Posted on 10/16/2004 11:17:59 AM PDT by K1avg
Will Wisconsin Be Red or Blue in 2004?
Many conservatives are unhappy with Bush's massive spending and his attacks on civil liberties. While these unhappy conservatives are probably not prepared to switch their vote to Kerry, many, if asked properly, would seriously consider switching their vote to Libertarian Michael Badnarik. So by helping Badnarik get more visibility, you can hurt Bush chances of winning battleground states like Wisconsin!
We will use 100% of your donations to run television and radio commercials (listed below) that specifically target conservative voters who might otherwise vote for Bush. We don't want Bush to win in Wisconsin anymore than you do. As a Kerry supporter, you may disagree with our message, but you win and we win when you donate to this project and get your friends to do likewise.
It may be tactical. Punish the Republicans for being the party of HUGE GOVT SOCIALISM. Then hopefully, the GOP will learn their lesson and go back to opposing huge govt.
And there's no downside, because Kerry couldn't support bigger govt if he tired. The GOP is SOOO PRO-HUGE GOVT, I don't see how even the Democrats could top them.
Get real, people. The GOP are SOCIALISTS! Bush is a SOCIALIST!
If the Libertarians can't win, then at least they might be able to punish the GOP SOCIALISTS.
I don't see how you can say that Objectivists are any kind of libertarians, seeing as how Ayn Rand denouced libertarians right from the start.
Organized Objectivism is a crazy cult sponging off of Rand's royalties.
Capital L libertarians have been co-opted by daddy Weedbucks Soros.
In essence... you're advocating that the Anti-Big-Government "Hard Right" (i.e., Libertarians and Constitutionalists) *punish* the equivocating, mealy-mouthed GOP "Soft Right" for their treasonous abdication of Constitutional principles -- and by this application of "tough love", you hope to remind the GOP of their founding ideals and restore their commitment to Minimal Government, States' Rights, Individual Liberties, and all the good, Libertarian ideals that the GOP supposedly advocates (and in which they have admittedly failed, in MANY, MANY circumstances).
It's an interesting Theory.
The problem is -- it's already been tried (albeit from the opposite end of the political spectrum, but the example is instructive).
And it doesn't work.
Now, as regards the following example, please know that I do understand that, being by and large Former Monarchies, the Nations of Europe do not possess a Republicanist Founding Tradition of libertarian-individualism as does America, and so "Hard Left" and "Hard Right" in European Politics simply represent different Theories of Totalitarianism. However, I still think that the example is instructive.
In 1920's and 1930's Germany, the "Hard Left" German Communists (the ideological opposites of today's hard-core Libertarians and Constitutionalists), acting on Stalin's orders, concentrated their Political attacks on the "Soft Left" Social Democrats, hoping to destroy the "Soft Left" and thereby force ordinary Germans to make an intellectually-honest choice between the Nazi "Hard Right" and the Communist "Hard Left".
Since the Communist "Hard Left" assumed, as a given, that Civilized Germans would never vote the insane racist-ideologue Nazis into Power, it appeared to them that the destruction of the "Soft Left" was the logical course of action to force a final winner-takes-all battle between the "Hard Right" and the "Hard Left".
Well, they succeeded in hurting the Social Democrats. In that much, they succeeded.
But at that point, the assumptions of "Theory" and "Practice" went right into the crapper. With the "Soft Left" Social Democrats marginalized and discredited, the Nazis succeeded in gaining power -- and the Theory turned out to be very much different from the Practice, indeed. And when the Nazis gained Power, the Communists were the first ones to be sent to the Concentration Camps.
It all made sense, in theory! Yeah, but Stalin's Theory worked out rather badly in Practice, and 30 Million Russians died for his mistake.
At the end of the day -- as bad as the "Soft Right" GOP Republican Party is, as much as they FAIL, as much as they COMPROMISE, as much as they GIVE AWAY THE STORE and tell Pro-Lifers and Constitutionalists and States-Righters to "Lie Back and try to enjoy Being Raped" -- it DOES NOT WORK to give any support whatsoever to the Demonic-Socialist Opposition Party.
That theory was already tried, by the "Hard Left" German Communists in 1930's Germany, and it DOES NOT WORK. Their "Tough Love" only succeeded in producing a nightmare.
And I say this as a Registered Florida Libertarian (I asked the DMV girl about the Constitution Party, but apparently they did not qualify for the Lists); Admittedly, I have cast more Republican Votes than I have Libertarian Votes, but I do whole-heartedly vote Libertarian whenever I can honestly support the LP candidate.
I can understand Voting Libertarian, on principle. I can understand Voting Constitution, on principle. I will never condemn a man who is trying to obey the Conscience that God gave him.
But voting Kerry, or seeking or advocating his election in any way, in order to "punish Bush", is just counter-productive.
It is a Theory that the Communists tried, Commie-Basher... and it does not work.
Best, OP
OP, not meaning to be rude or disagreeable, but....
WHATEVER it is that you are, they ain't.
Whatever they are, you ain't.
I suspect you and they have a far different understanding of the definition of libertarian.
Rather than look to Germany, a nation with different demographics and culture, let's look to America.
From the period between the Civil War and New Deal, there were several fairly strong socialist parties, including the Progressives and Socialists and Socialist Workers. Sometimes their presidential candidates would take huge bites out of the Dems and GOP. In time, both the Dems and GOP edged closer to the socialists in order to gain their millions.
Today, the socialist third parties are weak shadows of their former selves, but both major parties have implemented the socialists' programs.
Should the Libertarians or Constitutionalists ever reach millions of votes, you can bet the GOP will take heed. So far, the GOP both mocks libertarian ideology and ignores the Constitution in practice.
Dubya will win Wisconsin in 2004.
Well, there's 40 on my campus, so including him and his mother, there are at least 42. You do the math.
Fellow Libertarians should not vote with the party this year. "Libertarian" Michael Badnarik is a dangerous fraud. Badnarik--who is Lebanese and has taken tons of cash from the American Muslim Alliance (the group from which even Hillary returned the contributions!) has disturbing ties to supporters of Islamic terrorism. The Muslims are using the "Libertarian" label to hurt Bush. Badnarik is a total phony. Libertarians should not be fooled by this Wahhabist stooge!
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