Two articles by Freestaters in TLE this week

[Kat Kanning]

http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2007/tle445-20071125-06.html
The Bankruptcy of the National Libertarian Party by Alan Weiss

http://www.ncc-1776.org/tle2007/tle445-20071125-08.html
Mothering by Jean Alexander

[David]

Alan is spot on.  I was somewhat active in the lib. party a few years ago, and very quickly realized that it wasn't working.  It wasn't the fault of the party.  The dynamics of electoral politics works against small parties.  But the lib. party failed to recognize this.  And that is their fault. 
I am no longer involve in any politics, but I do watch it with some facination (guilty pleasure).  The libertarian party will never be a major player.  It isn't the members fault, it's just how it is. 

[SethCohn]

It wasn't the fault of the party.  It isn't the members fault, it's just how it is. 

Some of us strongly disagree with you... and are working to change it.

[Kat Kanning]

I really liked Jean's article 

[Russell Kanning]

It wasn't the fault of the party.  It isn't the members fault, it's just how it is. 

Some of us strongly disagree with you... and are working to change it.

Did we conjure Seth by putting the letters "L" and "P" too closely together?

[Porcupine_in_MA]

Alan is spot on.  I was somewhat active in the lib. party a few years ago, and very quickly realized that it wasn't working.  It wasn't the fault of the party.  The dynamics of electoral politics works against small parties.  But the lib. party failed to recognize this.  And that is their fault. 
I am no longer involve in any politics, but I do watch it with some facination (guilty pleasure).  The libertarian party will never be a major player.  It isn't the members fault, it's just how it is. 

You talk about the reason that the LP isn't more sucessful as if its some natural thing with electoral politics and it isn't. The LP and other smaller parties are kept out of the game by the big two, who run everything and like things just the way they are. I stopped being involved in the LP in MA and the national one for the most part because of this.
When I move to NH I'll look into the NHLP but I've heard not the greatest things about its effectiveness and I'm still stinging over them not getting Badnarik on their states ballot in '04.

[Kat Kanning]

When I move to NH I'll look into the NHLP but I've heard not the greatest things about its effectiveness and I'm still stinging over them not getting Badnarik on their states ballot in '04.

Did you come up and help?

[Porcupine_in_MA]

Did you come up and help?

No, I was a little busy in MA, I wasn't aware there was going to be a problem in NH.

[dalebert]

You talk about the reason that the LP isn't more sucessful as if its some natural thing with electoral politics and it isn't. The LP and other smaller parties are kept out of the game by the big two, who run everything and like things just the way they are.

The U.S. system as it is designed is bound to be controlled by two parties though. Countries have designed different systems that allow smaller parties to survive and have some level of influence, but ours is such that a small party cannot be effective. If a party grows large enough to be effective, it must replace one of the two big players. I don't want to call it "natural" but based on the design of the U.S. system, it is definitely to be expected.

[J’raxis 270145]

Alan is spot on.  I was somewhat active in the lib. party a few years ago, and very quickly realized that it wasn't working.  It wasn't the fault of the party.  The dynamics of electoral politics works against small parties.  But the lib. party failed to recognize this.  And that is their fault. 
I am no longer involve in any politics, but I do watch it with some facination (guilty pleasure).  The libertarian party will never be a major player.  It isn't the members fault, it's just how it is. 

jaqeboy brought up some interesting notes on the history of the LP and one theory as to why it has been ineffective over here.

[PattyLee loves dogs]

If a party grows large enough to be effective, it must replace one of the two big players. I don't want to call it "natural" but based on the design of the U.S. system, it is definitely to be expected.

Yes, it's built into the single-member district system. Most democracies use proportional representation instead. Thus the LP in Costa Rica had 10% of the legislature a while back. If the US had proportional representation, the LP would be much bigger now. (Of course it would also be in ADM and Halliburton's pocket... that's how "democracy" works when funding depends on parasitic subsidized corporations  )

... which is why our main goal is to get as many aspects of life as possible into the private sector.