From: [h--ge--p] at [cs.indiana.edu] (Paul Hager)
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs
Subject: On the Campaign Trail -- part 5
Date: 1 Nov 93 19:29:39 GMT

               On the Campaign Trail -- A Journal
                             Part 5

THURSDAY, 21-OCTOBER-1993

     I spoke with Bloomington City Council member Paul Swain
about the no-enforcement ordinance.  He has had a chance to look
it over and would like to make a few additions.  He also needs to
run it by the staff council to vouchsafe that what it is trying
to do is legal.  The no-enforcement ordinance takes the approach
that the City Council can direct the Bloomington Police
Department, as employees of the city, to not participate in
enforcement of the marijuana laws.  This responsibility would
devolve upon state and federal law enforcement.

     In submitting this proposed ordinance, there is a primary
and a subsidiary goal.  The primary goal is to get the ordinance
passed and use it progress to the next level -- the county and
ultimately the state.  The subsidiary goal is to spark public
debate of the issues.  Drug-free Indiana and other
prohibitionists have refused to debate us and our commercials
have been banned from local cable.  It is hard to change public
opinion if the public can't be reached.

     I discussed our goals with Paul.  Paul doesn't know whether
or not the ordinance can get passed but if he can get a second to
put it before the Council it will then come up for discussion. 
Thus, receiving the imprimatur of the staff council and getting
the ordinance seconded are crucial.  This also means that the
other side can prevail if they keep it from being considered.

     The next few days will determine the outcome.  I think I can
mobilize a lot of support if we can get the ordinance past the
first hurdle.

FRIDAY, 29-OCTOBER-1993

     I am in what can only be described as a state of euphoria! 
I met with my friend and fellow Civil Libertarian, Randy Paul,
tonight over dinner.  He has agreed to work on my campaign.  To
understand what this means, I should say some things about Randy.

     Randy is a Democrat who has been involved in state and local
politics for some time.  He was originally a Republican and
Reagan supporter who became disgusted with Reagan's excesses,
switched parties and is now a Democratic committeeman.  He is on
the executive committee of the Indiana Civil Liberties Union
(ICLU) and is a board member of Planned Parenthood.  He has
political contacts in both the major parties throughout the 8th
district.  I have seen Randy in action and would rate him as a
superb political strategist -- a veritable Sun Tzu.  Add to that,
he is principled and absolutely dedicated when he makes a
commitment -- he's what folks used to call a "stand-up guy."

     When Randy came into the restaurant and joined me at my
table, he got right down to business.  He wanted to know if I was
running to make a statement or running to win.  I said that I
wanted to win but that it wouldn't be worth much if I didn't have
an issue-oriented campaign.  Randy wanted to know how much I'd be
willing to modulate my tone in order not to appear to be an
extremist.  For example, what about my stand on drug
legalization?  I said that I would cast things as a statement
that the drug war was an expensive failure.  After 80 years of
trying to have the criminal justice system solve what was
actually a medical problem, the time had come to consider
alternatives.  I told Randy that I could then move from there to
laying out a range of options which would demonstrate that I was
approaching the matter objectively and dispassionately and was
not a legalization zealot.  The key, I said, was to open the
dialogue and make it respectable to talk about it.  Once the
issue is out there being discussed, I can run rings around any
opponent who tries to defend the status quo.  Randy approved of
this approach.

     After discussing a few more details about issues and goals,
Randy agreed to join the campaign as Treasurer and interim
campaign manager.  This latter role has been handled by Dennis
who already has his hands full with Monroe County Libertarian
activities and the campaign of another Libertarian who is running
for County Prosecutor.  I told Randy that I'd like to see the
campaign as a true coalition, thus, the committee should be
composed of Libertarians (of course), with some high-profile
position occupied by Democrats, Republicans, and Perotistas.  In
particular, I said, I'd like to find a Republican to manage my
campaign.  Did he have any suggestions along those lines, I
wanted to know.  As a matter of fact, said Randy, he did know
some Republicans who might be interested.  For my part, I said, I
could speak with some of the Perot people and work that end of
things.

     Randy had another suggestion.  He said that the campaign
needed a "think tank."  Specifically, the think tank would do
research on key issues and help me to prepare position papers.  I
said that I had some good candidates in mind for that and would
talk to them ASAP.  I also suggested that I might be able to get
a "net tank" set up.  This envisions an extended group of people
on the net who would be interested in having input to the
campaign.  Randy thought this was a good idea.

     We wrapped things up with a plan to begin implementing the
things we discussed and to meet again in a week or so to see
where we are.  Now that Randy is involved, things are beginning
to move.

-- 
paul hager	[h--ge--p] at [moose.cs.indiana.edu]

	Hager for Congress, c/o Libertarian Party
	PO Box 636, Bloomington, IN 47402-636