Libertarian Presidential Candidates. (1 Viewer)

[Ditkaless Wonders]

A shamefully nutty list thus far. I may have to go to one of my alternate third parties this coming election.

 

[wikkidpissah]

A shamefully nutty list thus far. I may have to go to one of my alternate third parties this coming election.

That's because it's a failed viewpoint, like communism. The horse is out the barn, across the field and running up trillions in deficit.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

That's because it's a failed viewpoint, like communism. The horse is out the barn, across the field and running up trillions in deficit.

Failed or not (And I will only say that I would not vote for a Libertarian if I actually thought they might win), they seem to have been the refuge for disaffected fiscal conservatives and vanilla moderate small "r' republicans.  Not so much as of right now.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Failed or not (And I will only say that I would not vote for a Libertarian if I actually thought they might win), they seem to have been the refuge for disaffected fiscal conservatives and vanilla moderate small "r' republicans.  Not so much as of right now.

To continue my analogy, i was a member of Communist Party - race was my issue as a young man and CPUSA was the only format for a white man to be radical on race - while it was in its death throws. I'm a communist, like Christ was a communist but, once the world proves itself totally past that and not going back, the viewpoint's advocates become more impracticable and strident and ridiculous and the following falls away to just true believers. 

I'm a libertarian, too, because it's the Occum's Razor of political solutions, but who wants to be Ahab strapped to a runaway Leviathan?

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

To continue my analogy, i was a member of Communist Party - race was my issue as a young man and CPUSA was the only format for a white man to be radical on race - while it was in its death throws. I'm a communist, like Christ was a communist but, once the world proves itself totally past that and not going back, the viewpoint's advocates become more impracticable and strident and ridiculous and the following falls away to just true believers. 

I'm a libertarian, too, because it's the Occum's Razor of political solutions, but who wants to be Ahab strapped to a runaway Leviathan?

Maybe Queequeg, but I take your point.

I mean I might prefer the wild ride to already being dead. On the other hand I might prefer the sweet embrace of already current death to having life ripped from me by concussive pressures achieved by some aggravated sperm whale.

 

[Maurile Tremblay]

I have no clue what names are on the list.

Most of the people in the last go-around were pretty nutty. Gary Johnson and Bill Weld were the exceptions, and they had a hard time getting the nomination despite having far better resumes and name recognition than the rest of the field.

I think it’s possible to be a small-l libertarian with reasonable views. I hope I’m in that category myself. But the big-l Libertarian Party seems to mostly attract wackos.

 

[wikkidpissah]

Maybe Queequeg, but I take your point.

I mean I might prefer the wild ride to already being dead. On the other hand I might prefer the sweet embrace of already current death to having life ripped from me by concussive pressures achieved by some aggravated sperm whale.

Goodonya. I'll wave from the pier, thx.

The turning point for the party - i follow all "third parties" because i didnt vote a major party candidate between '72 & '08 - was the Perot era. Libertarian values have the most currency when the deficit is the biggest issue, but they never built a case and let that Texas loony gain eminence with the disaffected. Dubya made conservatism entirely unlibertarian and no one but a ratpack of Pauls made a sound.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

I have no clue what names are on the list.

Most of the people in the last go-around were pretty nutty. Gary Johnson and Bill Weld were the exceptions, and they had a hard time getting the nomination despite having far better resumes and name recognition than the rest of the field.

I think it’s possible to be a small-l libertarian with reasonable views. I hope I’m in that category myself. But the big-l Libertarian Party seems to mostly attract wackos.

It does indeed.

 

[prefontaine]

I think it’s possible to be a small-l libertarian with reasonable views. I hope I’m in that category myself. But the big-l Libertarian Party seems to mostly attract wackos.

I remain hopeful that Trump brings most of them to the GOP so that the Libertarian Party can be libertarian. 

 

[Da Guru]

Jill Stein still hanging around like Hillary is?

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

Jill Stein still hanging around like Hillary is?

I think of her as Green Party.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I think of her as Green Party.

She's the opposite of libertarian.

 

[Ditkaless Wonders]

She's the opposite of libertarian.

Indeed.

 

[CletiusMaximus]

I have no clue what names are on the list.

Most of the people in the last go-around were pretty nutty. Gary Johnson and Bill Weld were the exceptions, and they had a hard time getting the nomination despite having far better resumes and name recognition than the rest of the field.

I think it’s possible to be a small-l libertarian with reasonable views. I hope I’m in that category myself. But the big-l Libertarian Party seems to mostly attract wackos.

30 years ago, local Libertarian meetings were often characterized by the pot-heads on one side of the room and the gun-nuts on the other.  We've lost both those fringe factions as these issues have become mainstream, with the democrats comfortably taking on pot legalization and the GOP fully embracing all manner of extreme weaponry under its view of the 2nd amendment.  All that's left now are the Hayek nerds and the IRS abolitionists.

 

[jon_mx]

Can't vote for Trump and I can't vote for the Democratic vision of mega Trillion handouts.   Is there one candidate who can provide a sane vision of the future budget?  Maybe a Republican challenger who would run on a more fiscal conservative platform could take down Trump?  

 

[IvanKaramazov]

I have no clue what names are on the list.

Most of the people in the last go-around were pretty nutty. Gary Johnson and Bill Weld were the exceptions, and they had a hard time getting the nomination despite having far better resumes and name recognition than the rest of the field.

I think it’s possible to be a small-l libertarian with reasonable views. I hope I’m in that category myself. But the big-l Libertarian Party seems to mostly attract wackos.

I think it's pretty well-established that third parties in general tend to attract wackos.  Non-wackos who are serious about politics all go to one of the major parties, where they actually have a shot at a real career.  Wackos who want to relitigate mandatory seat beat laws either get screened out by the major parties or self-select into a fringe party.  The Libertarians have their own distinct flavor of wacko, but it's not as if the Green Party or Constitution Party are putting up Adlai Stevenson on a regular basis.

 

[unckeyherb]

Can't vote for Trump and I can't vote for the Democratic vision of mega Trillion handouts.   Is there one candidate who can provide a sane vision of the future budget?  Maybe a Republican challenger who would run on a more fiscal conservative platform could take down Trump?  

Bill Weld seeks your support.

 

[Rove!]

Is this where I go to express my Garegret?

 

[Rove!]

Bill Weld seeks your support.

Bill Weld is no libertarian and him signing a letter this week that implies a avast expansion of prosecutorial powers and overly broad interpretations of existing law is a deal breaker.