Libertarian Party ranks up 18% in '07

The Washington Times ^ | July 10, 2007 | Elizabeth Miller

[Eric Blair 2084]

Polls show that fewer Americans are calling themselves Republicans or Democrats and the number of Americans unaffiliated with either party has reached an all-time high — good news for Libertarians, say officials of the nation's third-largest party.

The Libertarian Party has had an 18 percent increase in membership since January, said Shane Cory, executive director of the Libertarian National Committee.

More Americans are joining the Libertarian Party because they are "disillusioned with typical party politics and are looking for a change," Mr. Cory said.

"What we're seeing recently is Republicans and Democrats are only interested in maintaining their own power," he said. "You have Republicans standing by their president during this occupation in Iraq while Democrats sit idly by and watch the Republicans self-destruct."

A survey released last month by Rasmussen Reports found that a record share of Americans, 32.9 percent, identified themselves as neither Republican nor Democrat.

The Rasmussen poll — conducted in May with a sample of 15,000 adults — found that the percentage identifying themselves as Republicans (30.8 percent) dropped for the fourth consecutive month, while the percentage of Democrats (36.3 percent) decreased for the third straight month, following trends that began for Republicans in the middle of 2005 and Democrats in January 2006.

Mr. Cory said the number of Americans rejecting the Republican and Democratic parties will continue to grow.

"They're looking for a change and a shift," Mr. Cory said. "They're sick of same old politics as usual and are looking for a viable alternative, and we're that viable alternative."

[Eric Blair 2084]

ping!

"If you analyze it I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism. I think conservatism is really a misnomer just as liberalism is a misnomer for the liberals–if we were back in the days of the Revolution, so-called conservatives today would be the Liberals and the liberals would be the Tories. The basis of conservatism is a desire for less government interference or less centralized authority or more individual freedom and this is a pretty general description also of what libertarianism is. Now, I can’t say that I will agree with all the things that the present group who call themselves Libertarians in the sense of a party say, because I think that like in any political movement there are shades, and there are libertarians who are almost over at the point of wanting no government at all or anarchy. I believe there are legitimate government functions. There is a legitimate need in an orderly society for some government to maintain freedom or we will have tyranny by individuals. The strongest man on the block will run the neighborhood. We have government to insure that we don’t each one of us have to carry a club to defend ourselves. But again, I stand on my statement that I think that libertarianism and conservatism are travelling the same path".

--Ronald Reagan

[xrp]

In before the “libertarians are potheads” remarks.

[Asclepius]

More Americans are joining the Libertarian Party because they are "disillusioned with typical party politics and are looking for a change," Mr. Cory said.

Duh. I will vote Libertarian too if e.g. Mitt Romney secures the GOP nomination

[Mr. Mojo]

"Government is not a solution to our problem, government is the problem." - The Gipper

.....and the electorate agreed.

[Eric Blair 2084]

That was quick! You have to be fast to dodge that bullet.

What’s the over/under on the first “liberaltarian” reference?

[Inquisitive1]

There is a legitimate need in an orderly society for some government to maintain freedom or we will have tyranny by individuals...

Ronnie, I've got 535 tyrannic individuals now...

[The Blitherer]

My biggest problem with Libertarians is that most of those whom I’ve met have no understanding of the party’s ideology other than legalizing marijuana. Of course, these were all 22 year old students living on a college campus.

[mosaicwolf]

Republicans = Mensheviks - Democrats = Bolshevicks. Both are Socialists but use different means.

[doug from upland]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Up 18%, but they never give a real percentage of the electorate. If they started at 1%, wow, they would be up to 1.18%. If libertarians increased by 100%, they would be up to 2%. My hero, Ronald Reagan, the man who fought the Soviets around the world, would never approve of the isolationist Libertarian Party today. I would never trust Ron Paul to defend this nation. There is a reason that the DUmmies have a place in their hearts for Ron Paul.

[Man50D]

Conservatives maybe waking up to the fact that the Increasingly socialist Republican party and the Socialist Democrat party are essentially one party. Conservatives only chance to restore the two party system is to leave the Republican party and join forces with the large number of unaffiliated Conservatives.

[theFIRMbss]

>Libertarian Party ranks up 18% in '07

"Have you seen those kids who joined last week? Short skirts slit to their waists! Shameful!"

[TWohlford]

I think that a third party is more likely this year than in previous years. I think that Bloomberg, along with several RINO GOP Senators will be part of it.

[mysterio]

Republicans spend four years berating, kicking, and throwing stones at the libertarians standing just outside the tent. And then once every couple years, they come out and say "hey, don't forget to vote Republican."

lol.

[LexBaird]

I would never trust Ron Paul to defend this nation.

Well at least he isn't blue, like some (L) candidates.

[dvan]

Food for thought!

[Michael.SF.]

Looks like the unders have it!

[fatnotlazy]

I am a registered Libertarian, although I’m not 100%...I tend to shift back and forth between Republican and Libertarian.

Although Ronald Reagan and a few other Republicans have talked about smaller government and less governmental intrusion into our lives, the fact of the matter is that neither major party — Republican or Democrat — is really interested in reigning in big government. Seems to me that government bloat under both parties has just gotten larger and larger, and of course, more intrusive into our lives. No, I’m not talking about surveillance and all the anti-terror measures. Talking more about the nanny state and how this country is slowly but surely turning into France or Sweden. I don’t want government taking care of me. I can take care of myself, and probably a lot better.

[theFIRMbss]

>Well at least he isn't blue, like some (L) candidates

Doctor Drakken will split the blue vote. (He's my fav libertarian!)

[Eric Blair 2084]

That’s an interesting observation. That’s the same technique that grant junkies use in their bogus studies. They hype the “relative risk or result” as opposed to the “absolute risk or result”.

The headline could read “Cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion increase 100%!” 1 guy self destructed 110 years ago and 2 have done so in the last century.