No Good Liberty Options in New York

Next week, the state of New York will hold its primary elections for the House and Senate. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand is up for her first re-election bid in the Senate and three Republican contestants have stepped forward to challenge her. These challengers include first term Congressman Robert Turner, Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos, and constitutional attorney Wendy Long.

Congressman Turner won the election to represent the open district when Congressman Anthoy Weiner resigned in disgrace. With such a short amount of time in office, there isn't much of a record on which to base his views. What votes he has cast are not in line with most liberty minded voters. This includes voting in favor of the 2012 NDAA which granted the federal government the right to indefinitely detain US citizens, in favor of CISPA - the Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act of 2011, and in favor of the Federal Restricted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011 which allows for a felony crime to be enforced for protesting.

Nassau County Comptroller George Maragos has not been vocal on matters related to liberty and has not directly addressed the issues of the NDAA or internet privacy laws.

Constitutional attorney Wendy Long has been receiving a large number of endorsements from conservative talk radio hosts and other high profile entities. However, she is also largely silent on matters related to liberty. Her campaign website lists no definite positions on issues, but does have some press releases. In one of those releases, Mrs Long states her support for New York's stop and frisk law. This law allows for New York police to stop and physically search any person they come across on the street for no reason. The press statement in question credits this law and others with a reduction of crime in New York city. While this isn't a matter that Mrs Long would be voting on in the Senate, no liberty minded person can accept these laws as either moral or constitutional.

Whoever wins the Republican contest will almost certainly face the incumbent Senator Gillibrand. Senator Gillibrand's record on civil liberty is equally dismal. She has voted in favor of both the 2012 NDAA and the Free Flow of Information Act of 2007, which she also co-sponsored.

New York is a far different place from Texas or Montana. We can't expect a "conservative" there to hold the same views as a "conservative" in the latter states. However, the lost of liberty within the country cannot be accepted anywhere or it will lead to the loss of freedom anywhere. These Republican nominees must explain their views relating to civil liberty, and must explain to their constituents why those views are superior than Senator Gillibrand's. Right now, it doesn't look like any of them intend to do that.