done better? Sure. But since no one is in charge, the only way to accomplish that is persuasion. Otherwise, outreach is an important part of correcting misconceptions about activists in Keene. Andrew Carroll’s campaign for state house is one method of outreach. His responses on door-to-door visits were overwhelmingly positive and his voter turnout set a record for highest percentage of votes for a liberty activist in Keene!

That’s right, despite the multiple hit pieces published in the paper, the emails that went around to democrats, and the calls to local talk radio all with the intention to paint Andrew as an impostor and not a “real” democrat, Andrew Carroll received a higher percentage of the vote than did previous campaigns by liberty activists. Andrew received votes, at minimum, from 28% of all democratic voters. Julia Miranda got about 21% in 2007 and NH native Nick Ryder garnered about 24% in 2009, if I recall correctly. That 28% number comes from receiving 464 votes out of 1649 democrats voting! Please note, that in 2007 the anti-free-stater fervor had barely begun, so after years of civil disobedience, noncooperation, and outside-the-system activism, the results from inside the system are better than ever!

Congratulations, Andrew! Some say that political success isn’t possible in Keene for liberty activists here, and you may just prove them wrong the next time around. Very few candidates win their first time out.

vergilius

"Every country has them" is not a valid argument.

"Society" is not an actor, and as such cannot "make" anything, let alone "rules." Individuals make rules, alone or in collaboration with others.

Zeus, myself, and others who think similarly, object to the rules made by groups of individuals that do not include us being pushed onto us, who had no role in making them, without our permission. We never said having a government was okay with us. We never opted in. The government assumed our consent, and consent is definitionally not something that can be assumed.

There is a large volume of work on what society might look like in the absence of government; space does not permit its repetition here, but suffice it to say that your charges of utopianism are misplaced. Should we never point out ethical failure just because we'll never all be angels? That said, the point isn't how society might look without government–the point is that there are certain aspects of how society acts now that are morally unacceptable. You wouldn't ask an antebellum-era abolitionist "what do you propose to replace slavery with?" No such burden exists.

I suspect, though, that you won't find this satisfactory, so I'll just point out that we already have private roads (in some areas), private arbitrators, and private security firms. Imagine institutions like those, except instead of supplementing government, they supplant it.
Dennis

Keith on Thu, 16th Sep 2010 10:54 am

"Does anyone know how Ian came up with the 1649 democrats voting in the state rep election number?"

Ian can dig up the numbers on freekeene, and show, (DOCUMENT,) what he "demanded" at City Council meetings (drinking games, they call it. Key word "GAMES" ) his claims any time you need it, like his invitation to infest Keene.

He's still referencing.

Ian is just giving numbers, embelishing and making it look good for the 20 year old drop out.

There's some one we want running the state.
irvingw

Andrew did well in spite of his being associated with you and your group. There was no hate campaign against him. It was only associating him with you. If your group was seen by the community as a good thing, it would have helped him. But it didn't. The fact that many people don't like you and your group is your own doing.

I would be glad to talk to Andrew about the issues which concern him. But if he continues to associate with you, I doubt if I would support him in any future campaign.
http://freetalklive.com/ Ian Freeman

Who is "the community"? I've met plenty of people who see FK as a good thing. I guess they aren't "the community"?

So you want Andrew to ostracize his biggest supporters in the hopes that he might get your support?
david

Andrew wont be a representative this time so i guess he "lost" in that respect.

But i think he won in some respects:

He tried and made a GREAT effort.

And laid good groundwork for another effort if he so desires.

The state or city would be a winner when they get him as representative.

The state lost by not getting him and the people lost by not having him as a representative.

Plus Andrew won by getting solid experience for running a campaign in this area and i hope he chooses to run again.
david

free keene is a FABULOUS THING

yours truly

the community
http://freetalklive.com/ Ian Freeman

LOL! The community has spoken!!
irvingw

Ian, I am sure you know a lot of people in your tiny fraction of the community who think FreeKeene is a good thing. Get out into the real world and you might see differently.

Andrew, good luck in the future. But remember, 100% of 1% is still just 1%. If you want to stay on the fringe, stay on the fringe. You don't need to sell yourself or your ideals out. But if you want to win and have a chance at making a difference, appeal to the rest of the community, and disassociate yourself from these people.
Zeus

Blah, blah, blah. So many words, so little to say. And I wasn’t tying you being an idiot to any argument you might make. That would be an ad hominem rebuttal. Your just an idiot, plain and simple.

And you're a coward. I and others have taken the time to respond to your asinine statements, accusations and general trollishness and "Blah blah blah" is your mature response to the arguments we've made?

Of course it is. The emperor has no clothes.

Your arguments are empty and indefensible. Your purpose is clearly not to discuss or debate the issues but rather to be just another unthinking, ignorant statist asshole.

Congratulations on achieving your life's goal. I'm sure it will serve you well when there are *hundreds* of activists in Keene going about their lives as if you statists were irrelevant, impotent figments of our imaginations.
irvingw

Zeus,

Keep dreaming. Your group is merely a pimple on society. It will pop, take a little while to heal, then be gone. Society may not be that pretty at times, but it's better than a zit.
irvindw

What, no reply? Oh. It's 4:20.
Zeus

You've got brass ones, Sir, that's for sure.

When one understands your use of "society" is really a codeword for "government-empowered murder, theft and assault upon the people by the elite, wealthy few", it takes brass ones to compare those things to a skin condition.

Surely its much closer to necrotizing fasciitis.
irvindw

Yeah, right.

Pop.
http://www.keenesentinel.com/classifieds/ Keith

Thank you Ian. If you know how many Democrats voted for state rep in each of the 5 wards, please tell me. Thanks.
Zeus

irving,

If trying to preserve the freedoms we still have and return the freedoms we've lost over our lives, labor, liberty and property over the last 220 years is akin to a zit, government taxation, imprisonment of non-violent offenders for "vice" crimes, prohibition, war, and the other acts of tyranny are akin to bone cancer.
http://freetalklive.com/ Ian Freeman

Bob, I can't tell how many of them voted for that race, but I can tell you that in wards 1-5 the dem turnout was 200, 361, 315, 348, 425
Andrew Carroll

irvingw,

Hey, thank you for your words of support.

I actually wrote a LTE to the Keene Sentinel saying, more or less:

"I am not a Free Keene member, and I find some of the activism performed by some members of Free Keene to be disruptive and counter-productive."

Then I continued in the letter to talk about the issues – something none of the new candidates wanted to do, as we all know.

But the Sentinel failed to publish it for some reason. Not sure why, as they had ample time to do it before the primary.

And I believe Ian only meant to say that 28% of Democratic voters who voted in the Democratic primary race for State Rep. decided to give a vote to me. That is accurate, as about 1200 or so people voted in the primary race, and 464 of them voted for me (not JUST for me, of course; though some did).

I would also like to stress that I am quite satisfied with the results of the campaign. Since my struggle is largely an educational one I think a lot was done these past couple months in that regard. Many people who did not know me before, or falsely associated me with the activism of other libertarians, have learned otherwise, and have grown to respect me for who I actually am.

However, much misinformation still exists, mainly because some of my opponents did their best to make sure the misinformation was being spread.

I will continue, in the coming months and years, to represent myself to the public in as honest and open a fashion as possible, so as to be seen as an individual, and not falsely grouped or labeled.

Thank you,

Andrew Carroll

j.a.carroll@msn.com
david

Andrew, (if u see this)

just a fyi

the letter i wrote to the sentinel took 3 days or so to be published

it may have been 4

I did do a follow up phone call after i had written it

and he assured me it would be before the voting day
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/williamcmay Skeptikos

David-

My letter was also printed promptly.

I'm guessing that, when they got three pro-Carroll letters around the same time (you must have submitted yours either the same night that Andrew and I did, or the day after), they decided that they only had enough room to print two of them.

For whatever reason, ours won out. They probably liked that yours was short. Not sure why they would pick mine over Andrew's.

Of course, instead of speculating, we could always ask them…
oooorgle

Free Keene is a FABULOUS THING!

yours truly,

The Community
bil

Why would the Sentinel pick Andrews letter?? It is only a letter by the candidate himself,explaining his position and clearing up any misunderstanding.It would only serve to dispel rumors,thereby possibly ruining any ongoing smear campaign.What makes you think they would want that?? At least it is better than that piece of crap,the Reformer.

The letters for Paul Berch are another example of self-serving leaches on society trying to hold onto control. The whole system is a sham,and the elections themselves a stage play designed to let the masses think they have some degree of control over their own destinies.Look all through history,it has always been the same,throw the great unwashed a sop every few years and they will be fooled into continuing the game.Not cynical,just a realist. —bil
irvingw

I think you did a great job for your first time out.

Good luck with any future endeavors. I am sure the fact that you were associated-rightly or wrongly- with the Freekeene group hurt any chance to win. Keep that in mind the next time you run, or the next time they do yet another stupid 'civil disobedience' tactic. you don't need to be middle of the road or sell yourself out to get elected. But the fringe rarely makes any serious impact.
Dennis

If the free keene/free staters aren't happy with the way things are going…There are several countries they can move to, and infest like they are doing to the Granite State.

Pack yer bags and go, the door's thataway, grab yer hat, watch yer step on the way out.

Sorry to see ya in such a rush, but it's been good.

I'll get the door.
Zeus

Fantasies are fun, aren't they?

The man with closed eyes and his fingers in his ears shouting "LA-LA-LA-LA!" will make for great conversation with all the new Free Keeners moving into the neighborhood each year.
Dennis

From Ian: " People’s misperceptions of liberty activists will change as they actually meet activists like Andrew."

What is Andrew an activist about? Not a free keener, nor free stater, then what?

Being active?

Your applause for Andrew does, by association, give the general idea he is part of Free Keene.

You obviously have some association and applaud what he stands for, which sounds like what you stand for. Hence association.
Dennis

Zeus, it's a passing phase, they'll fade out.

Like I said, there are other places they can move to, and have FASTER results.
david

Zeus, when your candidate comes in better than eighth in an eight man race, let me know.
david

I DIDNT SAY THAT
david

Hey david, do you ever get the feeling there is more than one david in the world? Everyone knows the difference between you and me, BECAUSE I DON"T USE ALL CAPS.
Zeus

Zeus, when your candidate comes in better than eighth in an eight man race, let me know.

I don't have candidates, david. I'm too much of a realist to vote and too much of a bastard to run. Besides, I'm not interested in telling the 49% of voters who lost, plus the 100% of non-voters who abstained, to do whatever my 51% says.

What I find silliest about your system is why they would all obey the diktats of the "winners" even to their own detriment. "Well, gee looks like we lost/didn't vote. Guess I gotta jam a fork in my eye and a chili pepper up my nose because they said so, huh?"

As soon as your candidate keeps their campaign promises and make a lasting , beneficial change that helps people rather than harms them, let me know.
david

Great. No vote, no voice. You are a loser now and you always will be . Me, I'll fight to change a system. But as soon as you give up your responsibilities of voting, you are just criticizing without doing anything to change it. Pathetic.
Zeus

Show me where participating in your Tyranny of the Majority has ever done anything to make America or NH or Keene any better.

You're a fool if you think voting changes anything on the Federal level. Locally, perhaps, but as we've seen recently, even that is an uphill battle. A battle against irrational control-freaks hellbent on retaining their violent control over the populace.

As Einstein said, "Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results."
david

Yeah. Like trying to reason with you buffoons.
Zeus

That would require you to be capable of rational thinking instead of being a violent goon.
david

Ouch. Coming from someone I respect so much, that really hurts Zeus. Got any more cartoons to cheer me up buddy?
Zeus

I don't think you understood the last one so it probably wouldn't help if I did.
Wolf Frederickson

david said: "MR

“Wolf Frederickaon”

THAT DOESNT SOUND LIKE A NATIVE AMERICAN NAME

WHO KNOWS MAYBE YOU EVEN HAVE A ACCENT

MAYBE SOMEONE CAN QUESTION YOUR CREDENTIALS AS A LEGITIMAT KEENE PERSON

WHO KNOWS MAYBE YOU WERE ONE OF THE PEOPLE IN GERMANY WHO WANTED PEOPLE TO GO AWAY BACK IN THE DAY

BOTTOM LINE

SHUT UP ,AND STOP ACTING LIKE YOU SAY WHO STAYS AND GOES IN KEENE

THIS ISNT YOUR NOSTALGIC WISTFULL REMANISACES OF NAZI GERMANY"

Fuck You David!

I am an American citizen, born in Keene, raised in Keene, and Proud to call Keene my Home!

Your ignorance and name calling show exactly how mature you and the rest of these Free Keene followers are.
david

wolf,

I have followers?!

cool

Um

yes

just stop acting like your the dictator of keene

telling people to leave and all

you dont tell THEM to leave and i wont tell YOU to leave

deal

bye
http://www.Freedomainradio.com Just a Serf

"I am an American citizen, born in Keene, raised in Keene, and Proud to call Keene my Home!"

Oh wow. An anonymous guy on the internet is telling me he was born & raised in a certain geographical area, thus he can boss me around and tell me where I can & cannot move. I won't move to Keene now. I didn't know you were the King.

Seriously though, Adam. I hope you run again in 2012.
bil

He is NOT the King,he is an imposter!! We all know when the actual King of Keene is posting,by his distinctive and flowery prose. Feel free to move about the country. —bil