Howell at the Moon
columnist: John Wingspread Howell

Topic: Politics
A Libertarian Party Majority in a Generation

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If you are a card-carrying Libertarian party member, this is for you. The LP can be a majority party within a generation. This column is a brief summary of the strategy that will accomplish this goal.

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by John Wingspread Howell
(libertarian)

If you are a card-carrying Libertarian party member, this is for you. The LP can be a majority party within a generation. This column is a brief summary of the strategy that will accomplish this goal.

1. If you don't believe the LP CAN be at least the second largest party in Congress within a generation, leave now. We love you, but if you don't believe we can succeed politically, we need you out of the party. One of the reasons we lose is that we don't believe we can win. We can blame the lack of ballot access and be content to be the victims. The first pre-requisite for victory, whether in sports, politics, or war, is belief in the possibilty of victory.

2. Those who are left, find more people like you. Each one bring one. We all know there are libertarians everywhere. Some know it. Some don't Our job is to enlighten those who don't know it yet, and recruit all the lower case l's who do or don't know it for the party. Assuming there are 100,000 L's out there now who believe in the possibility of victory and are willing to work to achieve it, and if each of us duplicates ourselves only once, there would be a million of us in ten years. If each of us duplicates ourselves once each year, there would be 102 million of us. Now we're passing those who consider themselves registered Republicans.

3. Everyone who can (and that is almost all of us) should at least double your contribution to the National LP, and also double whatever you give to state, county and local chapters. For most of us what would be $25 national, $25 state, $25 county. That total of $75 doubled to $150 is still possible for most of us. If the LP had twice as much money to work with overnight, think of the litigation we could afford to achieve ballot access. Think of the funds we'd have for campaigns that have a shot at victory. Now if we doubled our numbers and then doubled our contributions, our financial resources quadruple within a year. Can you smell victory yet?

4. Accept this simple affirmation. He or she who passes the world's smallest political quiz as libertarian does not need to justify his or her purity to belong in the party. We don't want the tent to be so big it's meaningless but we want it big enough to accomodate all those who agree on the major agenda. Radical and reform alike must agree to disagree on the minutia and rally around that which we can jointly affirm. "A house divided..." Well, you know the rest.

5. In this celebrity obsessed culture we can make quantum leaps forward by enlisting at least a few of the highest profile L's and l's out there. Imagine someone of the stature of Clint Eastwood, Drew Carey, John Stossel, Terry Savage, et al, using their name and face in a major media campaign to spread the word, and in many cases, funding the publicity themselves! With a sustained media campaign featuring as many libertarian influentials as we can get to take a stand and as much celebrity money as we can raise to help pay for it, there is no doubt in my mind that we will pass the Republicans or force a mergery of Republicrats within a decade. We know we would be the party of choice of a large number of Americans if they knew who we are and what we stand for. With this strategy we will accomplish this.

6. Part of believing we can win involves recruiting the best possible candidates for every race at every level. The days of accepting the lone volunteer are over. Yes, we still affirm democracy. We affirm the right of any party member to seek the nomination. We also affirm the right of the party at all levels to recruit the best libertarian candidates to seek the nomination for every office at every level. This doesn't mean get a Republicrat defector. It doesn't mean don't do that either, but it means be sure whomever you recruit was a true libertarian at heart before you approach them.

7. Finally, there should be a concerted effort to recruit true libertarians who currently serve in higher office as D's or R's. There should be a systematic and intentional campaign to recruit, beginning with those who plan to retire at the end of their term, eliminating electoral risk, and where and when possible, convincing a few popular libertarian D's and R's to run as Libertarians. Nothing would advance our quest for power in government faster than having our own caucus in statehouses and Congress, even if there are only a handful at first.

This seven step plan not only can but will succeed in leading the Libertarian Party to majority status in government within a generation. Still don't believe? Well, come drink my Kool-Aid, or don't go away mad.

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2008 John Wingspread Howell, all rights reserved.
Published: Saturday, November 1, 2008
Last modified: Saturday, November 1, 2008

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