POST SCRIPTS

I share in your admiration of these idealistic souls, you certainly can't fault them for their patriotic spirit and dedication. I have a certain Libertarian bent myself, especially with respect to lower taxes and less government, and I share their patriotic fervor. Now, here comes the but:

You said, "Every LP candidate I spoke to, said they realized they would likely not gather more than 3% or 4% of the vote, but the message they carried into this election, even though in the face of certain defeat, made their sacrifices all worthwhile."

This is a pretend party. They might as well be children playing at politics for all the power they wield. The ability to influence remains constant regardless of party affiliation but participation in a party that can win and write law makes that influence measurable and significant. It is substantive.

Looking at the LB platform it's easy to see why they are in such conflict. Their views don't fit in either party easily. Socially they are more aligned with democrats; fiscally they are more aligned with republicans. It's a problem. But what good is their "sacrifice" when it doesn't yield anything?

These folks may be doomed to sit on the sidelines letting only words and gestures mark their level of participation...to heck with voting. As for me I'd love to see some of them join the conservative movement to help us move the Republican Party in a fiscally more libertarian direction, but I won't hold my breath, they seem to have dug in their heels.

Greetings Jack, Thank you for your very well written report covering our very first Freedom Fest. I really enjoyed conversing with you yesterday and I value your insight. I look forward to seeing you again soon.

Sincerely yours,

Steven Wood
Libertarian Party, Butte County

Not too long back a small movement of ideologs called "United We Stand" published a number of points to reflect their platform. After their fade from the political landscape, those points showed up once again, this time in the powerful Republican party and this helped the GOP sweep the election.

The Libertarians know only too well, they are outgunned and outnumbered in a great political battle, but they believe their struggle will influence others to a higher leve of play, even though they may never receive the credit nor recognition they deserve.

Remember Thermopylae, the Spartans fought against overwhelming odds and certain defeat at the battle of Thermopylae. Their noble sacrifice became the inspiration for thousands of generations that followed, in thousands of just causes that might have otherwise been lost. Without that individual identity of being "Spartans" the significance might have been less remarkable.

I see the libertarian party becoming a major party. More and more people are tired of the same old, same old of the GOP and DNC. I for one am sick of the GOP being in power and not living up to the values the GOP is based on. I have been a republican long before I was old enough to vote and I hate to think about jumping ship but my party really isn't what it should be.
I want a party that doesn't think the constitution is a "living, breathing document." I want a party that protect's all my constitutional right's equally without twisting and misrepresenting it's meaning. I want a party made up of people who stand by the issues and values they used to get elected. Our Country is in a quagmire right here at home. We have an out of control immigration problem, neither the GOP nor the DNC want to deal with it. We have an out of control welfare problem, neither party will deal with it. We have a totally out of control and massively under performing educational system, they won't deal with. We need a justice system based on equal justice for all not just some. The list is huge and growing all the time.
As I see it, there are two choices. We can stay on the same path waiting for the inevitable destruction of our Country and our way of life, that's the easy thing to do. Or, we can do the hard thing, make the hard choices and save our Country by getting back to fundamentals. We need elected officials who care more about doing the right thing and not about getting reelected. Being an elected official should be hard work, not a vacation funded by taxpayers.
It isn't to late but if we wait much longer, the ever growing number of slackers/freeloaders will make change impossible.

Jack, Well put but I still don't get the sacrifice. They can "struggle" within either of the two parties, and with the same level of influence, without throwing away their vote for a 3% meaningless showing. They are of course free to do it, I just don't get the value in it.

If I say I'm for legalizing drugs does it carry more weight if I also say I'm Libertarian? I doubt it. If "the message makes it all worth while" I say again, what's the point of throwing away your vote?

Tina I will leave that up to a Libertarian to explain..lol However, I kinda think they feel they are not throwing away their vote.

Why don’t the libertarians join up with the Republican Party? It’s a good question because the libertarians do share a lot of the same beliefs that conservative candidates profess like fiscal responsibility, etc. In years past, many of us voted for Republicans and were Republicans because there were some leaders like Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan whose deeds matched their words,. More recently, a few who I felt had political integrity were John Kasich, Newt Gingrich and Rick Keene. But now, out of the members of Congress and our state legislature, how many can you name who actions really support the conservative promises some of them make.

A libertarian puts a very high value on freedom, justice and integrity. The Libertarian Party is a political way of helping protect those values. Some may say the Libertarians are a “pretend� party. On the contrary, it’s a very real party with very real principals and values that don’t change with the twists and turns of political correctness or political expediency.

One reason we don’t get a high percentage of votes many times is because we don’t compromise our principals to get elected or to raise more money to get elected. I submit to you that it is better to vote for a politician with integrity than vote to for a one who says one thing and then does another. Which vote is “wasted�? In the last presidential election, everyone knew that all of California’s electoral votes would go to Kerry. Wasn’t a vote for George Bush a just “wasted�? At least, those who voted for the Libertarian, Michael Badnarik, were making a statement of principle.

As Toby put it in a response to your blog:“ ... there are two choices. We can stay on the same path waiting for the inevitable destruction of our Country and our way of life, that's the easy thing to do. Or, we can do the hard thing, make the hard choices and save our Country by getting back to fundamentals.�

As an American president once said “I would rather fail in a cause that will someday triumph - than triumph in a cause that will someday fail. “

-Mike Wacker, a proud member of the Butte County Libertarian Party

Mike that was a response that obviously came from the heart and it made a lot of sense.

I thank Tina for posing the question and you for answering it in a way that could only have come from a Libertarian who knows their party well. I hope a lot of folks get a chance to read this thread and in particular your comments.

FYI...I think you may have a good Libertarian prospect in the making with one of our regulars....Toby. ; )

Mike, I really want to thank you for taking the time to reply to my comments. I agree with Jack that your words obviously came from the heart. I admire and agree with so much of what you stand for. My choice is to remain in a "flawed" party pressing for those treasured ideals to be realized through the passage of legislation. The Republican party is flawed, as all parties are, because it is made up of human beings. The Libertarian Party, having never been in a position of power, having never had to play the difficult game in Congress, has never really been tested. It's easy to hold on to principled ideals for the sake of those ideals alone; it is quite different to hold on to them as you fight to pass legislation with others. I'd say that people who feel as strongly as you would do better to put their efforts into education where hearts and minds are shaped and formed and sometimes, if you are really good, even changed. Politics is a game of compromise because people disagree. The system was designed purposely to make it very difficult to reach consensus. Our current problems stem from a failure of the people to remain diligent and to educate, especially in the area of American history and our political system.

The choice we always get to make is to vote for the candidate that best matches our own ideals and goals. Only on very rare occasions does a candidate that makes it to office satisfy our expectations. Most will disappoint in some way or another. In this respect a vote for someone who has a chance of winning is the non-wasted vote. An elected Libertarian would have very limited power in Congress...what fellow congressmen would a Libertarian work with to effect legislation? The answer is none, he would be forced to work with Dems and Reps.

A vote for Bush in California was not wasted only as a matter of vote count in the "popular vote" tally, which also makes a "statement". Those of us that remain in California despite the left movement in the state have a hard row to hoe, it's true. That's why the Republicans could use a bunch of hard liners such as yourselves to press the party in the direction we'd both like to see it go. As I said before, we can communicate our ideals as members of any party.

Re: "there are two choices. We can stay on the same path waiting for the inevitable destruction of our Country and our way of life, that's the easy thing to do. Or, we can do the hard thing, make the hard choices and save our Country by getting back to fundamentals.�

How about this...I don't consider the Republican Party as the "same course to destruction" party that you seem to think it is. Is it slow going? Yes. Is it frustrating? Yes. Is it hard to hang in and fight? Yes. It is very hard to be a Republican and fight for my principles and ideals. The easier choice is to stand in the corner of a meeting or office supporting a candidate that ultimately won't have a voice. I honestly don't mean to insult anyone. The point is, where is the power to effect the change you desire?

Re: "As an American president once said 'I would rather fail in a cause that will someday triumph - than triumph in a cause that will someday fail.'"

I'd like to know the context of this quote if you know it. If "the cause" is preserving the values that make America great, if it is returning America to the principles that first guided the founders, you need to vote for the best candidate that can win...AND, you need to find a way to teach about those principles and ideals, spreading the word so to speak. I have no intention of letting this nation and our remarkable system of government fail...and like Ronald Reagan, I choose to have faith in the people and remain positive as I exercise my free speech rights...and as I vote.

Thanks again for responding. I appreciate the chance to debate the issue and wish you and your party members only the best. We are all Americans, and it's my privilege to honor your choice.

No, I do not think I am ready to jump ship yet.