Here's the problem with the Libertarian Party. It's obvious from this thread.
People don't read a damn thing, but they spew forth volumes of crap.
People who seem quite articulate and educated can't tell the difference between the Libertarian Party and libertarian thought. A criticism of the Libertarian Party, which one would be insane to call a political success, is quickly defended by a bunch of posts that are defending ideas. They're ideas that most of us agree with most of the time. Nobody here is disputing core libertarian ideas.
The two entities -- Libertarian Party and libertarian thought -- are NOT THE SAME entities.
I don't care how much I like the ideas or Rand, Friedman, Mises, Hayek, Jefferson or whomever. The Libertarian Party is not an idea, it is an organization.
Criticisms of an organization are not the same as attacks on the ideas it supposedly incorporates. It doesn't represent the ideas. None of the people mentioned above were even members. Ever.
If you take a criticism of the Libertarian Party, which has failed to get anyone of significance into office, not even Ron Paul, and try to turn it into an attack on libertarian ideas and values, you are showing that you are one of four things:
1. Functionally illiterate at this level of conversation
or
2. Disingenuous
or
3. Strongly prone to emotional reaction where rational thought is appropriate.
or
4. So unwilling to take constructive criticism from people who SUPPORT 90% or more of your ideals, when the LP has not worked as a political party, that you can't even stop for a second to consider what you're reading or writing.
Which is it?
None of the above would bode well for the LP. And surprise, the bad boding has been matched with a sad reality.
For people who claim "reason", there's a shocking unwillingness to look at reality, and a further unwillingness to try to improve based on that data.
And no, "We lose because everyone is stupid! There's no way out!" is not an answer that leads anywhere.
"Libertarian Party" is not the same thing as "libertarian thought." The GOP is not synonymous with conservatism, nor the Democratic Party with liberalism.
Start there. Or don't. But the irrational defensive reactions are telling.