Liberty Maven: For Liberty, One Individual At A Time

BJ Lawson (“Ron Paul Jr.”) Set to Run Again in NC

June 14th, 2009 12:59 am | by Mike Miller | Published in Activism, BJ Lawson, BJ Lawson Interview, Constitution, Election, Fund Raising, Liberty, Politics, Ron Paul, Ron Paul Republicans | 61112 Responses2009-06-14+04%3A59%3A43Mike+Miller

If you like Ron Paul but yearn for a younger Constitution-loving candidate, no better choice comes to mind than B.J. Lawson. We at Liberty Maven were singing his praises before he handily won the inaugural Liberty Straw Poll back on September 17th by an overwhelming margin (better than 4 to 1 over the runner-up).

We rated Lawson on the Paul-O-Meter (in which we compared his policies and voting record to those of Ron Paul) and weren’t too surprised that he scored a 91 out of a possible 99 points (thus cementing his “Ron Paul Jr.” nickname).

Ron Paul himself has even campaigned for him and remarked on Lawson’s nickname by saying:

A lot of folks have begun calling B.J. Lawson the next Ron Paul. The comparison is very flattering. . . for me.

In the election BJ garnered 37% of the vote, which is quite a feat considering his district (4th) in North Carolina is strongly Democratic.

And according to the local press, BJ Lawson is planning to give it another shot. He’ll be opposing Rep. David Price next fall. Expect an announcement on his web site (www.lawsonforcongress.com) some time next week.

In the meantime, for more information, take a look at our interviews with BJ last year: Part 1 |Part 2 and then get ready for another money bomb.

B.J. Lawson, Ron Paul Republican Interview Part 2

September 11th, 2008 10:40 pm | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Activism, Big Government, BJ Lawson, BJ Lawson Interview, Constitution, Economics, Election, Environment, Federal Reserve, Free Market, Individual Responsibility, Interviews, Liberty, Politics, Ron Paul | 185612008-09-12+02%3A40%3A53Marc+Gallagher

A few months ago we at Liberty Maven interviewed B.J. Lawson following his decisive primary election victory for North Carolina’s 4th Congressional District. It is now time to continue that interview as his general election campaign continues to heat up.

Lawson has been called “Ron Paul Jr.” and has been enthusiastically endorsed by Ron Paul himself. Lawson faces an uphill battle in his largely Democratic district, but he is charismatic and is not your average Republican. We encourage all Liberty Maven readers to donate to his campaign. As you will see in this interview segment and the last one, B.J. Lawson is uncompromisingly dedicated to individual liberty and the U.S. Constitution.

Read the first part of Lawson’s interview here or read on for the second part.

LM: In recent political history there has been much debate about term limits for Congressmen yet not much has been done about it. What is your view on congressional term limits?

Lawson: I do not believe term limits are a panacea — they will limit the terms of good, principled representatives just as surely as they will limit corrupt and incompetent ones. Ultimately, voters need to enforce term limits.

I believe that eliminating the Congressional pension plan would be much more effective than simple term limits. It’s one thing to go to Washington to serve the people. It’s another thing to “serve the people” and receive a lifetime of pension benefits and free health care as a result. Congress must not have financial incentives that encourage it to be a career. When elected, I will not participate in the Congressional pension program that is an insult to the American worker.

Ron Paul Republican B.J. Lawson Interview – Part 1

June 24th, 2008 5:38 pm | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Activism, BJ Lawson, BJ Lawson Interview, Civil Liberties, Constitution, Drugs, Election, energy, Liberty, Philosophy, Politics, Ron Paul, Ron Paul Republicans | 12034 Responses2008-06-24+21%3A38%3A52Marc+Gallagher

We here at Liberty Maven are excited to have the opportunity to interview a true patriot candidate who some have called “Ron Paul Jr.”. His name is William “B.J.” Lawson and upon reading his answers to our first segment’s questions it is obvious the Constitution forms the backbone of his beliefs and his campaign to represent North Carolina’s 4th District in Congress.

If you haven’t heard of B.J. Lawson until now and you are a lover of liberty you are in for a treat. If we could cast a spell on every single person in the country to donate and help out with Lawson’s campaign we’d do it. In that vein please enjoy the first interview segment below and then head over to LawsonLibertyFund.com and pledge $5 or $300 to help out with his Ron Paul style money bomb on June 29th.

LM: What was your motivation for running for Congress? You are facing an incumbent Democrat David Price in an overly Democratic district; however back in 1994 a Republican unseated Price thanks to the “Contract With America” effort at that time. Does that previous defeat of Price give you hope for victory over him this time around?

Lawson: My motivation running for Congress is to advance a Constitutional federal government, and to question the “politics as usual” that is bankrupting our country and eviscerating our freedoms. Today’s political process is simply broken: we have legislators who don’t read bills before they vote, we have Congress delegating rule making to unelected bureaucrats and lobbyists, we have legislators piling special favors into legislation that is deemed likely to pass, and few even question if proposed legislation is the Constitutional role of the federal government. These are symptoms of a political process that no longer represents the people.

While Price was defeated once with the 1994 Republican landslide, this year’s environment is much different. The Republican party is adrift, and lacks a clear platform after the past eight years. Furthermore, our district is a strongly Democratic. However, the vast majority of voters know we need change — and David Price, as a 22 year incumbent, personifies the status quo.

It’s not so much his 1994 defeat that gives me hope for victory, but more what he’s done since his 1996 re-entry into Congress: not much. Rep. Price is an Establishment candidate whose voting record reflects the party line, and shows little leadership or concern for the critical questions facing our nation: out of control inflation, unsustainable government spending and entitlements, declining civil liberties, and failed interventionism abroad.

The voters are demanding change, and this year they have a choice for principled leadership advocating a Constitutional federal government.