You are correct about the need for people to be consistent in building the party (whatever party he or she belongs to). We are in agreement on that. Some of us, though, have been working on that since the late 60’s and the early 70’s (or even before) and it has not done a lot of good so far. It also takes the right time in history for things to happen. Where the importance of party building comes in is that it is necessary to be well organized when that time finally does come around. That is something that I have been preaching over the decades but not many people are willing to listen.

In any case, the next presidential election will be won by either an independent slate (perhaps Unity08), a “third party,” or the Democrats. The Republican Party is not going to go anywhere but down. They will put on a good show and perhaps even “go down in flames.” Down they will go in any event.

I’ll say it again… the only way to build a party is to BUILD IT.

So what if there’s a split and some element of the GOP strikes off and tries to form another party? That doesn’t help the Libertarians and it won’t last more than a few cycles at best.

If anything is going to happen in 2008, the Giuliani/McCain element of the GOP is going to win control of the party and the Keyes/Buchanan followers on the “hard-right” will bolt to the Constitution Party for a couple of years to show their displeasure.

The major parties remain the major parties because they have infrastructure built up and down from the very tiny local levels to the national level… and that infrastructure generates lots of cash… the cash and infrastructure attract credible candidates to their primaries… they win 99.9% of all elections… and that’s that.

And when I say infrastructure, I mean there must be 15 organized “Republican Clubs” in my county alone… there’s a vibrant group at the local University… the county party has a big office with lots of available space to assemble campaign materials, phone bank, etc.

They have executive committee meetings at the county-level here that are attended by 100+ people every single month. I don’t even know that there’s a Libertarian Party organized in my county. If there is, I would be willing to guess that they have no associated clubs or other elements. They probably have next to no money in the bank. They almost never run candidates for office. And… if I had to bet money, they don’t have an office or paid staff. The meetings are probably monthly dinners at Denny’s or Applebee’s attended by 5 to 15 people who sit around and debate about writing letters to the governor to express their principled opinion on why property taxes should be eliminated.

Timothy is right on the money once again. The Country Club wing of the GOP is simply not going to put up with the neo-conservatives running the party into the ground. They are going to fight back and they are going to try to regain control. You are going to see a three-way race for the presidential nomination between these factions: (a) the Country Club wing (which I also refer to as part of the Old Guard), led by Rudy Guilani; (b) the Neo-Conservatives, led by Senator John McCain; and© the Religious Right, led by Senator Sam Brownback. Other (smaller) factions will be involved, too: (d) the Neo-Reformers, led by Senator Chuck Hagel; and (e) the Conservative Isolationists (also part of the Old Guard), led by Patrick Buchanan. It will be a real circus – evey single day! Watch for the leaders of all these groupings to make temporary deals and so forth. Remember the Reagan and Rockefeller joint attempt to stop Richard Nixon from taking a first ballot win at Miami Beach in 1968?

You can be sure that the Libertarians in this chat room are not worried about your opinion of their chances. This is their best shot yet since 1980 (when the LP should have offered its nomination to Eugene McCarthy). If they do not go for it now, in a really big way, that will be the end of it – and I think that they know that. Meanwhile, on the left, we socialists will be making plenty of hay of our own!

I’m getting ready to take it right now and go to bed. If I can get to sleep quick I can make it without ralfing. bucket by the bed. nite.

Bronchitis, maybe pneumonia – hopefully not tuberculosis.

Other stuff too.

But I’m glad it’s not chemo.

Hope you feel better.

Pick a level. Not the issue. Whatever level it applies at.

Look at the papers. See what you think, of its propaganda value and/or the value of the ideas presented.

If you decide you want to share your opinion, I wouldn’t mind. If you don’t, I won’t keep asking.

The campaign as a whole is a separate issue.

If a local candidate wanted to adapt that paper, do you think it would be an effective way of addressing those issues – one that would help expand our base?

we cannot even begin to win the office. but we can put the party into good shape and have a number of credible down ticket candidates for the ‘10 and ‘12 contests.
we can also work on further broadening our platform for more left right balance while using personal individualist freedom as the policy means.

and we seriously need media money for TV across the entire party, but mostly for state level candidates.

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=107509135&blogID=207756301

There’s also this

http://knappster.blogspot.com/2006/12/libertarians-warm-up-to-environmental.html

We need much more left wing in the LP, but to do that we have to adopt some policy in regard to what the left wing cares about. Stuff like pollution, the commons, ownership of natural resources and the disposal of same for the benefit of regular people, not corporations.

a balanced left – right approach with personal individual freedom in the middle for the average man is the party of the future.