matis
Member
The Libertarians have excellent principles.
But excellent principles that. because of political realities -- and because of the inexperience and even the naivete of Libertarians, will never become reality -- such principles are USELESS!
Like it or not, politics IS the art of the possible.
The trick is to learn what is possible and be realistic in working to implement THAT. Half a loaf is indeed better than none. Unless you like starving.
If you want to "educate" (actually meaning to push YOUR point of view) the voters to favor your principles, then work for that.
The problem with rejecting compromise in favor of theoretical "purity" is that you are setting yourself and/or your group up as an elite in sole possession of "the truth". It's a giant ego trip.
Whatever your point of view, there are others who differ. You think YOUR ideas are better, but so do they.
Principles can be likened to ideals. And by definition ideals can exist only in our thinking. If you achieve your ideals, then they are no longer ideal (ideas), but actual. Ideals and ideaologues (sp?) can actually be very dangerous and destructive, e.g. Nazism, Communism, socialism, Islamofascism.
Libertarians (I used to be one of them) are great at debating theory and many are good at local organizing. But when it comes to achieving election to office, their statistics reveal their incompetence.
They don't really know how.
Their excuses about the difficulty of getting on the ballot, media disinterest, etc. are just that -- excuses.
Get the job done -- or admit that you cannot and get out of the way.
Waiting for the Libertarians to safeguard my gun rights would be fatal.
I'll vote for Republicans who are more likely to protect the 2nd amendment and do whatever else I can to protect my rights.
But to the extent that I can have them, I want my rights in reality and not only in my imagination.
matis
But excellent principles that. because of political realities -- and because of the inexperience and even the naivete of Libertarians, will never become reality -- such principles are USELESS!
Like it or not, politics IS the art of the possible.
The trick is to learn what is possible and be realistic in working to implement THAT. Half a loaf is indeed better than none. Unless you like starving.
If you want to "educate" (actually meaning to push YOUR point of view) the voters to favor your principles, then work for that.
The problem with rejecting compromise in favor of theoretical "purity" is that you are setting yourself and/or your group up as an elite in sole possession of "the truth". It's a giant ego trip.
Whatever your point of view, there are others who differ. You think YOUR ideas are better, but so do they.
Principles can be likened to ideals. And by definition ideals can exist only in our thinking. If you achieve your ideals, then they are no longer ideal (ideas), but actual. Ideals and ideaologues (sp?) can actually be very dangerous and destructive, e.g. Nazism, Communism, socialism, Islamofascism.
Libertarians (I used to be one of them) are great at debating theory and many are good at local organizing. But when it comes to achieving election to office, their statistics reveal their incompetence.
They don't really know how.
Their excuses about the difficulty of getting on the ballot, media disinterest, etc. are just that -- excuses.
Get the job done -- or admit that you cannot and get out of the way.
Waiting for the Libertarians to safeguard my gun rights would be fatal.
I'll vote for Republicans who are more likely to protect the 2nd amendment and do whatever else I can to protect my rights.
But to the extent that I can have them, I want my rights in reality and not only in my imagination.
matis