Libertarians this your time to brag. List your political accomplishments here

[KitingHigh]

I like the analogy, but libertarians keep all their seeds in the bag in the basement. Liberals water and tend the fields. You're not getting any credit for liking seeds but not growing fruit. Your entire philosophy is the antithesis of "nurture".

How do you reconcile the Democratic Party being against you such a short time ago.

Here's one of our seeds. We have sown many. In addition to the many legal briefs and articles from CATO and other libertarian sources, our office holders and candidates at the state and local levels are all fighting the good fight. Though we can't always directly make changes one cannot deny that our advocacy has been instrumental.

I'm done trying to convince you though. I would think a little appreciation would be warranted for those that had your back all along, even if you mistakenly think they didn't do much. But that's just me I guess.

http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/windsor-brief-doma-sec-3.pdf

 

[KitingHigh]

Yes, of course, Bob Barr. Brain fart.

If you want to say they aren't good libertarians, or that they were wrong on those issues, that's fine. Nobody's perfect.

I do say that. But I also say at the time they were card carrying Republicans. Bob Barr was a bible thumper at the time.

 

[naturalmwa]

How do you reconcile the Democratic Party being against you such a short time ago.

Here's one of our seeds. We have sown many. In addition to the many legal briefs and articles from CATO and other libertarian sources, our office holders and candidates at the state and local levels are all fighting the good fight. Though we can't always directly make changes one cannot deny that our advocacy has been instrumental.

I'm done trying to convince you though. I would think a little appreciation would be warranted for those that had your back all along, even if you mistakenly think they didn't do much. But that's just me I guess.

http://object.cato.org/sites/cato.org/files/pubs/pdf/windsor-brief-doma-sec-3.pdf

See we both planted a seed. I put mine in fertal ground and it bore fruit. You put yours in a desert and it never led to anything. I'm a better farmer than you. In Iowa we know that soil matters.

There is no reason to retreat into emotional sensitivities. It should be a given I agree with your position. I'm arguing your mechanisms are ineffective. Since when do I need to say thank you for equal rights? That's pretty assuming.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

I do say that. But I also say at the time they were card carrying Republicans. Bob Barr was a bible thumper at the time.

I confess I thought Barr an odd choice for the LP at the time. Better than your average southern Republican on civil liberties generally but still not what I would have expected from the LP.

 

[KitingHigh]

I confess I thought Barr an odd choice for the LP at the time. Better than your average southern Republican on civil liberties generally but still not what I would have expected from the LP.

I think he got the nomination because of his name recognition. He only threw his hat in about 10 days before the convention.

I would have liked to see what kinda votes Ron Paul would have got had he come back to the LP. We would have had him on all 50 ballots. He could have brought some people over with his popularity.

 

[strummingram]

At least we've proven that NO "political party" has earned full responsibility for anything that has allegedly changed "for the better" in society. If it changed, or shifted, it did so because the society, as a whole, wanted it to happen. The political participation and process was, as always, late to the party (no pun intended).

Sitting around handing out credit or points or any other accolade is just posturing. These political parties are self-preserving institutions that do whatever is necessary to keep themselves alive. That's why the same parties that accept policies now, may have vehemently opposed them 100 years ago, or 200 years ago. The political process isn't responsible for ANYTHING except being far behind the rest of the cultural preference.

Basically, politics gets in the way of affecting change as much as it might help. It impedes it. It might offer a platform for discussion, but no party is responsible for a damned thing. Human beings are responsible.

 

[What Would Jesus Do?]

At least we've proven that NO "political party" has earned full responsibility for anything that has allegedly changed "for the better" in society. If it changed, or shifted, it did so because the society, as a whole, wanted it to happen. The political participation and process was, as always, late to the party (no pun intended).

Sitting around handing out credit or points or any other accolade is just posturing. These political parties are self-preserving institutions that do whatever is necessary to keep themselves alive. That's why the same parties that accept policies now, may have vehemently opposed them 100 years ago, or 200 years ago. The political process isn't responsible for ANYTHING except being far behind the rest of the cultural preference.

Basically, politics gets in the way of affecting change as much as it might help. It impedes it. It might offer a platform for discussion, but no party is responsible for a damned thing. Human beings are responsible.

The main parties are often late to the, um, party. And for those of us eager for the changes, that's painful. But there's also something to be said for having them slowing down the vetting process. Most people handle change badly. And while most of the changes we are talking about reduce harm in the long run, there are often temporary harms or new harms to deal with. By the time at least one major party is on board, there's a good chance society can handle it.

Setting aside war - where neither party can be proud - it has seemed for quite a while that the major party that "gets it" is almost always the Dems. If you are a Republican, you may want to work on that. Why let the Dems get the credit? There's no good reason why the GOP couldn't take the lead on some of these issues. But they never seem to. Most of the time it seems to be because they are beholden to certain monied interests and to the religious right.

One of the oddities in our culture that I don't hear people talking about is the Dem appeal to seniors. On the one hand we have the pundits telling us how people get more conservative as they age. On the other they tend to vote D. It's pretty much all down to the relentless attacks on entitlements by the GOP - which seniors hear as attacks on Social Security and Medicare.

If the GOP was smart, they would become the champions of SS and Medicare. Bite the bullet, fix it, pay for it, do it without being assholes about it, and then take credit for it. Then, in theory, they ride to a big vote gain in that demographic because of the natural conservatism of the elderly.

 

[strummingram]

Then, there are some, who revel in the party/political process...

They pick their side and align their beliefs, opinions, and general feelings with it, and then proceed to follow. It's not very different from organized religion. People love their social clubs.

 

[ottumwan in tx]

I posted parts of the platform