Art Olivier

Template:Short description Template:BLP sources Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox officeholder Arthur C. Olivier (born August 24, 1957) is an American politician who was the Libertarian candidate for Vice President of the United States in the 2000 U.S. presidential election as the running mate of presidential candidate Harry Browne.<ref name="minuteman">Doherty, Brian (August 22, 2006) "Minuteman ?s Libertarian Party Candidate", Reason. Retrieved January 18, 2024.</ref>

Olivier later unsuccessfully ran in the 2024 Libertarian Party presidential primaries for the party's presidential nomination.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>"2000 VP Nominee, Art Olivier, Seeks 2024 Libertarian Party Presidential Nomination" Californer.com.</ref> Olivier served as a councilman (1994–1997), mayor pro tempore (1997–1998) and mayor (1998–1999) of Bellflower, California, a Los Angeles suburb with 77,000 residents. During his five years on the Bellflower City Council (1994–1999), Olivier privatized the city's tree trimming, crossing guards, street sweeping and building department. He eliminated the city's lighting tax assessment and did not allow eminent domain to be exercised while on the council.

A graduate of Cerritos College with a degree in Design Technology, Olivier is a realtor with Cogburn Realty.

Views

During the campaign for vice president, Olivier advocated smaller government, "We have to reduce the size of the federal government back to the size of its constitutional limits."<ref>The Herald Bulletin, Madison County, Indiana 8-20-2000</ref> Critical of the U.S. foreign policy of interventionism,<ref>Template:Cite news/</ref> Template:Unreliable source? he said he would like the government to return U.S. troops from abroad<ref>The Tampa FL Tribune 10-7-2000</ref> and make the Department of Defense get back to defending us, and not be a Department of Offense that bombs little countries."<ref>The Indianapolis Star 8-21-2000</ref> "I don't believe we should be the world's policeman."<ref>Santa Maria CA Times 10-25-2000</ref> He believes that U.S. foreign policy should be governed by an avoidance of “entangling alliances."<ref>Los Angeles Times 7-4-2000</ref> "The conflicts this country has entered into cause others to look badly upon America."<ref>Aspen Daily News 9-11-2000</ref>

Olivier ran uncontested for governor in the 2006 Libertarian primary. He received 114,329 votes (1.3%) in his loss to incumbent Arnold Schwarzenegger in the general election.<ref name="minuteman"/><ref>“CA 2006 General Election: Governor” Template:Webarchive, Office of the Secretary of State of California.</ref> Olivier criticized Governor Schwarzenegger for passing a budget that was “30% larger than the one that got Governor Gray Davis recalled just three years ago.”<ref>CBS13.com Voter Guide: Comparison, 2006.</ref> Olivier's main earned media was talk radio, advertising his opposition to illegal immigration. Olivier favored having the government build a wall on the border and cut off all tax-funded programs to illegal immigrants.<ref name="minuteman"/><ref>“Art Olivier, Libertarian candidate for governor, stops by” Template:Webarchive, Orange County Register blog.</ref>

Campaigns

2000 Libertarian vice presidential nominee

On July 4, 2000, Olivier was chosen as the Libertarian Party's vice presidential nominee for the 2000 Presidential Election. He beat Steve Kubby on the second ballot. He ran with Harry Browne.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> They got 5th place and 384,431 votes.

2006 California gubernatorial campaign

In the 2006 California gubernatorial election, Olivier ran against Arnold Schwarzenegger and Phil Angelides. He said he appeared on more talk radio shows than all other candidates combined.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Olivier finished in 4th place. He got around 1% of the vote.

2024 Libertarian presidential campaign

Olivier ran for president in the 2024 Libertarian Party primaries. He earned 5 votes in the primaries.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In the first round of voting in the 2024 Libertarian National Convention, Olivier got 4 delegate votes. He was eliminated in the first round. The nomination eventually went to Chase Oliver.<ref>Template:Cite AV media</ref>

Operation Terror

Olivier is supportive of the 9/11 truth movement.<ref>Template:Cite web Template:Unreliable source?</ref> In 2012, he wrote and produced the thriller film Operation Terror, which depicted a fictionalized version of the September 11 attacks in New York City, 2001. The movie's plot centered on a group of American government insiders that organized and assembled a group of people to attack the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. In writing Operation Terror, Olivier used dialogue taken from transcripts of the investigation by the 9/11 Commission and based the film's characters on real-life players in the 9/11 attack.

The film premiered on September 11, 2012, in Los Angeles, and received the Honorable Mention Award at the International Film Festival for Peace, Inspiration and Equality and won the Genre Film: Thriller award at the International Movie Awards. The film's director, Paul Cross, was also nominated for Best Director at the Fajr International Film Festival.<ref name="Fajr Fest English">Template:Cite web</ref>