Comments on: Hot-Tub Letters http://www.ryansager.com/blog/index.php/2006/05/17/hot-tub-letters/ What's your M.O.? Fri, 18 May 2012 16:45:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.4 by: Eva Kosinski http://www.ryansager.com/blog/index.php/2006/05/17/hot-tub-letters/#comment-816 Tue, 23 May 2006 14:11:58 +0000 http://www.ryansager.com/blog/index.php/2006/05/17/hot-tub-letters/#comment-816 If I were to guess at the future, I would predict that the folks we consider "libertarian purists" will be having their own party, and will therefore no longer be holding the rest of us back. There WILL be another party dedicated to Libertarian ideals; either it will be formed by the disaffected independents (starting to outnumber either major party in some parts of the country) and pre-corporate sellout party faithful of the major lparties, or it will be the Libertarian party less it's fringe element. Folks who are not Libertarians talk to me all the time about the principles behind Libertarianism, and by and large they like what they hear, but it's true, the fear-based stuff still has them in their clutches (gun control, drug war, terrorist fears). Once they hear a bit more about it, and start to understand where the principles work, and how they work in everyday life (Mary Ruart's book is very helpful here), THEN and only then do they start to see how it all fits together. There is a crying need out there for a party that won't sell it's soul for corporate campaign donations; it would be a shame if we all gave up right at the point when the worm was about to turn. I believe the key (and I'm sure Bush would not like to hear this) is the returning Iraq troops. The ones who now know, as my Dad used to say "s*** from shinola" and truly see how corrupt things are and how little of what's happened over there has been reported. The thing about these folks is, they have had to be trained to be focused, mission oriented, and persistent. They have also, the ones who took it seriously, which is many, (remember these are not draftees - they joined for idealism or to protect, or to get educational benefits) taken an oath to defend the Constitution from enemies without AND within. Once they join the ranks of the want-our-constitutional-govt-back, I think we'll find some of the best activists we've ever seen. -Eva If I were to guess at the future, I would predict that the folks we consider “libertarian purists” will be having their own party, and will therefore no longer be holding the rest of us back. There WILL be another party dedicated to Libertarian ideals; either it will be formed by the disaffected independents (starting to outnumber either major party in some parts of the country) and pre-corporate sellout party faithful of the major lparties, or it will be the Libertarian party less it’s fringe element.

Folks who are not Libertarians talk to me all the time about the principles behind Libertarianism, and by and large they like what they hear, but it’s true, the fear-based stuff still has them in their clutches (gun control, drug war, terrorist fears). Once they hear a bit more about it, and start to understand where the principles work, and how they work in everyday life (Mary Ruart’s book is very helpful here), THEN and only then do they start to see how it all fits together.

There is a crying need out there for a party that won’t sell it’s soul for corporate campaign donations; it would be a shame if we all gave up right at the point when the worm was about to turn.

I believe the key (and I’m sure Bush would not like to hear this) is the returning Iraq troops. The ones who now know, as my Dad used to say “s*** from shinola” and truly see how corrupt things are and how little of what’s happened over there has been reported. The thing about these folks is, they have had to be trained to be focused, mission oriented, and persistent. They have also, the ones who took it seriously, which is many, (remember these are not draftees - they joined for idealism or to protect, or to get educational benefits) taken an oath to defend the Constitution from enemies without AND within. Once they join the ranks of the want-our-constitutional-govt-back, I think we’ll find some of the best activists we’ve ever seen.

-Eva

]]> by: MW http://www.ryansager.com/blog/index.php/2006/05/17/hot-tub-letters/#comment-815 Fri, 19 May 2006 01:21:31 +0000 http://www.ryansager.com/blog/index.php/2006/05/17/hot-tub-letters/#comment-815 Jeff Allen's comment "I think the best way for libertarian-leaning folks to claim our place is to vote Democratic this fall en masse. One, it might give us a return to divided government, which is a good end unto itself ..." Is exactly right. Whatever the percentage of the electorate that libertarians represent, whether it is 9% or 20%, if they vote as a block for Divided Government, they immediately become the brokers of an evenly split partisan electorate. They arguably become the single most most potent voting block in the country, specifically because they are willing to vote either Democratic or Republican as a block. Specifically because they are not fused to one party or the other. It means, libertarians must ignore what the politicians say and look at what they actually do. It means ignoring spurious invitations to fuse with a big tent party that no longer stands for anything meaningful. It means voting straight Democratic in 2006, and (if successful in establishing Divided Government) voting Republican for President in 2008. It means the difference between libertarians being a completely impotent political force, and libertarians having the biggest swinging political "hammer" in town. And it can be done from the hot tub. And it can be done this year. Just Vote Divided. Jeff Allen’s comment “I think the best way for libertarian-leaning folks to claim our place is to vote Democratic this fall en masse. One, it might give us a return to divided government, which is a good end unto itself …”

Is exactly right.

Whatever the percentage of the electorate that libertarians represent, whether it is 9% or 20%, if they vote as a block for Divided Government, they immediately become the brokers of an evenly split partisan electorate. They arguably become the single most most potent voting block in the country, specifically because they are willing to vote either Democratic or Republican as a block. Specifically because they are not fused to one party or the other.

It means, libertarians must ignore what the politicians say and look at what they actually do. It means ignoring spurious invitations to fuse with a big tent party that no longer stands for anything meaningful. It means voting straight Democratic in 2006, and (if successful in establishing Divided Government) voting Republican for President in 2008. It means the difference between libertarians being a completely impotent political force, and libertarians having the biggest swinging political “hammer” in town.

And it can be done from the hot tub.

And it can be done this year.

Just Vote Divided.

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