GREAT article at FastCompany:
BY: CARLOS WATSON
The time is right for Silicon Valley -- style progressivism to woo independents into a political force under the Libertarian Party banner. Here's how.
If the two-party system is ever going to be seriously challenged, this is the moment. The GOP, the stall-tactic party, is reeling. The Democratic administration is struggling to turn around the economy. And across the country, creative, engaged folks are increasingly feeling politically homeless. More Americans consider themselves independents (39%) than Democrats (33%) or Republicans (22%) -- and the gap is widening.
Who will fill that void? Sarah Palin is rumored to be mulling the idea of starting a third party, pulling together social and fiscal conservatives alienated from the GOP. The Blue Dog Democrats, turned off by President Barack Obama's spending, could reach across the aisle to moderate Republicans and try to attract independents. But the best third-party contender already exists. The Libertarians, like so many independents and disaffected Democrats and Republicans, are fiscal conservatives and social liberals -- and no one has yet built a lasting coalition out of this growing force.
The two-party system isn't as rigid as it seems. The GOP itself was a third party that replaced the Whigs amid the turmoil of the pre-Civil War era. Progressives and Socialists drove many of the key changes to American economic policy and political rules in the early 20th century. In 1992, Texas billionaire Ross Perot took one out of every five votes despite being, well, just straight-up weird (remember his flip charts?).
Perot never would have made it that far without his business success. If Libertarians want to have a real impact in 2010 or 2012, they need to recruit from the business world, where their values will resonate most. Places like Silicon Valley, Austin, and Seattle. You don't have to look far to find high-profile CEO types who are likely Libertarians hiding out in the major parties. Starbucks's Howard Schultz has broken with Democratic tradition (and his political donation record) and fought unionization. Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, a Republican candidate for governor of California, strays from her party on social issues. Same goes for Cisco CEO and Republican fund-raiser John Chambers. These leaders could help build a financial base for the party, a complement to its significant grassroots online fund-raising operation that Ron Paul created in 2008 (only Obama and Hillary raised more).
H/T @BeckyChr007
good article, we should
good article, we should learn
ugg boots
cheap shoes
ugg boots
re: We need to educate on and
re: We need to educate on and how our forefathers, who were determined to create a foundation based on liberty for the people, enabled through the constitution, the ability for the people to stand up and defend their freedom. The People's awareness and activism is essential to our democracy. ...
Wake up the people and you wont be able to hold them back from demanding a new political option that is based on the constitution and the protection of liberty.
----
That's what government schools have taught, but is that what happened?
A. Was the creation of the constitution an attempt to increase and safeguard the freedom of the people, or was it more of a compromise between the power groups of the time that actually reduced the amount of freedom established by the articles of confederation? http://www.lewrockwell.com/north/north445.html
B Considering the constitution failed to prevent the war of Northern aggression, fed and tax creation, war after war for over 100 years, and todays high tech big brother state, exactly why is it reasonable to expect it to start working now?
C. Are a majority of people ever likely to become educated devotees of minarchism, and not only that but to start voting based on that instead of their own economic interests?
D. Why is it right to force the will of a voting majority group on the individual? http://praxeology.net/LS-NT-6.htm
We have been lied to, lied to when we were vulnerable children. The purpose and function of the national government was never to protect 'freedom.' It has always been to deceive and coerce the population into obedience to politicians and mecantilists at the top.
That has been the very purpose of governments through out history. And through out history the court intellectuals and priests have deceived the population into going along with it like dumb farm animals. They will perceive our pleas to go easy on us in exactly the same way a farmer perceives the pleas of a dairy cow, and for the same reasons. With the exception that the farmer will take the well being of his cow into at least some consideration.
The cows on the right or left side of the barn may bleat more loudly on any given day, but the production of milk will always increase.
Maybe it's time to run free again.
The Libertarian movement is
The Libertarian movement is at a critical crossroads. One path is labeled 'politics', the other is labeled 'secession.' Several libertarian organizations have already gone down the 'politics' road years ago, such as Reason magazine, the Cato institute and the Libertarian party itself.
Ron Paul's campaign directed the dissatisfaction of many unaligned Americans towards libertarian-minarchism and away from anarcho-capitalism. Because minarchists believe in conventional democracy politics, the initiatives they start will consistently be subsumed by the always much larger none minarchist majority. This is exactly what is happening with the 'audit the fed' bill.
If the Libertarian party gets fresh legs from a cash and legitimacy infusion from silicon valley, it will end up draining energy and focus away from secession and towards futile minarchism.
Rather than trying to play the unwinnable, fixed and self defeating national politics game, libertarians should concentrate on creating as much independence power for each state as possible. The way to do that is to lead each state to say no to federal power grabs. This is already happening in many ways, a few were explained by Catherine Bleish of iamlola.org on a recent freetalklive.com interview.
Ron Paul is a great guy and his 'end the fed' book is a must read, even if he is pursuing a doomed strategy. However the key thing that needs to change in the US is not electing more minarchists to Washington DC, but for the states to assert their own power by learning how to say No to the national government.
Be specific Re: Constitution
Be specific Re: Constitution language concerns
Joe O - I read through the articles you listed. But still don't get your point. Or at lease, I don't see any specific bases for your concerns about the US Constitution.
Help me understand by answering this question? What language in the Constitution are you concerned about?
I get that you point to some who questioned the intent, process, and legitimacy of the constitution but I still don't understand specifically what language concerns you. Do you not see value in the Bill of Rights for Example. Your links talk about the Federalists and the influence of Madison. In fact Thomas Jefferson for example, who was a major contributor to the Constitution was and aggressive anti-Federalist.
In my quest to discover the real truth about our government I'm open to any ideas but one of my basic assumptions is that there was great foresight in the establishment of the US Constitution and that the only way democracy can thrive is through the will of the people who are aware and active in its protection.
A good example of this is the uprisings in the 60s. One of my favorite thinkers, Noam Chomsky, made the point that our county became more civilized in the 60s because the people, fed up with the lies, rose up and leveraged their constitutional rights and made a difference.
As I see it, we need more of that now and while it is likely that the current power bases will apply great resources to thwart the execution of our constitutional rights, our best shot at realizing liberty is by standing on the constitution, ensuring that the rights that it established are protected and the will of the people can be heard and acted upon again.
I remain open to a challenge on my assumptions but you need to be specific about the language in the constitution that you are concerned about.
So, What say you?
Thomas Jefferson never showed
Thomas Jefferson never showed up at the Constitutional Convention. Your assertion that Thomas Jefferson was a great contributor is completely FALSE.
Document that Thomas Jefferson played a significant role in influencing the writing is the Love Letter to King George -The Declaration of Independence.
The term constitutional rights only really means the rights in which congress must do. The check of power between the different branches has never worked, Thomas Jefferson proved that when he bought the Louisiana Purchase.
The Bill of Rights are there as a fancy addition which essentially give those in GOVERNMENT, rights. If we even had any rights at all, then the USA Patriot Act would have never been signed.
I can go on for hours noting the fallacies, but the fact is, this country the United States of America, is a corporation. Look it up.
If we have any rights at all, we would become government employees so we can order the rest of the nation around. Unless the 28th Amendment gets signed into law... which could be enacted retroactively.
Not to sway too far from the Main Topic, If there is any time when a party is going to be able to turn anything upside down it is in the next election. Libertarian or not, regardless of how many 'manchurians' get elected, there will be another REVOLUTION.
re: I read through the
re: I read through the articles you listed. But still don't get your point.
--
You plus a majority of voters have no moral right to take my property, force my participation in wars, tell me how to run my business, read my emails and put me in jail if I don't buy health insurance. This is true regardless of any special papers signed by people who lived over 200 years ago.
Freedom comes from God and/or the categorical imperative, not a government document. Government can only detract from freedom, both morally and materially, not add to it.
http://mises.org/rothbard/mes.asp
We must first wake up
We must first wake up America. Only with their combined active passion do we have a shot at taking back our liberty and our country.
In order to have a shot at changing the game we must first have a local, state, national campaign to educate the public about what is really going on. A 21st century Common Sense campaign that lays out in simple terms of the flaws in in our banking and monetary system; the complete stranglehold that big banks and big business has on our congress and our laws; the ineffectiveness of our media to truly inform us; and the dangerous path we are on.
When people begin to wake up to what is really going on, then they will demand action and real change. Then and only then will any attempt to buck the current powers have a shot to take root and grow.
There are many voices proclaiming the truth, like ByteStyle, but it is still not enough. The first mission is to band together on a mission to wake up America with the fundamentals how we have lost our democracy and have strayed away from our constitution - a basic curriculum delivered in a systematic and comprehensive campaign that lays out the truth in simple terms. We need to educate on and how our forefathers, who were determined to create a foundation based on liberty for the people, enabled through the constitution, the ability for the people to stand up and defend their freedom. The People's awareness and activism is essential to our democracy.
When the people wake up to the truth, they will get angry. We need to take that anger and appeal the the people that is their right and responsibility to ensure and protect liberty. That true democracy is only possible with an active, aware electorate - ever vigilant to route out any corruption that shows its ugly head.
Then we will have a chance to take back our liberty and our country. Then the people will demand the change and will be determined to take the actions necessary to effect that change, to take back our country and to remain vigilant to protect our democracy.
Any attempt to organize a new party before we adequately educate and wake up the electorate will be futile.
Wake up the people and you wont be able to hold them back from demanding a new political option that is based on the constitution and the protection of liberty. We are going to need that passion to have a shot at engaging the current power bases to revere the dangerous momentum and return the country to the people, where it belongs.
Post new comment