Dear Mike,
Thanks once again for your efforts. I agree with you that if we
Libertarians wish to reach an audience outside our own "choir" we do
need to start paying attention to how we promote our ideas. I would
like to again offer my example from "real life." My my daughter and
her friends would not be caught dead participating in any Libertarian
event or cause. The reason for their aversion is exactly as you
describe. As my daughter often states "Libertarians and their cruel
and heartless messages are totally not cool." If I may also offer a
suggestion. Your e-mail on being careful with how we state our
messages used the phrase "fight the government." I know what it is
you mean, but a young person like my daughter would be scared off
instantly by those words. The "government" is not the enemy to 90%
of voters out there; the "government" is "us", shaped and modified by
our vote.
Regards,
Marcy
I wonder if most people even now about the Libertarian stance on social issues. I think the only thing they typically know about us is that we want smaller government and assume this is because we want less taxes because we are greedy. Perhaps in heavily Democratic areas, we would be better off stressing our social positions (drug legalization, gay rights, civil liberties, anti-war) as this is actually something that many people don't already know.
-- Steve
Unfortunately, Steve, the state party is going in 180 degrees of what you're
proposing. They're pushing the economic side of our agenda to recruit from
the Republicans and trying to minimize publicity around the "fringe" issues
like drug legalization and gay rights. You're very correct, that we in San
Francisco should concentrate on these issues that resonate better in our
little 50 square mile leftist enclave, but we can't do that very well if we
keep having Ned Roscoe types shoved down our throats by the state ExCom.
Until San Francisco can muster as many delegates at state conventions as
Orange County and the Central Valley, we'll keep seeing our state party moving
rightward, with the rest of the country.
According to this article from 2001:
http://www.nctimes.net/news/2001/20010505/71757.html
45.6% of registered CA voters are Democrats while only 34.8% are Republicans.
And looking at the recall map:
http://us.news2.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/net/20031009/capt.apdivided.jpg
I would guess that Democrats are in the majority in much of coastal Northern California and LA. Given this, it appears that the approach of the state party is targeted at California's rural community. I wonder if they realize this.
-- Steve
Steve,
Good point! I agree.
Dave
--- Steve Dekorte <steve@...> wrote: