Chronicles in Futility: Libertarians Turn 37
Posted by Adam Graham in : PoliticsBetsy Russell notes, “The Libertarian Party is celebrating its 37th birthday today, having been founded on Dec. 11, 1971, and ranking as America’s third-largest political party. ”
37 years is a long time and other than the fact that their candidates have siphoned enough votes from disgruntled voters to change the course of a few elections and force a couple runoffs, one has to wonder what the Libertarians have to show for their efforts. Their best Presidential year was 28 years ago when Ed Clark got 1% running as a low tax liberal.
While I think many states need to open up their ballot access laws, I don’t think the Libertarian Party can blame its failure on ballot access. Every election its Presidential Candidate is on nearly every state’s ballot with one or two exceptions.
It seems to me, that the issue is the quality of candidates put forward and if talented libertarians want to affect actual policy changes they join one of the two major parties and run for office with them. The people who are left in the Libertarian Party tend to be people who were washouts in the Major Party system, or who so ideologically rigid they can’t deal with any disagreements.
The nomination of Barr this year was a defeat for the pro-Child Pornography/Child Prostitution wing of the party, which is good. What’s bad is that there is a pro-Child Pornography wing of the Party. The level to which extremism still plays a role in that party is pretty alarming.
37 years is quite an accomplishment. It requires great determination for a third political party to make it that long. However, after 37 years of futility, you may want to examine your party model. Also, I dare say that ballot access laws, while not perfect, can’t be faulted as too unfair considering that these laws allow a party that hasn’t received 1% of the vote in 28 years to continue to appear on nearly every American ballot. The Libertarians are great at getting access to the ballot, now they have to figure out why Americans keep rejecting their candidates.
UPDATE:
Appropriate music video for the Libertarian Party added:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46bkXgxb66E[/youtube]
Comment by Char-Lez Braden
Adam, as a Libertarian, alibet a new one, I will respond to three points in your post.
First, the issue of ballot access is a smoke screen. I do not know any contemporary Libertarians who are saying that ballot access is the reason for our lackluster success.
Second, the point on extremism is, I believe, a major weakness and strength of the party. It is a weakness only in the rare examples such as the so called “wing” of the Libertarian party that is pro child-porn. There is no such “wing”, but there are some who are both Libertarian and nuts, just as there are some who are Republican and nuts and Democrat and nuts. You don’t judge a party by its fringe elements, and the only reason such elements would be put forth is because there is no solid attack on the middle.
The Libertarian party is far closer to an uncompromised philosophy that either major party. It is easier to articulate our ideas because we have far fewer exceptions and contradictions. I believe our major failure has been in presenting our ideas in terms the American voter can relate too.
Third, as to what we have accomplished, I, of course, stand on the shoulders of giants as I am new to the party so I can only claim an adopted heritage of success, but it is success none the less. The Libertarian party has more elected officials, and more appointed officials, than any other third party. The Presidency is not the only race with meaning. Indeed, far more of us are likely to interface with local level officials than national ones.
More importantly, the major parties take new ideas from the third parties and push them with their numbers. And that’s a great moral victory for any third party. The Libertarian party has had more success getting these ideas in front of people who can run with them than any other.
If you think “…[siphoning] enough votes from disgruntled voters to change the course of a few elections and force a couple runoffs…” is not a tangible and useful effect, then you’re missing the obvious. Those people in the runoffs cannot afford to just ignore how they got there.
37 years of being true to ourselves is what we’ve accomplished.
37 years of political influence far beyond our actual numbers is what we’ve accomplished.
37 consecutive years of growth is what we’ve accomplished.
Can either major party say the same?
Comment by Adam Graham
First of all the 2004 platform was pro-child pornography and a pro-child porn candidate was 1st runner up at the Libertarian Convention in 2008. You can’t say that of Republican and Democratic “crazies.”
I quote Mary Ruwart who made it through, I believe it was 5 rounds of balloting and was the leading candidate after the 5th ballot. She finished 2nd to Bob Barr on the 6th ballot. She received 44% of the vote of delgates to the Libertarian National Convention. Ms. Ruwart said, “Children who willingly participate in sexual acts have the right to make that decision as well, even if it’s distasteful to us personally. Some children will make for choice is just as some adults do in smoking and drinking to excess; this is part of life. What we outlaw child pornography, if the prices paid for child performers rise, increasing the incentives for parents to use children against their will.” And the 2004 Libertarian Party Platform stated, “We call for the repeal of all laws that restrict anyone, including children, from engaging in voluntary exchanges of goods, services or information regarding human sexuality, reproduction, birth control or related medical or biological technologies.”
Char-lez, this is the history and reality of the Libertarian Party and it’s not just a few fringe nuts.
When it comes to runoffs only a few states have them.
Could you name the ideas the Libertarian Party advocates that have been co-opted by Major Parties? Co-option is a great Third Party goal, Ross Perot saw that happen after 1992. In the history of the Libertarian Party, government has grown more expansive and more oppressive and more out of control.
Finally, as to the issue of growth, with the exception of 1980, the Libertarian Party has hovered at 0.25-0.50% in Presidential elections. They’ve won no Senate seats, no House seats, no Governorship, and few State Legislative seats.
The LP is an illustration of Einstein’s definition of insanity. Trying the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result.
Comment by Char-Lez Braden
Adam,
By your chosen definition you’ve confirmed the sanity of the Libertairan party.
Taking the issue of child pornography that you’ve raised, and seeing that the current platform holds no such planks, it is clear that the party is adapting, and thus not trying the same thing over and over, and thus not insane.
Char-Lez
Comment by Adam Graham
Their adoption of the child porn plan was fairly recent and therefore can’t be blamed for the past 37 years of futility.
Secondly, the party as a whole changed, by their’s a strong anarcho-Capitalist wing that wants to bring that back. When you’re fighti the child porn battle within the party, you’ve got little chance of becoming successful ever…
Comment by Char-Lez Braden
Picked up 27 new seats in last November.