Fri 20 Apr 2007
There is a poorly researched article about the Libertarian Party at HPR Online (http://hprsite.squarespace.com/libertarians-raise-barr-042007/). Among other things, it says:
Barr’s ascension to a leadership position in Libertarian Party is part of a broader strategic shift for the organization. Stephen Gordon, the Libertarian National Committee’s political director, told the HPR that the party has come to realize that “in order to expand our electoral base we have to open up our tent.”
It is a very entertaining statement that bears little (if any) resemblance to reality. In 1988, Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) became the Libertarian Party’s presidential candidate. “Barr’s ascension” is not a strategic shift, just a repeat of a failed strategy. Libertarians are managing to reinvent the flat tire (again). Barr is not the Libertarian Party’s first former Congressman.
Additionally, the claim that Gordon wants to “expand our electoral base” is also detached from reality. The failed Iraq Exit Strategy is a perfect example—anybody who disagreed with it was accused of being a “purist.” They were censored from LP publications (I was one of them), until many finally came to the conclusion that it made no sense to contribute time or money to an organization that disregarded its own principles and platform.
Stephen Gordon was one of those leading the charge to alienate and drive out anybody who disagreed with the LP’s Iraq Exit Strategy. And, the LP’s Executive Director, Shane Cory, was the one in charge of censorship. There were many in the party who thought that having an Iraq Exit Strategy written by a college intern was a little embarrassing—especially when it contradicted well known and respected libertarian think tanks like the Cato Institute.
And, the proof of these failed strategies is there for anybody who wants to examine it. The number of elected Libertarians has declined, the number of subscribers to LP News has declined, the annual revenue has declined, the amount of press coverage has declined, the number of active state parties has declined, the number of candidates has declined, and the Alexa rating of the web site (which LP Executive Director Shane Cory once pointed to as an indication of success) is on a steady decline (from 16,000 in Aug. 2005 to 60,000 today). Pick a measure and it has declined.
The real question is: How much longer before the LP recognizes that it is on the decline and makes substantive changes? That decision will be up to the Libertarian National Committee, but reading the minutes of their meetings makes it clear that they are oblivious to the condition of the organization that they have been entrusted to operate.
5 Responses to “Reinventing the Flat Tire”
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April 21st, 2007 at 1:17 am
Which is why I’ve fallen into the pattern in these parts of ignoring the LP.
http://www.smallgov.org/?p=403#comment-25020
What’s puzzles me is the purpose of the current direction (assuming there is one). The only explanations I can formulate are either out-right sabotage or some illusion that by imitating them, they can hope to supplant the Republicans.
Another interesting passage from the above-mentioned article:
“While the party has had to shift from their “purist” philosophy in their efforts to court conservatives, Barr told the HPR that “a number of pragmatic steps” are necessary “in order for a party to gain success.
It is hard to believe that a few outreach events and the defection of a former member of Congress will catapult the Libertarian Party from single digit vote shares to the levels needed to actually win major offices…”
One important point that should be made; Gordon, Cory, Barr, etal seem very fond of attempting to conflate “success” with winning elections.
While winning elections may be disireable, the historical purpose of third parties must not be forgotten. “Success” cannot be measured by elections won, but rather by socio-political change.
By that valid measure, the big winners in the 20th century were the socialists, not the Republicans and Democrats that “won” all the elections.
That’s why we face the mess we face today.
Meanwhile, Faux News reports on Barr’s employ of “pragmatism”
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266627,00.html
“Ironically, the Libertarians had funded Barr’s primary opponent, now Rep. John Linder, in 2002, because of Barr’s anti-drug stance. Barr lost to Linder and left Congress.
“If we can at least bump out Barr we can send a message,” Libertarian Party spokesman George Getz said at the time.
Barr suggested his focus at MPP today is concerned only with defending state medical marijuana laws. He would not say whether he has had changed his mind about the criminalization of marijuana and the drug war.”
But when faced with those known to be hostile to the war on drugs, he seems to give a somewhat different impression:
http://knappster.blogspot.com/search/label/Bob%20Barr
What ever happened to Mr. Getz? He was always a favorite of mine from when I first joined the party. I remember when he left; a vague disquiet, as the explanation didn’t really ring true…
—The Bikemessenger
April 21st, 2007 at 1:32 am
I was just thinking, given the kind of thinking that has provided us with a reprise of the flat tire, perhaps they should take a page out of the Constitution Party’s playbook.
Try advocating theocracy. But give it a little different spin:
http://www.venganza.org/
—The Bikemessenger
April 21st, 2007 at 7:25 pm
Beautiful post - sums up perfectly why I and many others bailed from the LP.
April 22nd, 2007 at 10:49 am
Ditto to Rah62
May 18th, 2007 at 1:48 am
What’s happening is well planned, and has nothing to do with the Libertarians.
It’s a takeover by the right wing to benefit common crooks or advance government ends IMHO. Many people feel it’s the same bunch destroying the Greens and Constitution parties, and some Dem and GOP locals that don’t toe the line of ‘let’s run candidates and don’t worry what we satnd for.” Take a look at the mess there in those parties. The complaints sound familiar.
The trick is destroy the LP assimiation and institutional memory and goals, then say nothings been done and they’re needed. Then they really go to work, all right.
I suppose the good news is these ‘pragmatist’ people tried to abolish the LP in 2000. It took them a long time and a lot of planning to get positioned. Right now they seem to be purging the member lists of life members and making sure there is no way to trace the money. Our local gets ne ames of ‘members’ who don’t check against our own list and when we contact them they’re pretty open they are right wing or police background. You play along and soon they want to know how they can change our extreme local platforms.
The latest is the LRC leaders on their site saying the real LP problem is we don’t lie enough. I presume they mean to correct that.
Meanwhile, this is one of the few sites not taken over or submerged by LRC fan e-warfare and where one can speak out. People were purged of the e-mail discuss lists or they’ve been taken over by people whose sole goal seems to be strange takes on Libertarianism.
Sadly, David Nolan, the LP founder, refuses to take leadership on the issue, as he did during the infiltration in the early ’80’s.
You’re quite right about the staff firings. Crickenberger called it an atmosphere of terror before he left. He knew what was coming and told me he had reason to believe organized crime was also involved. Some on LNC tried to stop it. But it seems some LNC/LRC fans actively participated.
It happened at the state level, too. I remember the hate campaign against NIDUS in my own and other states. A lot of volunteers were then paralyzed when one website after another bacame useless as ‘professionals’ with GOP credentials ‘helped’ then vanished to join the RLC or LRC.
What’s with all the LP leaders who’ve died suddenly anyway? Crickenberger, Browne, Roberts…
I’m getting on in years and can’t fight this battle. But I knew what was coming when they started getting rid of the ideological education groups and local directors in the 90’s, and also the youth outreach program. It looked for a while that they were going to recover with the strategic plan, the new platform, the program, but they won’t allow any of that to be even posted as an historical record on the LP site.
Notice for all their talk about pragmatism and how professional and realistic they are, they won’t set a single actual goal for getting people in office. Also they don’t showcase affiliates that are actually doing well in LPNEWS. So how long before they get targeted more directly? They’ve already choked off the financing.
Yeah, we have a big tent, and it’s a carnival where they take the marks for all they have. The LP was the most successful party in US history for what it set out to do. So they’re re-writing the history as they choke it to death.
Keep this site up.