Did you join the Libertarian Party because you want to see libertarian principles clearly represented in the political arena?

Do you support "bold messaging" on issues like ending the welfare state, ending the war on drugs, moving education and health care from government control and funding to the free market, liberating our economy from the twin burdens of high taxation and government control of money, and stopping the endless cycle of foreign intervention and war?

If so, you should give very serious consideration to being a candidate for partisan office next year.

 

Partisan vs. Non-Partisan Offices – The Basics

In this article, the term "partisan office" refers to an office where candidates run with a party label, such as "Democrat" or "Libertarian". It often comes as a surprise to people new to politics, especially those who grew up in other states, that there are very few offices in California where you can actually run "as a Libertarian", because in many other states many more positions are elected on a partisan basis. So we often hear mention in the national media of situations like a Republican challenging a Democrat for mayor of a city like New York.

But not here in California. The only offices in California where you can run "as a Libertarian" are Congress (Senate and House), the state legislature (Senate and Assembly), statewide offices like Governor, and the state Board of Equalization. That's it. You can't run for school board as a Libertarian. You can't run for mayor as a Libertarian. You can't even run for county supervisor as a Libertarian.

Every office in California at the county level and below – including city offices, school boards, and the directors of special districts like those concerned with water or parks – is "non-partisan". Even though most candidates for such offices are registered with a political party, California election law does not allow them to have that party affiliation listed on the ballot, or even mention it in their statement in the official voter guide.

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This February, the Libertarian Party organized the "Rage Against the War Machine Rally" in Washington D.C. Hundreds of people gathered at the National Mall to protest the government's endless wars and military interventions overseas.

I attended the "Rage Against the War Machine Rally," and I am sharing my experience hoping to inspire increased activism against the war machine and the military industrial complex from coast-to-coast.

The rally opened on the stairs of the Lincoln Memorial, with Lincoln’s 19 foot marble statue the backdrop, and the Reflecting Pool the centerpiece for the audience facing the stage, as the Washington Monument towered in the distance. D.C. is a beautiful city, a shiny veneer covering the corruption it hides within, and the blustery wind of the late-winter weather formed a stark contrast with the energy of the audience who gathered for the speakers before marching to the White House.

The list of speakers was a venerable who’s who of activists from across the political spectrum, all fighting to end the incredible death, destruction, and suffering that is an inevitable consequence of military conflict between nations. Among the notables who took the podium were Jimmy Dore, Scott Horton, Dennis Kucinich, Cynthia McKinney, and Roger Waters (on video).

As speakers took to the stage, the crowd listened with rapt attention to insight around the root causes of war and violence, and the ways in which the United States has played a central role in perpetuating these conflicts. The speakers called for an end to the never-ending wars in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria, and for the United States to redirect its resources towards addressing the urgent domestic issues that are currently facing our country.

An Army veteran spoke of his own experiences on the front lines and how they led him to question the legitimacy of the wars he was fighting. 

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In 2024, we will have another election year, and Libertarians of California and the National Libertarian Party will put forth their selected candidates for local, state, and national elections. Year after year, election after election, we make incremental gains as the third largest political party in the United States. Yet, we tend to fall short compared to the two-headed beast of Democrats and Republicans.

Our shortfallings have not been because our ideas are not good. In fact, most of our core ideas are blatantly far superior to that of the current coercive political machine. Our ideas include individual liberty, freedom, peace, respect for life, true property rights, economic prosperity, choices, personal development, progress, charity and love, honesty, integrity, and more. Most people would benefit from the values and ideals of Libertarianism, and I believe the vast majority of Americans are at their core liberty-minded.

So, why are Libertarians not winning as much as we know we could with our better ideas and solutions?

It comes down to coordinated efforts. When we look at politics, history, and philosophy, those who win and make significant changes do so by coordinating their efforts across regions, platforms, and political aisles. They do so by having leaders who inspire others to accomplish great things in the face of difficulty and have a coordinated network of other leaders that attest to those victories and affirm their leadership. No matter if those goals were for good or evil, we can see that the winners tend to be those that have best demonstrated the ability to lead with coordinated efforts.Click here to read the full article. 

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