[I didn’t write this, but it’s so good I thought I’d post it here]
by Resa Willis
The purpose of this narrative is to offer transparency and expose the critical components lending to a lack of forward progress. Although our party has seen advances during this election cycle partially made possible by polarizing old-party candidates, our opportunity to fully capitalize on the current political climate has been undermined by infighting, inaction, and exclusion.
A political party, like any complicated system, must have operative sub-systems in place. Just as a living organism is comprised of many specialized systems, it cannot function when a sub-system fails to function.
The goal of the Libertarian Party, much like the goal of most human beings, is not simply to exist—it is to live. Existence, whether in human form or as a political party, is a sickness indicative of apathy and inaction, and the passive acceptance of the status quo. Simply existing does not get us noticed. Living requires healthy systems, working together toward a common goal: liberty and freedom.
Our bodies are comprised of trillions of cells, each with specialized roles, working together to provide a special function for the overall being. Similar cells band together to form unique tissues. Bone cells form skeletal tissue, cardiac cells form heart tissue, skin cells form integumentary tissue, nerve and glial cells form brain tissue, etc. Our party is comprised of specialized cells just like this. We have anarchists, anarcho-capitalists, minarchists, classic liberals, and many other philosophies. The minarchists, when put together, form the minarchy ‘tissue’ of the party. The anarchists, when put together, comprise the anarchy tissue, and so forth.
Ideally, when specialized tissues come together, they work with each other to form systems comprising a healthy organism capable of not only existing, but truly living. Non-working systems and systems wishing to exist solely in isolation contribute to the illness of the entire organism.
Our party is ill.
We argue, we exclude, and we fail to match narratives with action.
We have necrotic tissue occupying key leadership positions across the country who maintain these roles purely for a title, doing little to advance the party. New blood seeking to make a difference and inject life into the party faces the frustration of coming up against this necrotic leadership, only to be met with indifference or outright refusal of acknowledgement. Our party is losing immense potential by not immediately embracing these enthusiastic potential members. We simply cannot afford this. Loss of potential due to ego will continue to suffocate, slowly snuffing out the injection of new life. Revolutions are not born from ego and complacency. If we want a revolution, we have to go get a revolution.
Technicalitarians, another hindrance to achieving a healthy system, are best viewed from the screens of social media, spending their time at home, picking at the minute details associated with others’ philosophies. These are the people who can’t see the forest for the trees. Instead of finding common ground with others, they go out of their way to pounce on differences in viewpoints, adamantly arguing with others, proclaiming how ‘right’ they are. We are so hellbent on being correct, that we expend all of our energy trying to tout our intellectual superiority, meanwhile getting absolutely nothing done for the party. We can sit back and argue philosophies, or we can actually get out there and take action. Revolutions are not born from words alone. If we want a revolution, we have to go get a revolution.
Libertarians encompass a highly diverse group of people, so myriad viewpoints is a given. The Technicalitarians get so bogged down in the details, that it prompts them to judge others as “not Libertarian enough.” We call each other statists, the Libertarian version of “Poopiehead” as the ultimate insult, saturating the power of a very serious word. We push away disenfranchised old party members, who seek shelter with our party, by attacking them on issues on which they differ from us. Embracing common ground is the only way to make people feel welcome, yet we drive them off. What a waste of opportunity, and a sad representation of our party.
Another example of exclusion is the power plays of established members in offices that keep others from obtaining positions. Important seats in large states are remaining unoccupied because of old guard members wishing to maintain their control of the balance of power, leaving entire counties without representation. As an extension of this, our organizational structure is also adversely affected by gaps in leadership, lack of efficient communication, personal power plays, and outright apathy. Communication and organization are the neural pathways to transmit communication throughout the entity, yet the connections are failing.
This year has provided a prime opportunity to unite and make our presence known—an opportunity to move past existence and truly live as a party. We are allowing our differences to divide us, and we cannot afford it. Divisiveness creates chaos. Unity ignites revolutions.
We have an opportunity to put our differences aside and pursue the common goals of the party: liberty and freedom. Our systems are healthy standing alone, but we must unite the systems to create a working, living entity that can accomplish the seemingly insurmountable. The old parties do not have this opportunity. They are akin to Frankenstein’s creation: pieces stitched together into a monstrosity that cannot be controlled anymore, creating fear and causing people to feel helpless to change what has been created. In a time where we are watching the monster tear itself apart from the inside out, we should be creating a beautiful alternative for those seeking something different.
Our party has an unprecedented opportunity to do this very thing, yet our lack of action, confrontational adherence to unwavering views of what true libertarianism is and is not, and personal egos are fracturing our party. We cannot move past existence this way.
If we want a revolution, we have to go get a revolution.
We must unite. We must put aside contention. We must get up, get out there, and get noticed. We cannot sit back and allow a small fraction of the people to do the majority of the work. We must put ego aside. We must focus on the end goal instead of fighting about how to get there.
We cannot simply exist. We must LIVE.
Revolutions are not born from apathy, inaction, and discord. If we want a revolution, we have to go get a revolution.
Together.
I think Libertarians should worry more about results and less about the Libertarian party. I think they should get involved with their local one party system and in some places 2 party system.
Tried it. Doesn’t work. You get stifled or primaried. Overthrowing the old parties must be a primary goal of libertarianism.
Yeah the trick is to win your primary. lol
Sure. But why fight there when you can get onto the ballot by running in the LP. Ron Paul, for instance, wasn't on the ballot - because he ran in the old parties - but Gary Johnson was.
Fortunately Ron Paul and Gary Johnson were able to win some Republican primaries and get elected.
That was a long time ago. AOL Instant Messenger hadn’t come out yet. Google wasn’t widely used yet. The Spice Girls were at the top of the charts. We live in a very different time than we did in 1998.
Fortunately Justin Amash and Thomass Massie were able to win their primaries.
In order to truly make progress we must unite on all fronts.
We are a political party, not a debate society or mutual aid society. We must act, at least to an extent, as a political party to be taken seriously. I LOVE the radical, turn-everything-on-it’s-head approach, but I don’t think the American Electorate is ready just yet. That being said, let’s find as many qualified, rational welcoming, unifying candidates as we can support and every day make some incrimemintal change in the direction towards Freedom.
Amazing
a very useful post
The biggest issue facing the LP is image. As much as we would like to believe that naked guys, pink hair, and smoking weed is just fine and dandy it presents a horrible image. Libertarians don't make up enough of the population to make a huge impact by themselves, the LP will need to attract people from the left, middle, and right and we can't do that with naked guys taking the stage, chicks with pink hair running for office, a candidate that supports Clinton and another that smokes weed and isn't up to date on important issues that many people care about - AND btw couldn't justify why those issues weren't important to him - the Aleppo ordeal was a fantastic opportunity to stump for ending foreign interventionism and focusing on improving our own country - the ball wasn't just dropped, it was never in hand to start with. 2016 presented probably the best opportunity we've ever had to make an impact and attract new people to libertarianism and the LP fucked it up every step of the way.
Another issue is that Libertarians can't seem to agree on exactly which issues are the most important and which issues should be approached first. Going full tilt libertarian is shocking to alot of people and it's got to be approached delicately and slowly. Let's start with securing the country and the rights we already have, eliminating waste, balancing the budget, and controlling our debt before we start in on eliminating the fed and abolishing the federal government and borders.
I just can't wrap my head around a Libertarian Party. Once elected with whom do you work? Isn't it like diverting the Titanic by dipping a spoon in the wake? Does anyone have some accomplishments to dissuade my skepticism? Just getting elected doesn't mean much if you can't steer policy. Everyone I know is a warmonger, either Republican or Democrat. No one wants substantial change. They just want their party to win. Isn't it the same for the Libertarian Party?
We have 154 elected Libertarians nationwide. And every election that total increases. The LP is the only anti-war party.
If Trump decided to ditch the Republican party, and run independent, or Libertarian, he would give the movement a larger footprint on the political map. Right now, the Republican party is filled with Leftists in disguise, with only a few real conservatives. I would urge Trump to make the jump, and take his base with him.