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The premise of this article is that a Republican is entitled to this seat and a Libertarian has no place challenging the status quo. That kind of arrogant attitude is so contemptuous and antithetical to the American spirit. Quit whining. No one is entitled to an office. It has to be earned.

I agree with this sentiment. I am a die hard Republican, who would never vote for a liberatarian (I just can't go for that legalization of drugs thing), but I also realize that we live in American, and the best thing about that is the ability to vote for who we personally want in office.

In 2000 Bush lost Wisconsin by less of a margin than Buchanan votes. I hate living in a state that didn't vote for Bush, but I don't blame people for voting for whomever they wanted too.

Everybody, this is the stupidest argument in the world!!! Ed Thompson got 10% of the vote because 10% of the voters didn't want either McCallum or Doyle.

This whining sounds as bad as the whining liberals who blame Nader for President Bushs victory.

In the USA we have the right to vote for anybody (even Mickey Mouse if you want), and I for one never ever want that to change.

We complain that the African-Americans, and the Hispanics, and the Jews overwhelmingly vote for the Dems and can't think for themselves, yet we are telling the liberatarians to do the same? Sounds kind of hypocritical to me.

After having said all of that let me remind all of you that may flame away, I am a proud Republican who will probably vote a straight ticket the rest of my life, but only because it is MY choice to do so, not a bunch of people who try and scare me into it.

I personally would rather live in a Country run by Hillary Clinton-like pols for the next 100 years, than live in a Country that doesn't allow me to vote for whom I want.

I never thought about the Blacks and Hispanic sheeple-voting argument (and believe me, I've thought of a lot of arguments).

Very well-reasoned post.

Something else occured to me. I find it funny that Republicans and Conservatives in general claim that Libertarians are whiny losers, pushing an unrealistic view, living in a surreal world, because of the utopian Constitutional ideals they espouse. "Just compromise - it'll never happen!"

Yet when it comes to certain issues for them, such as the WOD or open borders, what do they say? "No way - I can't accept this position. There's no way I'll vote Libertarian."

I'm not ridiculing the viewpoint here. I'm saying that Conservatives would not respond to Libertarian attacks to just abandon their principles on their pet issues. Certainly there are issues on which Conservatives are unwilling to compromise. And I applaud them for it. I may try to convert you or give you reasons why you should change the way you think - but don't compromise what you believe for the sake of an election!

It is indeed hypocritical - and just ridiculous - to blame third parties for Republican or Democrat election losses.

Very well said. Thank you and amen. Let me further add two things.

Third parties have an essential role in American politics in helping to introduce new ideas and stimulate innovative political policy. Look at the big issues now... social security privitization, school choice, medical marijuana among others. These are all issues that the Libertarian Party has favored (if not introduced) for many years, certainly long before they were co-opted by the major parties.

Secondly, third parties often work as a sort of check and balance for the major parties. When Gore lost 'because of those Nader voters', don't you think the Democrats did a little post-vote assessment of their ideas and their responsiveness to voters' concerns? I think that's a good thing. In the same way, if a Republican ever loses a close election because of Libertarian voters, it should cause the Republican party to assess whether it's strayed off course away from it's Constitutional principles.

The major parties can't ignore disaffected voters if they want to win close elections. And if Libertarian voters cost Republicans elections sometimes, well that's just part of the ebb and flow of politics. It will serve as a wake up call for the Republicans to get back to what it is they're supposed to be.