The 2020 Presidential election is creeping up as we speak. Candidates are starting to get themselves in position to run for their parties nomination and starting the process to raise money for their campaigns. This election should turn out to be one for the ages!
The Libertarian Party is in a unique position to really shine and get their candidate in a position to be elected. They had their chance in 2016 and probably blew it. They need to pick a candidate that has the ability to appeal to a mass audience while still promoting the ideals of the party platform.
I know many in the part will hate this notion because they hate the idea of a Republican coming in and running on their ticket, but Rep. Justin Amash from Michigan needs to run for President as a Libertarian.
Currently, Amash is the most Libertarian member of Congress and has a proven track record in defense of Liberty. He is one of the most outspoken opponents of Donald Trump and his Presidency and he has the ability to present himself very well. He advocates daily on behalf of Liberty and does not sell himself to the party leaders in the GOP.
For a detailed voting record for Rep. Amash go to this Ballotpedia link.
The Libertarian Party needs a change and dynamic figure as the face of the party. Justin Amash provides that
“The Libertarian Party is in a unique position to really shine and get their candidate in a position to be elected. They had their chance in 2016 and probably blew it. ”
It is clear, by this statement, that you were not on the floor of the convention in Orlando, 2016. The party is made up of people, and those people picked from a certain number of candidates. In 2016, 12 people declared their candidacy to be at the top of our ticket, 5 appeared on the debate stage, and of those 5, Gary Johnson was picked, by the delegates as being the best. Being the chairman of the Pennsylvania Delegation, I could offer the breakdown, but not everyone voted in favor of Johnson. Regarding the VP pick? That was even more contentious. Many of us actively campaigned to promote an alternative candidate to William Weld, and though we lost, it was not by much. After that convention, many of us worked to help the campaigns wherever we could, but the establishment is huge. Regardless, it is unfair to say that the Libertarian Party probably blew it. We had 50 state ballot access, and regardless of what people might think of Gary Johnson, as a presidential candidate he received the highest percentage of the vote in Libertarian Party history, and the party received an influx of Johnson supporters as new members.
The reality of being Libertarian is that there are not that many of us. In my congressional district here in PA, there are 503,000 registered voters, of which 3200 are Libertarian, and that means we have a huge uphill battle! When I ran this past year, there were so many people who had no idea what a Libertarian was, and yet there were more who heard the catch phrase socially liberal fiscally conservative. While that is true, it is not the entire truth.
In my position, I was able to actually articulate the Libertarian brand to many people within my district, and I am excited to say that I drew support from both Republicans AND Democrats, as well as Independents. While I will not go into my particular story, I will say that having someone who is unfamiliar with our philosophy, at the top of our ticket is problematic, and that was clearly illustrated over the past decade.
I do not know that Justin Amash would be willing to be the Libertarian candidate, and I don’t know that the party would be willing to nominate him in Austin. However, if he DOES have interest, it would be very prudent for him to say so, NOW (ahead of the 2019 convention season). (yes, he can contact me if he wants to come to the PA convention.) William Weld has been working to raise money for Libertarian candidates and has been building a network. Success in Libertarian politics is about showing up, (I suspect it is the same in other parties, though I have never participated in Republican or Democratic party politics other than to work with some of their people on projects we were all on board with).
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The problem was not the ticket. The problem was a lack of apparatus to execute a competative strategy, not to mention a much too late start and in fighting in the party.
All things considered Gary Johnson and Bill Weld did as well as can be expected. Let’s hope the party has learned some lessons and will stop cannibalizing and focus on knocking on doors, making phone calls and licking envelopes. That matters as much or more that messaging or the charisma of the candidate. BE the change.
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There are likely ‘sleeping libertarians’ in both of the major parties. (Take it from one, who, voted for someone other than a Republican, as a registered Rep. in a national election, because I couldn’t stomach what the two-party system was offering) According to the Zero Aggression Project, 30 million already self-identify as libertarian, and another 30 million identify mostly with libertarians on issues.( I’d fit in the second category) The LP has been stellar at reaching out to those on the left, reaching out to the pro-life, pro-religious freedom, pro-freedom-of association seems to have been a harder sell to Libertarians, John Stossell being a notable exception. We will join you if you will stand for our rights as well.
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