I've heard this argument several times, but never put quite so well. Comments?
His major points seem to be:
1. Make false promises to get money to buy advertising to get into office.
It seems to me that the false promises are to the people, not the organizations giving money. I suspect the later tend to remember what they paid for and not give more unless they got what they wanted. And if you want to trade support for anti-libertarian legislation for cash, then what's point of having an LP at all?
2. Drop the drug legalization position.
The medicinal marijuana legalization in a number of states seems to me to indicate that the US is actually ready for drug legalization. And if so, this may be one of the LP's best ways to gain support.
If I were in a position to market the party, the messages I would be broadcasting are: legalize pot, equal rights for gays/lesbians, end corporate subsidies, and free trade - in that order.
-- Steve
I agree with the description of the quandry we are in. Irrelevance or hypocracy.
> The best way for Libertarian candidates to get in a position to obtain a high elected office in our current system would be to climb inside a "Trojan Horse" of sorts and infiltrate one of the major parties. As long as most Libertarians refuse to do this based on "principle," they'll remain as consistently overlooked as a rice cake in Ted Kennedy's pantry.
The problem here is that one has to be hypocritical to "do whatever it takes" to get into office. What then stops such a person from using that office for their own personal benefit? They obviously aren't stopping themselves based on principle -- if they did, they wouldn't have been able to "do whatever it takes." So then, if any LP party member got into a big office through the power and money schemes that be, I wouldn't want them there! I wouldn't trust them!
The LP isn't currently anywhere near becoming a major party. A lot of cultural shift would need to occur first. Maybe the police state happens first, and then the revolt, and then anarchy. Who knows. But I like the LP nonetheless. They help spread the ideals around, along with prominent authors, and proselytize the ideals within the community, slowly shifting cultural viewpoints.
-Mike
Rob Power wrote: