The Campaign for Liberty, a political organization founded by Ron Paul, has been quizzing legislative candidates on its pet issues.

Here’s the survey.

1. Will you oppose efforts to cooperate with a national ID card system and vote to block all state funding for and cooperation with any national ID scheme including the Real ID and Pass ID programs? 2. Do you oppose the use of unmanned law enforcement devices being used to penalize citizens? 3. Will you support a “Constitutional Carry” bill that would allow any law-abiding citizen to carry a firearm concealed without a permit? 4. Will you support legislation to nullify ObamaCare and authorize state and local law enforcement to arrest federal officials attempting to implement the health care scheme, known as ObamaCare? 5. Will you support legislation to end the use of “no knock” warrants? 6. Will you oppose all tax and fee increases? 7. Will you support repeal of your state’s participation in Common Core?

It’s so loaded that even some proven extremist Republican candidates declined to answer the questions. Here’s the survey results in Arkansas.



My attention was drawn to that fourth question. Nullify Obamacare? That’s one thing if by nullification you mean refusal to adopt complementary state legislation. If you mean resist federal supremacy, a la Orval Faubus, that is another thing. And, whoa: Arrest federal officials lawfully carrying out federal law? That is extreme. Probably unlawful. Court precedent seems to indicate it is unconstitutional for a state to arrest federal officials for upholding federal law.

This is, simply, radical teabaggery.


Iowa Republican state Sen. Joni Ernst, who’s running for U.S. Senate, has come in for criticism for answering YES to that question on a 2012 survey.

But never mind Iowa and 2012. Let’s talk Arkansas and 2014, as reflected in the survey results linked above. The Campaign for Liberty found more than 20 candidates — all Republicans save for one Libertarian and one Democrat — who said YES they’d arrest a federal official for carrying out the federal health care law known as Obamacare. Seven Ghosts of Faubus said not only YES, but YES they’d sponsor legislation to achieve this end.


Here’s the worst part, the yeses reported by the Campaign for Liberty include three sitting members of the Arkansas legislature — Sen. Missy Irvin of Mountain View and Reps. Richard Womack of Arkadelphia and John Payton of Wilburn. They really believe Arkansas law officers should arrest federal officials for implementing federal health care law? Really?

The House duo are among the most retrograde of Arkansas legislators. But Irvin fashions herself as a leader and a potential candidate for higher office someday. She has some explaining to do. Is she really that far out? Or did she just tell an interest group what she presumed it wanted to hear, thinking no one else would notice? I’ve sent her a question.

In today’s extremist Republican era, I guess it passes for great statesmanship that several Republicans who responded to the survey declined to answer that particular question — Sen. Scott Flippo, Rep. Sue Scott and Linda Collins-Smith, a former legislator seeking a Senate seat.

UPDATE: I heard back from Sen. Irvin. She says the following:


I have called that organization. I do not recall answering this survey or those questions. No, I do not support arresting people for implementing Obamacare. It’s federal law and has been ruled constitutional. That’s ridiculous. I have been clear that I do not support Obamacare. Missy Irvin

She adds:

Furthermore, I definitely do not support legislation that will jeopardize our law enforcement’s safety. Not quite sure what a “no knock” warrant is and how that is even used in Arkansas. I have left a message for this organization today.

I”ve sent my own query to Campaign for Liberty about the disagreement.