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NEWS FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY
2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100
Washington DC 20037
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For release: September 17, 1998
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For additional information:
George Getz, Press Secretary
Phone: (202) 333-0008 Ext. 222
E-Mail: 76214.3676@Compuserve.com
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Here are three surprising reasons why impeachment could be good for America
WASHINGTON, DC -- Impeaching a president is serious business --
but booting Bill Clinton out of office could be good for the country,
the Libertarian Party said today.
"No matter what you think about the allegations against
President Clinton, impeachment isn't all doom-and-gloom," said Ron
Crickenberger, the party's national director. "Even if it turns out to
be a nasty, drawn-out process, an impeachment hearing could help
protect your liberty, give you a more honest perspective on
politicians, and result in more political variety."
As the U.S. House Judiciary Committee contemplates launching a
formal impeachment hearing against Clinton based on Special Prosecutor
Kenneth Starr's sex-and-cigars-and-perjury report -- and the
beleaguered president prepares a scorched earth defense -- Libertarians
are finding reasons to be cheerful about the coming political brawl.
Specifically, said Crickenberger, there are at least three
surprising ways that Americans could benefit from impeachment:
1) A lengthy, fierce, partisan impeachment battle will cause
paralysis in Washington, DC -- which should make us all breathe a sigh
of relief.
"The only good Congress is a paralyzed Congress," said
Crickenberger. "When Republicans and Democrats are busy investigating
each other, they're not busy raising taxes, censoring the Internet,
spending our money to bail out foreign nations, regulating business, or
violating the Bill of Rights.
"Remember: Gridlocked politicians are less dangerous
politicians," he said. "The longer impeachment gridlock goes on, the
longer ordinary Americans will be safe from Republicans and Democrats."
2) As more sordid details emerge from an impeachment hearing,
voters' respect for politicians -- and their government programs --
will continue to plummet.
"If the Clinton sex scandal has demonstrated anything, it's
that politicians can't even run their own lives properly. Why in the
world should we give them the power to run ours?" asked Crickenberger.
"As an impeachment process drags on, and politicians hurl more
mud at each other, the little faith we have left in government will
trickle away. Voters will realize that they can't trust pathetic,
flawed, self-destructive, hypocritical politicians -- whose lust for
power is apparently matched only by their lust for vice, deceit, and
personal gratification."
3) Impeachment hearings will showcase the need for a new
political party.
"How much more crime and corruption will Americans tolerate
from Republicans and Democrats?" asked Crickenberger. "Those two
parties have book-ended the last 25 years with the two great scandals
of this generation: Watergate and Fornigate. And sprinkled between were
more mini-scandals than you could shake a subpoena at -- from
Iran/Contragate, to Whitewatergate, to Gary Hart's Monkey Business, to
the savings and loan bail-out.
"Impeachment hearings will demonstrate once again that
Democrats and Republicans share not only a love for big government, but
also an eagerness to wallow in subterfuge and corruption. In fact, the
only thing they fundamentally disagree about is Bill Clinton's sex
life," he said.
"At some point, Americans will realize that enough is enough,
and that it's time to consider a genuine alternative -- the Libertarian
Party."
While the Libertarian Party has taken no position on the
president's sex scandal or whether he should be impeached on the basis
of the Starr Report, the party has called for impeachment "based solely
on the violations of the Constitution that have been perpetrated by
President Clinton during the time he has been in office," noted
Crickenberger.
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