George Phillies
| George Phillies | |
 Phillies speaking in March 2008 |
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| Born | July 23, 1947 Buffalo, New York |
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| Nationality | American |
| Political party | Libertarian |
| Occupation | Physics Professor |
| Website | http://phillies2008.org/ |
George Phillies (born 23 July 1947) is a Libertarian Party activist and professor of physics at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He resides in Worcester, Massachusetts. Phillies was the Libertarian Party candidate for Massachusetts' Third Congressional District in 1998. He finished third with 2,887 votes or 1.5% of the total vote.[1] In 2002 at the Libertarian Party National Convention Phillies stood as a candidate for the Chair of the Libertarian National Committee. Phillies finished third with 123 delegate votes, behind Geoff Neale 261, and Eli Israel 178.[2]
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[edit] Biography
On April 15, 2006, Phillies announced his candidacy for the Libertarian nomination for President of the United States in the 2008 presidential race. However, he did not receive the National party's nomination. He was, however, nominated by the Libertarian Party of New Hampshire as their Presidential candidate, and appeared on the New Hampshire Ballot for the United States presidential election, 2008.
He is the former chair of the Worcester County Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts [1], and is very active in the Worcester County Libertarian Association and Pioneer Valley Libertarian Association, two regional Massachusetts organizations. He has served on the board of the Libertarian Party of Massachusetts (LPMass), but also played a role in the founding of Liberty for Massachusetts, an activism group that provided an alternative to LPMass until party elections led to Phillies becoming LPMass State Chair.
[edit] 2008 presidential campaign
Phillies' campaign was based around several concepts; that he is the "serious man for serious times," that he will campaign on issues that everyday Americans care about (such as opposition to the Iraq War, protection of civil liberties, and eliminating the national debt),[3] and that he will be a serious and organized presidential nominee.[4] Due to the early nature of the campaign, and the limited recognition which Libertarian candidates receive, Phillies has yet to be noticed by the national media, though he has been quoted in the San Antonio Express regarding the implications of Ron Paul's presidential run.[5] Phillies has received the endorsements of several well-known Libertarians, such as former State Representative Don Gorman,[6] and Loretta Nall.[7]
At the 2008 Libertarian National Convention, on May 25, Phillies received significant support, but was eliminated after the third ballot. However, he was endorsed by the Boston Tea Party in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. He was removed from the ballot in Massachusetts with his consent, where the presidential nominee Bob Barr became listed in his stead. He remained on the ballot in New Hampshire, where two Libertarian Party presidential candidates were listed. Phillies received 531 votes in the United States presidential election of 2008 [8].
[edit] Media releases
The Phillies campaign issued several press releases. One such press release, issued July 12 2006, voiced Phillies' opposition to the "Grandchild tax. "The National Debt," Phillies said, "is the ultimate in taxation without representation. We get the spending benefits. The tax is paid by people who haven't even been born yet," stated Phillies.[9]
On September 2, 2006 Phillies voiced his strong opposition to the Kelo Decision, proposing that governments also be required to compensate homeowners for emotional damages.[10]
Another major press releases was issued in January 2007, in response to President Bush's state of the union address. While Phillies did not directly respond to the President's statements, he did issue his own state of the union.[11]
[edit] Campaign activities
In a May 22, 2006 interview with the former 2008 Presidential Blog "The Next Prez," Phillies stated that the three most important issues facing the country were the Iraq War/Civil Liberties, Immigration, and the Budget Deficit. He also strongly promoted his credibility as a candidate, describing himself as having "reached a stage in my life when I will have the time and energy to focus vigorously on my campaign."[12]
On another Presidential Blog, Conservative President 2008, Phillies again answered questions about his campaign in a December 13, 2006 interview[13].
In addition to these online interviews, Phillies has attended state conventions, including Presidential debates in Nevada and Florida[14] [15]. Phillies and another candidate for the nomination, Steve Kubby, participated in an online debate on the online talk show Liberated Space[16]. He would later participate in a January forum (including both third-party candidates and supporters of major party candidates) in Fresno, California [17],
On April 21, Phillies spoke before a marijuana legalization rally, called the "Extravaganja," in Amherst, Massachusetts.[18]
In a December press release, Phillies announced that he would take the oath of office on the constitution. This decision was lauded by the Arkansas Times, who described Phillies as "a smart man, and a good American [19]."
[edit] Endorsements
Don Gorman, former New Hampshire State Representative and 2000 Presidential candidate [20]
Loretta Nall, 2006 Libertarian Party nominee for Governor of Alabama.[21]
Outright Libertarians, a group billing itself as "...an association of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other self-identified "queer" (LGBTQ) Libertarian Party activists and supporters. " [22]
The Rolla Daily News of Rolla, Missouri, endorsed Phillies for Missouri Libertarian primary. [23]
[edit] Writings
Phillies edits Let Freedom Ring! and the Libertarian Strategy Gazette, two newsletters distributed to Libertarians across the United States. He is the author of Stand Up For Liberty!, an electronically published book on Libertarian political strategy.
[edit] References
- ^ 1998 Election Statistics - Legislative Activities - Office of the Clerk
- ^ Libertarian Party 2002 Convention Election Results - Chair
- ^ Why am I running? | George Phillies
- ^ Phillies Speech to Merrimack Valley Porcupines | George Phillies
- ^ MySA.com: Metro | State
- ^ Third Party Watch » Blog Archive » Gorman Backs Phillies for 2008
- ^ Third Party Watch » Blog Archive » Loretta Nall Joins Phillies Campaign
- ^ "2008 OFFICIAL PRESIDENTIAL GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". FEC. 2008-11-04. http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2008/2008presgeresults.pdf. Retrieved 2009-02-03.
- ^ http://www.phillies2008.com/end_the_grandchild_tax_0 Although the release date says July 12, 2008, it can reasonably be assumed that July 12, 2006 is the correct date.
- ^ Kelo: Phillies Offers Practical Solution | George Phillies
- ^ The State of the Union, January 2007 | George Phillies
- ^ The Next Prez: Six Questions with... George Phillies
- ^ Conservative President 2008: Phillies Answers Questions
- ^ Phillies campaign update: 1/22/2007 « Last Free Voice
- ^ Washington Times - Barr calls for strengthening Libertarian Party
- ^ Internet Radio, Citizen Broadcasting, Social Media Podcasts - Blog Talk Radio
- ^ Lacayo, Eric. "Fresno City College hosts an array of presidential voices." Fresno Bee 13 Jan. 2008 15 Jan. 2008 <http://www.fresnobee.com/263/story/319884.html>.
- ^ Rally aims for change in marijuana laws- MassLive.com
- ^ Arkansas Times Staff, "Holy War." Arkansas Times 27 Dec. 2007 15 Jan. 2008 <http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=a99840cf-eb9f-4187-aa1f-11844f4887e8>.
- ^ "Phillies 2008 Adds to Campaign Team." George Phillies, Libertarian for President. 03 Sept. 2006. 21 Jan 2008 <http://phillies2008.org/phillies_2008_adds_to_campaign_team>.
- ^ v
- ^ Power, Rob. "Outright Libertarians Endorses George Phillies for Libertarian Party Nomination." Outright Libertarians Blog. 17 Jan. 2008. 21 Jan 2008 <http://outrightlibertarians.blogspot.com/2008/01/outright-libertarians-endorses-george.html>.
- ^ "RDN Endorses Huckabee, Obama." The Rolla Daily News 01 Feb. 2008 03 Feb. 2008 <http://www.therolladailynews.com/articles/2008/02/02/editorials/edit02.txt>.
[edit] External links
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations where appropriate. (March 2009) |
- Official Campaign Website
- Official Campaign MySpace
- Official Campaign Facebook
- Campaign profile at Project Vote Smart
- George Phillies Interviewed by New England Cable News
- Phillies2008 FEC disclosure report
- Home page at Worcester Polytechnic Institute
- Page at the WPIwiki
- Phillies 2008
- Liberty For America
- Central Massachusetts Liberty Coalition - homepage for distribution of Let Freedom Ring! and the Libertarian Strategy Gazette
- Phillies Interview - Conservative President 2008
- Interview with Phillies - Third Party Presidential Debate on Asher Speaks Live
- His novel: http://users.wpi.edu/~phillies/#novel
