Q: LP candidates rarely get elected!  Doesn't that mean its been a failure?

A: No, getting elected was not the main idea. See founder David Nolan's original pitch, and his 2006 reminder. If you think we can get large numbers of libertarians elected before we've won over the populace, then you will likely find greater satisfaction working through the major parties.  We see our role as a long-term educational effort and will be happy when we've helped to make libertarianism popular enough that the major parties begin to co-opt our ideas.

Q: Doesn’t making the party line more radical exclude fellow travelers who don’t (yet) hold completely libertarian views?

A: Nearly all of us started with one or more “moderate” or flat out non-libertarian views. We encourage those people to join and support the party. However, we do not believe in loosening the definition of libertarian to accommodate more newcomers existing views.

Q: Shouldn't political parties exist to win office?  Think tanks are a better vehicle for education.

A: We disagree. Radicals have varying opinions on whether any good comes from winning office.  However, we all recognize that during election season, we have an opportunity to get on the soapbox and say a few words that people might not otherwise hear.  Think tanks do not walk door to door or discuss ideas with their neighbors.

Q: Isn't the LP brand tainted now?  I don't want to be associated with what I've heard from the party lately.

A: Remember that the average person doesn't follow our every move, and therefore the damage is not yet permanent. 

Q: Why shouldn’t I forget the LP and run as an independent?

A: Branding is important for a number of reasons.  A single campaign is a blip in time.  Repeated exposure to a central theme is more likely to ‘sink in’ or at least rouse curiousity over time.

Q: On what issues do you believe your platform or current national candidates deviate from plumbline libertarianism?

A: [This is one self-identified radical’s view. YMMV.] A libertarian platform demands bold statements in these areas, for starters:

1. ✦The end of border checkpoints
   

2. ✦Dissolution of standing armies
   

3. ✦Condemnation of all victimless crime laws
   

4. ✦Repudiation of the debt
   

5. ✦The right to secession – at all levels
   

6. ✦The abolition of “intellectual property” laws
   

Our national candidate need not mention every issue, but must never present views incompatible with the non-aggression principle.

Q: How many radicals need to go to St. Louis in order to win the party back?

A: If we could have persuaded another 50 radicals to attend the last convention, then we would have had a credible presidential candidate and more principled libertarians in leadership positions. It really doesn't take an army.

Q: u ppl r dad gum dang diddly extremeist nuts!!!!!  who r the ppl behind this crapy websight!!!

A: Time to drop the ‘we’.  I, Morey Straus, a rogue operative, bear all responsibility for the content of these pages.