Meet the "righteous babes" of the Libertarian Party

September 20, 2002 4:00 PM

Meet the "righteous babes" of the Libertarian Party In a welcome sign of new marketing savvy, North Carolina Libertarians have announced the "Ladies of Liberty" calendar. The fundraising, uh, tool features Lib candidates from across the country in patriotic and Vargas girl [probably nsfw] poses, and is the brainchild of the very glamorous state House candidate Rachel Mills. After her company's scandalous accounting caused Playboy to come knocking, Mills decided against using naked erotica as a campaign strategy, opting instead for a semi-clothed version. Don't get too excited, though; fellow state House candidate Jennifer Medlock says all of the women wear at least lingerie. She herself stops at a modest tank top, shorts and boxing gloves.
posted by mediareport (27 comments total)

Colorado Libertarians apparently came up with the idea first.
posted by mediareport at 4:02 PM on September 20, 2002

Far-righteous babes?

(sorry. still under the influence of the pirate thread... Arrrrrr.)
posted by wendell at 4:08 PM on September 20, 2002

hmm. Dave Winer's favorite political crusader, Tara Grub is a libertarian candidate in NC. I see "Tara" included in the list of calendar subject names.

eek.
posted by mathowie at 4:10 PM on September 20, 2002

Come on, are you trying to tell me that those libertarian hags have anything on Kirsten Andersen, conservative hottie?
posted by oissubke at 4:20 PM on September 20, 2002

I, for one, welcome our new Lingerie Libertarian overlords.

I can't wait for the first naked beautiful bodies to show up in Republican and Democrat ads. Oh, and btw, I put this post together for my brand new weblog this morning.

(Why, yes, as a matter of fact I *am* teaching myself to put up a site in the year 2002.)
posted by mediareport at 4:26 PM on September 20, 2002

Eek? Whatever do you mean? Judging from the pic on Ms. Grub's site, she looks like she could easily hold her own against beauties of all political persuasions.
posted by skoosh at 5:00 PM on September 20, 2002

But where are the naked Canadian politicians?
posted by monkeymike at 5:09 PM on September 20, 2002

Good to know that all parties of the political spectrum finally come down to what Larry Flynt had long before understood as a basic marketing appeal.
posted by Postroad at 5:19 PM on September 20, 2002

I was going to get rid of my political party label when I re-registered to vote this fall. Nice to see sex sells more that just merchandise.
Now if that's what I get to party with, the babes, well label away.
Who has the pretzels for the beer I brought to the party?
posted by thomcatspike at 5:24 PM on September 20, 2002

by eek I just mean surprise at seeing her take part. It's not a bad thing or a good thing, just a surprising thing to me.
posted by mathowie at 5:31 PM on September 20, 2002

Hey, sex sells. The Republicans seemed to have figured this out already. I remeber just about every night on Politically Incorrect, one of the guests would invariably be a leggy, blond, conservative chick.
posted by gyc at 6:14 PM on September 20, 2002

Textad that appeared right beside this thread on first load:
"The Lobotomy Club: Beautiful women & their surgically altered brains."
posted by brownpau at 7:01 PM on September 20, 2002

i don't want to seem surly, but do these people realise that "models" tend to be younger than they are? also, that while some of those people are quite attractive, they're not exactly the ultimate one percentile "super-perfect"/"anorexic but with breasts" paragons of beauty that normally adorn "artistic" calendars.

i guess the answer must be "yes", that "obviously" they're just doing for "fun" and to "raise awareness". but if that's the case, then why is there so little irony in all the photos? if you're not following me, compare it with this.

i don't for a minute want to suggest that they shouldn't do this - i'm neither young nor beautiful myself. i just can't imagine taking myself that seriously unless i really thought i was the equivalent of some hollywood heartthrob. maybe it's just too subtle for me? (ps. sorry, i just used up all the scare quotes for this and the next dozen threads).
posted by andrew cooke at 7:31 PM on September 20, 2002

Quoth andrew cooke:
i guess the answer must be "yes", that "obviously" they're just doing for "fun" and to "raise awareness". but if that's the case, then why is there so little irony in all the photos?

Didn't you know that irony is dead?
posted by plemeljr at 7:47 PM on September 20, 2002

nope
posted by andrew cooke at 8:12 PM on September 20, 2002

andrew, I think that older women are sexy. They often have an allure that younger women seem to lack. I'm sure that I'm not alone in my feelings, either. What I think these ladies are trying to say is that they are "normal" people just like you or I. Except that they are women, unlike you or I, but you know what I mean.
posted by ashbury at 8:15 PM on September 20, 2002

argh. you completely misunderstood what i was trying to say. i agree that one of the great things about getting older is that more and more women look sexy - no problems there. it's just that in those the links the photos seemed to be trying too hard. for me, there's a difference between being happy with yourself and thinking you're on baywatch - i'm wondering whether these people are aware of that difference. (i'm also aware that maybe it says more about me than them - i'm trying to tread as lightly as possible here).
posted by andrew cooke at 8:37 PM on September 20, 2002

The Republicans seemed to have figured this out already. I remember just about every night on Politically Incorrect, one of the guests would invariably be a leggy, blond, conservative chick.

Missed that party. What channel? canceled....but where in with flin now.
posted by thomcatspike at 9:15 PM on September 20, 2002

The Republicans seemed to have figured this out already. I remember just about every night on Politically Incorrect, one of the guests would invariably be a leggy, blond, conservative chick.

Either that or this leggy, blonde, conservative chick just kept coming back.
posted by oissubke at 9:37 PM on September 20, 2002

monkeymike: "naked Canadian politicians"
posted by todd at 9:56 PM on September 20, 2002

FWIW, Jennifer Medlock's Campaign Weblog.
posted by Hankins at 10:29 PM on September 20, 2002

I saw Rachel Mills on Crossfire the other night, and I gotta tell you, she did not come across very well. Maybe she was just nervous or not prepared for the questions, but read the first two lines in this transcript.

Sounds a little like a high school student running for class president.
posted by pitchblende at 11:05 PM on September 20, 2002

"I think it's a really cute idea," said Medlock, 28, of High Point. She is not concerned that voters won't take her seriously in her race against Republican Steve Wood.

"Because after all, they weren't going to take me seriously in the first place, given that I'm running on the Wacko Party line...."
posted by geneablogy at 1:42 AM on September 21, 2002

What is it with political candidates using sex to sell themselves? It's really distressing. Really.
posted by owillis at 7:41 AM on September 21, 2002

andrew cooke: for me, there's a difference between being happy with yourself and thinking you're on baywatch

How about just thinking that you're a lot better looking than average? Or even, a lot better looking than the average female politician? These girls aren't competing with the Baywatch girls for anything.
posted by bingo at 11:47 AM on September 21, 2002

First the budget crisis, then the whole Miss North Carolina mess and now this. North Carolina must realy look good to the rest of the country right about now! (sarcastic grin)
posted by jasonbondshow at 1:06 PM on September 21, 2002

Well, jasonbondshow, in the Old North State's defense, we're not exactly the only ones in a budget crisis. We are the only one that took back its Miss _X_ crown on the word of an abusive ex-boyfriend, though, you've got that right.
posted by mediareport at 3:04 PM on September 21, 2002