We Should Be Proud - Timothy Maguire

Here's a release titled "We Should Be Proud" from the campaign of Timothy Maguire, Libertarian for Indianapolis City-County Council:

"First and foremost, THANK YOU to all of you supporters and believers out there. We did some great things this year, and none of it would have happened without you.

Obviously, we did not gather enough votes to gain a council seat this year. That’s the bad news. The good news is we have made some tremendous strides this year, we have formed an even greater support base, and we were noticed. While we were all hoping for a win, we did know that we had an uphill battle, and we should still be proud.

Let’s talk about what we did accomplish. We more than doubled the votes for Libertarians in an At-Large race. In 2003, the best showing for the Libertarian At-large candidates was 4,959 votes (0.87%). The party didn’t even field a mayoral candidate that year (Click here for 2003 results). This year, Allison and I both received over 12,000 votes each (about 2%). AND THIS YEAR WAS CONSIDERED TO BE A “TIGHT” ELECTION. Even with Republican-Democrat balance up for grabs this year, over 7000 additional voters chose principle over “lesser evil”. Everyone expected our numbers to go down due to the close election. See all the 2007 numbers here: http://imcwwa2k3.indygov.org/elecnight/2007gen

A rising tide lifts all ships. Other Libertarian numbers were up as well. Allison’s numbers were just as high as mine (okay higher…everyone realized the REAL power behind this team is her), and Kevin and Webster’s numbers were over 9000 and 8000 respectively. And our mayoral candidate Fred Peterson made a good showing, especially when you realize how many people believed in the Republican’s ability to take out Bart this year. Paul Dijak-Robinson did a tremendous job in the 16th district, with 3.44% of the vote. The work we have done have made Libertarians more respectable, and thereby, more electable. If we keep doubling like this, we will be realistically looking at a council seat in at least 8 years.

And we FINALLY dispelled the myth that Libertarians are just “spoilers” for the Republicans. While we were increasing our numbers, the biggest losers were the Democrats, who lost the Mayor’s office, three At-large seats, and control of the council.

We also changed the conversation. This year’s political turmoil gave us an opportunity, and we took it. For the first time in years politicians were not talking about INCREASING services, but rather DECREASING the size of government. Those of you who watched the debates saw the other parties modify their answers due to our new ideas. Almost every voter I spoke to responded favorably to a message of LESS SPENDING. And countless Republicans and Democrats came up to me, voicing their support, commenting that this will be their first vote for a Libertarian.

But don’t worry, although some have already asked me to do so, I will NOT be defecting to the Republican Party. I am a LIBERTARIAN first, and a candidate second. To leave such a great party would be ludicrous. The Libertarian Party has held to their principles and stayed true to their supporters. We should be asking freedom-loving Republicans and Democrats to join us, not the other way around.

We have also created a great support-base. I picked up the endorsement of the FOP, Hoosiers for Fair Taxation, Indiana Voters League, and the Minority Media Group. But more importantly, we have found dedicated, hard-working advocates like you and many others. We need to keep the movement rolling, and we WILL pick up more help along the way. All mighty avalanches start with a snowball.

While I may be a good public speaker, a credible candidate, and a analytical thinker; IT WAS YOU AND YOUR EFFORTS THAT MADE THIS HAPPEN. Without you and all of your support, I wouldn’t have gotten so many votes and we wouldn’t have had any radio and TV ads. Because of you, more Indianapolis residents heard our message, and responded. And because of our future efforts, they will hear it again. Remember, we are mighty, and we shall prevail.

Ever in your debt, yours in liberty,

TIMOTHY J. MAGUIRE (LIB)
"Justia Et Fortituda Invincibilia Sunt"
(Justice and Fortitude are invincible)