Restoring liberty in the near future is feasible. Given the constraints of the
U.S. political system, the logical course of action follows:
The platform and message of the Libertarian Party is extreme, sacrificing
practicality and political appeal in favor of philosophical consistency with
a single axiom. As such, the party currently appeals only to a tiny fraction
of the voting public.
The Libertarian Reform Caucus is working to reform the Libertarian Party,
to turn it into an effective tool for increasing liberty.
As a first step, we are working on an improved Libertarian platform, one
that LP candidates can proudly quote and still win elections. To broaden the
appeal of the platform, we are improving it along three lines:
- The platform should propose a realistic vision for the next few years,
as opposed to an idealistic vision of a libertarian future. The public expects
a party platform to show what a party's candidates intend to do during the
next term of office. If the party wants a long term vision statement, it should
be in a separate document labeled as such.
- The platform should unite libertarians instead of dividing them. Where
libertarians disagree, the platform should be silent. The party should be
a tool for all libertarians.
- The platform should be based on the realization that there are other
important values in addition to the non-initiation of force. Freedom is extremely
valuable, but it is not the only value.
The result of these platform reforms will be imperfect in the eyes of many
libertarians. However, we feel it is better to take partial steps now towards
a more libertarian society than to stand on the sidelines while the statists
take us further down the road towards tyranny and bankruptcy. Also, we can
always refine the platform in the future, after the people have experienced
the benefits of increased liberty. A political platform is not a constitution.
With a quality platform and message the Libertarian Party will begin to
be a far more useful tool for restoring liberty. Nevertheless, other improvements
are possible. On this site we are also debating various aspects of party organization
and strategy, such as:
- Should we change or eliminate the membership oath? Can a real political
party be a small exclusive club?
- Should we change the bylaws? Our current bylaws give past members
more power than current members in setting the platform. New planks or changes
to old planks require a 2/3 vote. Keeping old planks requires a mere majority
vote.
- Is standard parliamentary procedure optimal for crafting a platform?
Should debate be won by those who win the game of "whack-a-mole" by getting
their hands up first in calling for an amendment? How about more advanced
voting systems?
- Are our strategies optimal? Should we put so much emphasis on presidential
races or not? Should we try to make a difference in three-way races or focus
on where we can win? Should we avoid running candidates and support the better
of the legacy party candidates when one shows libertarian tendencies?
If you like
what we are doing,
please
join us. Your membership will entitle
you to vote on which proposals and essays that you like and do not like. You
do not have to be a Libertarian Party member to join the caucus; you only
need to agree with our Statement of Purpose.
Please keep in mind that this site is a work in progress. The various
platform proposals and essays are the opinions of the respective authors.
We hope to receive many more platform proposals and essays from a wide variety
of people as we grow. The opinions of the Caucus itself will be reflected
in the votes on the various proposals/essays by the Caucus as members vote
on platform proposals and rate the essays.
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