Al Barger, Indiana Libertarian for US Senate 2004: The Judgment

So here are the final numbers in the 2004 election for US Senator from Indiana:

Democrat Evan Bayh 1,495,250 - 62%
Republican Marvin Scott 904,843 - 37%
Libertarian Albert Barger 27,966 - 1%

To be honest, I was pretty disappointed with these numbers. I was hoping for 100K votes. Ah, well. You do what you can.

One thing, though: I said what I intended to say. I got my two cents in as best I knew how, so there's nothing to regret.

Generally, it appears that third parties and independent candidates were just totally shut down all across the country this cycle. Indiana has one of the strongest couple of Libertarian parties in the nation, and our numbers looked like they were off by half or more from the last cycle. Nader was totally shut down, too.

I've seen such things before. It appears that voters generally were looking to settle some big ol' war and peace issues, and just weren't interested in considering independent candidates at all.

On another basis of comparison, I ran somewhere in the middle of the Indiana Libertarian pack. I got something like half again the votes that our presidential candidate received. Our gubernatorial candidate Kenn Gividen got about 4K more votes than me. Our best result this year was ever lovin' Joe Hauptman, who got 68K votes for Superintendent of Public Instruction, for right at 3%.

On the other hand, it has been suggested that we got something close to as many votes as recent cycles, but that there were just a whole lot more new or infrequent voters watering down the percentages. Maybe. Actually, with late numbers trickling in, it appears that Badnarik got a few thousand more national votes for president than Browne did in 2000- with less than half the money.

One election return, however, meant particularly much to me. Charlie Kennedy voted for me, which may not mean anything to anyone else, but was important to me personally.

I first met Charlie Kennedy a few years ago at an open Libertarian forum in Indy. By way of protesting against the water and sewage systems, he came in with his water bill pinned to his shirt. That's when I fell in love with him. He puts me strongly in mind of my favorite uncle, the late Helmuth Fields. One of us, one of us! It was ol' cantankerous Uncle Charlie that placed my name in nomination at our convention in 2000 in my unsuccessful bid to be nominated for the other Indiana US Senate seat.

However, Charlie is adamantly opposed to the Iraq war, and was heavy of heart some months ago when he said that he couldn't vote for me. I felt real bad about that, but there was nothing I could do.

Election night, we had a nearly tearful reunion, though. Charlie just had to vote for me, regardless of his deep reservations. Voting for someone who supports the Iraq effort was really difficult for him, and it means a lot to me.

In conclusion then, I said my piece, made new friends, and learned quite a bit. Evan Bayh is by far the most popular politician in this state, so there's nothing wrong with getting beaten by the top gun. I think I would have done a better job, but the republic will surely survive.

Bringing It All Back Home

I finished my campaign with some door to door in Batesville, home of Hillenbrand Industries, and the place where I first got those subterranean homesick blues lo those many years ago. I was born in Batesville during the Cuban Missle Crisis. When my time comes, my people will probably plant me up on Stipps Hill in a Hillenbrand box. This was the place to wrap it up. So there I was, walking the pavement and thinking about the government.

In vote terms, this was not a significant activity, admittedly. Best guess suggests that there will probably be something in excess of 2,000,000 votes in this election tomorrow. Whatever few dozen folks I talked to aren't going to make a notable impact against a whole state full of voters.

However, this did give me a chance to talk to a young mother who was on her way out to church services to pray for guidance in tomorrow's voting. Hopefully that will include a small prayer for me.

I don't know if she's actually going to vote for me, though. That I personally asked for her vote and that she's obviously a loving and compassionate person might get me the vote.

However, she said that she's a fundamentalist Christian (though I'm not sure if she used that specific word), taking the Bible seriously as her main consideration in voting as in life. She asked about abortion and gay marriage. I doubt that my answers were quite what she would have wanted to hear.

Most people were just surprised to see a US Senate candidate personally show up on their door. Chances of Evan Bayh showing up door to door in Batesville would have to be awfully slim, I'd say.

The last door of the day and the campaign turned out to be a local Republican precinct committeman. He was preparing to go to the library to hang up some last minute signs.

Even as a party leader though, this fellow apparently had only barely heard of Marvin Scott, the Republican in this race. I left him with the last dozen or so brochures I had to take to the library. I made a point of finishing up my last campaign pitch with a few nice words about Senator Bayh, who seems like a pretty nice fellow.

For the last, last stop there was really only one place to go, back home to Laurel for a drink at the Long Branch, and one last chance to persuade the hometown crowd.

I've been a Libertarian for a long time now, since I was first eligible to vote for Ed Clark against Reagan and Carter back in 1980. And I still don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.

So here it is: I've said my piece, and spread my call for constitutionally restrained government as far and wide as possible across the state. I've done the best I knew how to do with what I've had to work with. This is my best case.

So then, the judgment is in your hands. I humbly await your verdict.

Thanks for your consideration, and I would appreciate your vote.