Joshua Smith, the former Vice Chair of the Libertarian National Committee, recently took to social media to announce his bid for the Libertarian Party’s presidential nomination. He joins a diverse field of candidates who have been actively campaigning since earlier this year.
After serving one year as LNC Vice Chair following the 2022 Libertarian National Convention in Reno, Joshua Smith resigned earlier this year, citing his desire to prioritize spending more time with his family. Before becoming Vice Chair, Smith held several terms as an LNC At-large Representative and took on various leadership roles within the Washington and California Libertarian Parties at different times. Additionally, LPedia records him as the former Candidate Support Committee Chair for the Libertarian Party Mises Caucus.
Discussing his “very serious POTUS pitch” on newly-rebranded social media site X, Smith said he wants to see the entire United States Federal Government overhauled and would immediately begin shutting down “immoral and illegitimate alphabet agencies” on his first day in office. He would also auction off federal government property and use the funds to pay the national debt.
“The whole US Federal government is trash and needs a full overhaul (abolition?) by people who actually understand the plight of the every day blue collar American,” Smith added.
Smith has also since added that he would push to launch a full investigation of everyone involved in the “federal covid regime including the federal covid task force, “Safer”, Fauci, Pfizer, and many more,” as well as reclassify the Southern Poverty Law Center and the Anti-Defemation League as hate groups on his first day in office.
Since announcing his candidacy, Smith has already taken several swipes at fellow Libertarian presidential aspirant Chase Oliver over social media. Oliver, who announced his presidential run in April, said on social media that he became the first Libertarian presidential hopeful to be invited to the Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. “I am honored to be invited to speak at the Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair. The Libertarian Party of Iowa achieved major party status last year, and this year, we will continue that momentum by bringing a voice of liberty to the soapbox stage,” Oliver stated in a recent press release.
Smith, in turn, challenged Oliver directly to a debate, asking his supporters on social media if they wanted to see a discussion between the two candidates. He extended an invitation to Oliver to participate in the debate at his home studio and offered to come to him following the Iowa State Fair if not. In addition, Smith has posted several memes, including an inflammatory variation of the Virgin Walk meme depicting Oliver with the label “pro-grooming” next to a picture of Smith with the caption “groomers to woodchippers.”
https://twitter.com/JoshuaAtLarge/status/1683151947061248003
Oliver has not yet publicly responded to Smith’s statements or request to debate.
Some critics of Smith on social media initially doubted that Smith was running a serious campaign, questioning whether he filed FEC paperwork. While Federal Elections Commission data on Smith’s candidacy is recent, it is accessible on the FEC database. Organized under the “Comittee To Elect Joshua Smith [sic],” Smith has filed to run as a Libertarian out of West Des Moines, Iowa. Readers can access a virtual copy of Smith’s filing paperwork on the FEC database located here.
Support the grifter deadbeat
Advocating for the repeal of the 19th amendment isn’t virtue signaling. Virtue signaling is done to show GOOD moral character, however meaningless the expression is without action backing it up.
Repealing the 19th amendment is better described as a dog whistle. Too unsubtle to be a dog whistle? Not when compared against the rest of the package that people who want to repeal the 19th want to implement.
Yet another nut job.
Virtue signaling is the only purpose of a libertarian presidential campaign. No rational person is under the delusion that such a candidate will be taking the oath of office, and the candidate shouldn’t be either. Whether taking voting rights away from women is a cornerstone of libertarian virtue is a separate question.
There’s all sorts of constitutional amendments I’d like done or removed from the Constitution (e.g. add in anti-nepotism laws for appointments, defined term limits, defined age limits on federal officeholders and Supreme Court judges, Single Subject Amendment, etc.), but of what value is talking about them if you have no idea accomplishing the how? There’s no reason to bring it up for a presidential candidate except virtue signaling.
I certainly don’t agree that the 19th Amendment should be abolished. Joshua Smith is an unappealing candidate right out of the gate.
In some places people comment on how society has become a virtue signaling cesspool, which I agree with up to a point. Then you see B.S. like “Abolish the 19th Amendment”. This is as much virtue signaling as anything done by politicians, media groups, and corporations. Why is this a campaign talking point for President? The President has zero influence on the Constitution by design. The President can do nothing with the Constitution except bully pulpit.
For the 19th Amendment to be “abolished” requires 290 Representatives out of 435 in the House and 67 Senators out of 100 to be in favor just to reach the states. The Libertarian Party can have every single person running for the House and Senate in 2024 win, and will not have 290 Representatives or 67 Senators, so this requires Republican and/or Democratic Party buy-in to succeed which is probably not coming. Your other option is an Article V Convention which I support but requires 34 of the 50 combined chamber state legislatures where there is likewise minimal Libertarian presence to approve the resolution to hold one. THEN once passed either in Congress or the Article V Convention, we send it off to the states where the combined chambers of 38 of the 50 states are required to approve. Every single Libertarian running for the state legislatures can win in 2024, and we would not get close to winning control of the combined chambers of 38 of the 50 states, requiring significantly more buy-in from the Republican and/or Democratic Parties to succeed. In no step of this process is the President anywhere.
“Abolish the 19th Amendment”. This is a talking point that can be destroyed with a 3-letter word: “HOW?” I don’t give a [expletive] what you stand for if you can’t provide me a practical road map for how what you want occurs.
To step back, I take Josh Smith’s candidacy as a signal maybe Dave Smith won’t actually run.
My fear is too many libertarians run and the party is stuck with Chase Oliver as the candidate. That means another election I vote against the party’s candidate.
Step 1: Make a sideways accusation of Chase Oliver of being a groomer.
Step 2: State that groomers should be run through wood chippers.
Step 3: Whine that twitter has banned another “libertarian” without cause.
Joshua Smith is not at the top of my list of candidates, but he’s better than socialist Chase Oliver.
Arvin Vorha?