Libertarian Party Embraces Big Tent
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James Joyner | Friday, May 23, 2008 |
Something really strange is going on with the Libertarian Party. I mean, more so than usual — I wouldn’t bother to point out the obvious.
Their annual convention is going on as I write. Some highlights:
- Bob Barr, most famous for opposing medical marijuana and for his role in the impeachment of Bill Clinton, is running to be its presidential nominee.
- So, possibly, is Tucker Carlson, the bowtied guy who filled the Pat Buchanan chair on Crossfire.
- Richard Viguerie, who has sent me approximately 6,000 emails since railing that Rudy McRomney wasn’t conservative enough at CPAC 2007, has just delivered the Keynote Address. The text is available at Richard Viguerie’s Conservative HQ.com.
What in the world is going on here? These people aren’t even from the libertarian wing of the GOP, let alone honest-to-goodness, according to Hoyle big-L Libertarians.
The LP has always been something of a joke as a political party. Basically, they’re a bunch of folks who get into a room to debate which of Ayn Rand’s books was the best and to rail against the injustice that hemp is illegal. Why, the Founding Fathers loved hemp!
But at least they were predictable. You could always count on them being true to their principles. Indeed, it’s right there on the masthead:
What’s up with this cast of characters? It’s not as if embracing these guys will suddenly make them legitimate contenders for winning the presidency. So, why compromise without some gain?
About the Author: James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of the Atlantic Council. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor with a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama. He lives just outside the Beltway in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife and infant daughter.
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Satisfy the need for a little spotlight I suppose.
I've always thought of Tucker as a sort of male bimbo - an immeasurably shallow brain, filling a chair and parroting whatever was whispered into his ear with no comprehension or active thought. Fielding him as the LP Pres candidate would not alter this view.
It's Ayn Rand, you whim-worshipper.
AHH....And so the day has arrived,so soon!
Ann..UH..Ayn falls from notoriety into ignominious obscurity.
The "Voice of Reason" is gone! and... "Atlas shrugged"![lol]
I fixed the typo, thus making this discussion thread more interesting and effective than anything that the LP will accomplish this year.
Thanks. And, as Insty would say, Heh. Indeed.
What in the world is going on here? These people aren’t even from the libertarian wing of the GOP, let alone honest-to-goodness, according to Hoyle big-L Libertarians.
Yeah, no kidding.
The supposed party of principle, though, does get something out of all of this. Think on it;
They get:
People. What little start power these fools have, brings in more people then the LP has gotten in years, on their own.
Money. Such influx of people always brings in money for any party, and the LP is not unique here, nor are they unique in claiming that's not what they're about.
Power. With added money and people parties invariably get more power from that combo. Which, apparently, is their biggest motivation, when you get down to it.
So much for principle.
Ask me again why I've never taken the Libertarian Party seriously.
Liberal,Libertarian, whats the difference?
G.A.
Take this quiz and you'll understand.
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html
G.A.
Take this quiz and you'll understand.
I came in between Conservative/libertarian, but here is problem, This what I get from both Lib party's, that they both believe in isolationism, they both don't believe in evil, and they would both remove the Christianity that formed the fabric of this nation.
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