Stumble It!
Nov 07 2008
Libertarians and National Office
The saying “all politics is local” could not be more true than with the Libertarian Party. It is, by definition, solely focused on the rights of the individual, with the lofty yet admirable goal of “a world set free in our lifetime “. Yet it’s very principles and party platform are what keep the Libertarian Party from ever being a viable or effective national player, specifically in the Senate or the White House.
In 2008, our Federal government is simply too far-reaching and expansive to operate under the tenets of the Libertarian platform, which can, and should, be read here. Right or wrong, the US government is involved in every corner of the world; in some cases to a very successful degree, in others it has been tragic, and the consequences of our involvement are yet to be known. American Isolationism is simply impossible at this point in our country’s evolution as we rely on too many foreign entities for our economic, military, and energy securities. We operate in and with too many countries to secure goods and services, and while shutting down and hitting the reset button until we get our shit together sounds great- it’s a bit too pie-in-the-sky for reality.
Our Federal government is responsible for education, Medicare, Social Security, management of catastrophic ememrgencies, both foreign and domestic, humanitarian aid…and those are just the good aspects. There are also far too many instances where the Federal government has intervened with basic civil and human rights to impose the fad of the day. While reprehensible, we can organize and vote, lobby and communicate with our Representatives, and come together as one voice to be heard.
One of the core principles of the Libertarian Party is State’s Rights. This is why Libertarians make wonderful local and state officials, and would make tremendous Supreme Court Justices. However, our country is much too big for the principles of the Libertarian Party to effectively manage our Federal government. Were we able to go back in time, and set forth those principles during the inception of the US, we may have had a chance, but that would require nothing bad ever happening to us ever-specifically stock market crashes. Frankly, that is a pipe dream considering the Libertarian stance on a completely free and unregulated market.
I guess what I’m saying is, if you have the chance to elect Libertarians at a local level, do so. They’re the smart wing of the Republican Party, and will generally stay the hell out of your life. Key postitions for Libertarians on local or state levels would be: Attorney General, Secretary of State, Comptroller, Governor, Mayor, State Legislator/Representative, and Judgeships. Get involved, back a candidate, and work to help them make a difference in your community.
Agree and disagree with different points here. The libertarian party would be best served by focusing on candidates on a more local level before attempting bids at the White House (especially without representation in debates and whatnot). However this being said I think that the libertarian philosophy is one that is shared with a lot of Americans.
You point to isolationism as a fault of the libertarian party. While total isolationism isn’t possible in the global economy we live in (I just heard a great piece on NPR about how elementary school’s in Wisconsin have lost millions of dollars from investments in a failing bank in Ireland), I think that a lot of Americans would like to see tighter restrictions on trade and commerce with other countries so that companies like WAL-MART aren’t allowed to continue to singlehandedly shrink our economy. While this was a hot topic when Barack and Hilary were doing their debates, this isn’t something I hear a lot of democrats talking about right now.
Perhaps the platform is too far-reaching to be plausible, but it represents a voice that needs to be heard. If a libertarian candidate ever did take the White House there would likely be some drastic changes, but America I believe would be better off for it afterwards.
I see the Obama presidency not so much as a shift from red to blue in America as one of the last chances for the democrats. Americans will be watching closely to see what they accomplish. If it isn’t enough, and if the Republican Party remains split, then there could be some wiggle room for a new party, and given a fair shot the Libertarian Party would have to be one of the front-runners.
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing and expecting different results. Perhaps our country will make the connection between red and blue sometime soon.
I Would basically agree with the above comment and say that government should be as small as is practical in the global arena.
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