Posted on 12/12/2001 12:57:13 PM PST by Timesink
THIRD WHEEL: My friend Nick Schulz of TechCentral Station marks the 30th anniversary of the Libertarian Party with a call for the party to "grow up." As a small-l libertarian who occasionally votes Libertarian, I'd rather the party just go away. As satisfying as it may be to cast a protest vote, they're bad for the cause. Their 30th-anniversary press release eliminates any ambivalence I might feel. It's not enough that the party's rules have defined "libertarian" to exclude every major libertarian thinker except Murray Rothbard (who was really an anarchist) and that they have a foreign policy that amounts to defending America on the beaches of Santa Monica. They also have to spin their way through their celebratory press release, desperately claiming credit for trends they played little or no part in. That spin operation pretty much proves that they are, indeed, just what they claim: an honest-to-God political party. The most ridiculous paragraph details this supposed accomplishment: "Started to win over America's celebrities." Best of all, they had Bill Maher on the list this morning, but they've taken him down. P.S. All you pissed-off LPers, do not call Reason and try to get me fired. It wouldn't work, and I've already quit. [Posted 12/11.] Over the past decade, public figures including movie star Clint Eastwood, humorist Dave Barry, comedian Dennis Miller, actor Kurt Russell, magician Penn Jillette, author Camille Paglia, TV reporter John Stossell, author P.J. O'Rourke, Rush guitarist Neil Peart, country star Dwight Yoakam, and former 20/20 newsman Hugh Downs have all described themselves as "libertarian."
The LP didn't "win over" these celebrities. Calling yourself "libertarian" is no more partisan than calling yourself "republican" or "democratic." Clint Eastwood is a former Republican mayor. P.J. O'Rourke calls himself a Republican Party Reptile. Camille Paglia is a self-proclaimed Democrat who voted for Ralph Nader and who heaps patented Paglia-style scorn on the LP. John Stossel spells his name with one l. If they knew him, they'd know that.
Until now, most Americans have been forced to watch our country and its culture drift further and further to the left. Not knowing the true reasons for this degeneration, we have felt helpless to stop it. We have wasted our time and our money supporting political candidates who have cynically sold us false promises about their ability to restore true American values. Now, after years of investigation and with precious little time to spare, DAVID HOROWITZ has finally found the ACTUAL SOURCE of this foul tide. Armed with irrefutable proof, he has exposed the CONSERVATIVE HOLOCAUST that has until now been secreted behind the tall, ivy-covered walls of academia.
Libertarians, I personally urge you to support Mr. Horowitz's campaign in every way possible. Forget the politicians. Instead, speak to your neighbors. Form committees. Demand to see what is actually written in the textbooks given to our kids. Write letters demanding protection for conservative students and faculty. Show up at David's campaign stops. Finally, and most importantly, I urge you to immediately send David as much money as you possibly can to save our conservative values from extinction. And please, DIG DEEP because this is no time for half measures.
With David's leadership, we can and we will DEFEAT INTELLECTUAL TERRORISM and save our country from the evils of FULL BLOWN SOCIALISM.
LET'S ROLL!
In my view, libertarians should integrate themselves into the Republican Party in order to have a say in the future direction of the country.
I guarantee you that most Americans have absolutely no idea about the LP view on defense. None. They do know that they are liberal in the are of drug posession/use.
You are looking at it from the inside around, and not from the outside in. Try changing your position and you'll see that I am right.
I believe that would be a bad idea.Republicans, despite all of their protests to the contrary, are still only a lighter shade of liberal. Government is entirely too large and the Republicans have not been willing or able to reduce it to reasonable levels.I believe libertarian minded people need a party of their own.
LP PR agent gets an F for this travesty.
LP PR agent gets an F for this travesty.
OTOH, the continued and utter marginality of the LP does cause one to wonder whether the ideology of libertarianism can have any widespread practical application at all.
From what I've seen here at FR, application of libertarianism requires that people agree that the underlying moral principles are "self-evident." Unfortunately, many people do not agree with them. Confronted with this situation, libertarians are quite simply stuck: how does one prove that something is "self-evident," to a person who does not agree?
I think another major difficulty is rooted in the fact that big-L Libertarians tend to insist on all-or-nothing results. (I recall many looonnnnngggg threads that proved the point.) Any disagreement is met with charges of "statism" or worse.
LP PR agent gets an F for this travesty.
LOL! Obviously, no Rush fans in the LP...
BUMP
While I mostly agree with libertarian domestic policies the above mentioned foriegn policy is where we depart company.
Is that some sort of half assed strategy?
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