ARLINGTON, VA – The backlash against the Campaign for Liberty for their involvement with Ken Buck’s campaign continues to mount. The main reason? Buck is vocally pro-war and C4L is supposedly non-interventionist (I say “supposedly” due to this latest incident and because John Tate, C4L’s head neglected to touch on non-interventionism while addressing the attendees at the 9-12 march in DC. Many believe it was not an accident.)

Though the press release issued earlier today by Tate (three days after those in the grassroots started demanding answers) admits that:

the ad we are running could have been messaged differently to help avoid any confusion on its intent and to better advertise our issue discussion program. Your invaluable feedback will help us correct this in the future and, as a result, strengthen the effectiveness of our program.

Tate then goes on to ask the hundreds of thousands of grassroots supporters to fall in line with their centralized hierarchy:

I hope you all know that, and can give us here at C4L the benefit of the doubt when a situation arises about which you might want more information, or with which you even might not agree.

Don’t you think someone who actually believes in the message of freedom and responsibility would welcome such feedback so that they could not only build affinity with those that keep C4L afloat but to also change tactics if necessary?

The story just got mentioned on the Huffington Post and a comment left on the Denver Post article to which it links is for me, the epitome of how far C4L has strayed from its founding:

With everyone from Dick Cheney, to Tom Tancredo, to the Campaign for Liberty supporting Ken Buck, it is no wonder he is the only Republican candidate that can unify the GOP base and ensure victory in November. I support Ken Buck!

I do recognize that C4L has helped introduce individuals to the ideas of liberty, at least initially before it was co-opted by those seeking to avoid the “non-interventionist” plank of their mission to cater more to the pro-war right (and their wallets). But no one should get a free pass or be exempt from being held accountable for their actions. And we’re seeing that – the market, in this case those that had previously supported C4L – is responding as some that had previously supported C4L vow not to do so anymore.

The missteps by C4L higher-ups only underscore what politics is – a dirty, morally bankrupt system in which everyone seeks to live at the expense at everyone else. Let’s walk away from that great fiction and instead choose to not try to control other people. For more on this, check out Voluntaryism.

More on the C4L/Buck issue on this very-active thread on Ron Paul Forums.