Steve Trinward Steve Trinward is "Soul Proprietor" of Trinwords.Com (wordsmithing and editing services) and a contributing editor for Rational Review. SUPPORT OUR
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Reality Check “Now is the winter of our discontent …” I just did a Google-search on the Shakespeare quote above (Richard III, of course), one of the better known and oftest-quoted literary passages in the English language. I discovered (or was reminded?) that my colleague and friend, L. Neil Smith, had used it as the title of his column in The Libertarian Enterprise almost a year ago. At the time he was referring to the aftermath of the “nine-eleven bombings,” and how disappointed he was at the lack of awareness folks were showing, as their civil liberties and Constitutional rights were being stolen away in the name of Homeland Security. I don’t deny that this is still of concern -- or that it has gotten worse, rather than better, since then. I also won’t attempt to pass off the current national political situation in America as a “phase” -- or even a short-term “hiccup” in the uninterrupted flow toward the free society we all seek. I know we are not in shallow water under the Bushwah fiefdom. But I want to take a more partisan approach, and look at the question of how Libertarian Party activists can “make glorious summer” out of this “winter” between conventional political seasons. As both a long-time Libertarian, and a current Regional Representative on the Libertarian National Committee, I am very concerned about both the future health of the LP, and the chances of making it into an effective tool for securing “the blessings of liberty for ourselves and our posterity …” I want to echo the sentiments of LP National Chair (and de facto Executive Director) Geoff Neale, that it is time for the Libertarian Party to “get real.” He sees this from the standpoint of fixing the fiscal and budgetary problems that keep the organization on the edge of “one paycheck from the street” (as demonstrated by the devastating effects of the “mail blackout” of about 15 months ago, which took the party to the brink of financial ruin, with only one month or so of blocked donations). I see it as something far more elemental: If we are to worry about whether an organization is staying in functioning order, we must also be concerned about whether or not it is actually accomplishing its stated tasks and mission. Granted, the 2002 elections had more failures than successes for us Libertarians: In places where all that was sought was ballot status, in the face of daunting petitioning requirements, we often fell short of those goals as well. Spear Lancaster’s valiant efforts in Maryland failed, mostly because too many would-be Libertarian voters made the same mistake they made in 2000: voting for the “lesser evil” between the Boot On Your Neck Party contenders. (The biggest exception might have been Wyoming, where a Secretary of State candidate pulled 17% of the vote, and maybe handled that state’s ballot requirements for the LP for the foreseeable future.) Some good signs also happened in some medium-level races: Congressional contenders in several states (including one in Tennessee) pulled over 20%… in two-way races. And the showings for self-declared Libertarians in local, non-partisan races continued to improve. In races where the main object was to affect things directly, by holding “balance of power,” LP endorsed candidates truly made their presence felt. We clearly “decided” the Wisconsin Governor’s race, with Ed Thompson’s 10 percent, while also gaining a seat on the state Elections Board (which might end up being the greatest glory of all). Libertarians also held well more than the difference in several other states: Alabama’s John Sophocleus polled about two percent in a dead-heat race between the Dem and GOP rivals, causing the results to go to a recount before the GOP incumbent was ousted; in California, although Gary Copeland’s two percent was well short of the balance of power, his showing nevertheless combined with other third-party contenders to double the margin of victory for Gray Davis (while assuring ballot status for the LPC in the process). The referendum issues were also interesting, though none succeeded: The near-upset of the Massachusetts income tax; the failures to decriminalize marijuana in Nevada, and to repeal the food tax in Arkansas… A lot of close, but not quite, but it does bode well for the future, perhaps… But that’s now all history. The next question is, where do we go from here? And WHAT should we be doing over the next six months, or year and a half, before the NEXT round of “who’s gonna run for what, and how much do they want this time?” Let’s break it down: Some states have ballot status, and maybe a few people even running for office, but nobody elected or appointed to anything as yet. Such states probably need to turn their attention to putting some of their number into public positions: city council, county commission, school board, etc. There is an entire year-plus to go before there is any reason to even consider who should be running for Congress, or Senate, or even State Representative; if we overlook those local opportunities, we are going to be right where we were two years ago, going into yet another Presidential and other statewide season in 2004. Step back, take a deep breath and start boning up on local issues. Only a few states have already demonstrated the ability to go after, and attain, local office. For these, the next step is: More of the same, coupled with some active recruiting to take it to the next level. The next crop of contenders for legislative or Congressional seats should clearly come from among these already proven electable people. It’s time for these state parties to stop trying to put a “Vote For Me” button on anyone they can arm-twist into the idea, and to focus on making use of the talent already in their midst. And for you folks who HAVE already been running, and who actually like doing that sort of thing, it’s also time to take a good look at reality. If you’ve been going after Governor or Congress, run for State Representative the next time – and in 2003, go after a local position in your community (or at very least, get INVOLVED in that community, so that next time, you can start out with a constituency NOT dependent on your standing in the LP ranks?). Prove that you can be electable, or at least make a big splash on the political page; THEN and only then should you be asking other Libertarians -- in other states, with their own issues to deal with -- to support your particular ego-trip! Am I being overly harsh? I don’t think so! After thirty years of Libertarian Party politics, there are still far too many folks who seem to think this game is played like some sort of multi-level marketing scam: Get into a race for something, get your friends and family members to buy your goods and join your downline, and then sit back and coast to wealth and fame! And as long as you run a “high-profile” campaign, and keep it looking like the place to be, so the easily impressed newcomer thinks (s)he has gotten into some glamorous political power-center or something, you will always have enough acolytes and minions to keep your medicine show rolling. (Ignore for a moment the incongruity of a true libertarian even wanting to hang around such a place …) Meanwhile, the ones who do understand what this is really all about get overlooked and ignored for the most part by the major PR organs of the party -- though this is perhaps changing. Our sense of priority is still finding its balance, but the signs seem promising. I fully realize that this paradigm of local action, from the ground up, driving the bus is already well entrenched in some circles. Indiana, North Carolina, Florida, Pennsylvania and California, to name just a few state parties, have already been moving this way for some time now. Others, including my own state of Tennessee, are also doing now, although the visible progress is still in the early stages. I’m just adding my voice to the debate… and filling up a monthly column with my usual ravings. J |
