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Will a Trump Candidacy Legitimize the Libertarian Party?

NeverTrump

Exposing GOP since 2015
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I can't believe I am the one who is saying this, but it appears that for anti-trumpers like myself, the Libertarian Party seems like an attractive option. Why? Well many old traditionalists feel like our party has been hijacked by this very group. Of which Trump now has most of their ears. The party switchers have all gone out and voted for Trump leaving a gaping hole in the actual libertarian movement, because lets face it. Trump isn't a libertarian! Yet many libertarians are voting for him because of the perception that he is an outsider and that he is "tough" and he will give it to the politicians. Lets just forget about the fact that these people are dreaming and have bought his lies hook, line and sinker. As that's not what this thread is about.

The problem many people had with the Libertarian Party is that they were considered among the fringe of the fringe. All the while, they claimed they were the purest of "real" Republicans. I heard this over and over in 2012 but no one would take them seriously. Why? It's because they were the fringe with no real candidates except a loose cabal of stammering idiots who only seemed to care about marijuana legalization and hippy dippy kumbaya ideas. However, if these same Republicans that are anti-Trump bounce into the Libertarian Party and they try to use it as a platform for their ideas (much like Libertarians have used the Republican Platform in the past) I see it being very influential to that party or any third party really.

Does Trump fracture the two party system?
 
I can't believe I am the one who is saying this, but it appears that for anti-trumpers like myself, the Libertarian Party seems like an attractive option. Why? Well many old traditionalists feel like our party has been hijacked by this very group. Of which Trump now has most of their ears. The party switchers have all gone out and voted for Trump leaving a gaping hole in the actual libertarian movement, because lets face it. Trump isn't a libertarian! Yet many libertarians are voting for him because of the perception that he is an outsider and that he is "tough" and he will give it to the politicians. Lets just forget about the fact that these people are dreaming and have bought his lies hook, line and sinker. As that's not what this thread is about.

The problem many people had with the Libertarian Party is that they were considered among the fringe of the fringe. All the while, they claimed they were the purest of "real" Republicans. I heard this over and over in 2012 but no one would take them seriously. Why? It's because they were the fringe with no real candidates except a loose cabal of stammering idiots who only seemed to care about marijuana legalization and hippy dippy kumbaya ideas. However, if these same Republicans that are anti-Trump bounce into the Libertarian Party and they try to use it as a platform for their ideas (much like Libertarians have used the Republican Platform in the past) I see it being very influential to that party or any third party really.

Does Trump fracture the two party system?

For a third party to be successful nationally, it has to be successful at winning local elections first.
 
The Libertarian party, in order to be legitimized, should legitimize themselves.
 
I can't believe I am the one who is saying this, but it appears that for anti-trumpers like myself, the Libertarian Party seems like an attractive option. Why? Well many old traditionalists feel like our party has been hijacked by this very group. Of which Trump now has most of their ears. The party switchers have all gone out and voted for Trump leaving a gaping hole in the actual libertarian movement, because lets face it. Trump isn't a libertarian! Yet many libertarians are voting for him because of the perception that he is an outsider and that he is "tough" and he will give it to the politicians. Lets just forget about the fact that these people are dreaming and have bought his lies hook, line and sinker. As that's not what this thread is about.

The problem many people had with the Libertarian Party is that they were considered among the fringe of the fringe. All the while, they claimed they were the purest of "real" Republicans. I heard this over and over in 2012 but no one would take them seriously. Why? It's because they were the fringe with no real candidates except a loose cabal of stammering idiots who only seemed to care about marijuana legalization and hippy dippy kumbaya ideas. However, if these same Republicans that are anti-Trump bounce into the Libertarian Party and they try to use it as a platform for their ideas (much like Libertarians have used the Republican Platform in the past) I see it being very influential to that party or any third party really.

Does Trump fracture the two party system?

ok, first, you've never heard anyone say libertarian are hte purest of the real Republicans.... ou might have heard about them being hte purest of the conservatives ( which is also false), but Libertarians aren't Republicans at all, pure or unpure.

will Trump fracture the 2 party system?... not likely.
we (the LP) might see a bump in numbers, but nothing that would construe a fracturing of the 2 major parties.

why?... because the bulk of populace still won't know we actually exist.... the two major parties lock out 3rd parties from entering into the presidential debates... and well, 3rd parties don't really have the loot to pay for hosting these big debates on prime time TV ( nor will the networks affiliate themselves with 3rd party debates.)

Trump or no Trump, the duopoly will remain.

as an aside, we won't know who the LP candidate is until may 30th.
the convention is may 26-30th

did you happen ot catch the Libertarian party presidential debate? it was April 1st. on FOXbusiness ( you can watch it on youtube, i'm sure)
it's still looking good for Gary Johnson, but there are few folks giving him a run.. such as John Mcafee and Austin Peterson.

I still think it's funny that libertarians are seen as "fringe', as if they are crazy loons or something... but whatever.... they certainly aren't the "fringe of the fringe"
 
I don't know where you got the idea that Libertarians are supporting Trump in large numbers. First off, we're a third party - we don't do anything in large numbers! Second, Trump is an authoritarian asshole who wants to control the economy through direct government intervention (always has), supported "smart" gun control (until this very election, in fact), and wants to outdo Clinton on destructive interventionist foreign policy, and has stated before that he would order our soldiers to murder women and children.

Trump is about as far from libertarian as Hillary Clinton is, which makes a lot of sense; they've been political allies and close friends for decades.
 
I can't believe I am the one who is saying this, but it appears that for anti-trumpers like myself, the Libertarian Party seems like an attractive option. Why? Well many old traditionalists feel like our party has been hijacked by this very group. Of which Trump now has most of their ears. The party switchers have all gone out and voted for Trump leaving a gaping hole in the actual libertarian movement, because lets face it. Trump isn't a libertarian! Yet many libertarians are voting for him because of the perception that he is an outsider and that he is "tough" and he will give it to the politicians. Lets just forget about the fact that these people are dreaming and have bought his lies hook, line and sinker. As that's not what this thread is about.

The problem many people had with the Libertarian Party is that they were considered among the fringe of the fringe. All the while, they claimed they were the purest of "real" Republicans. I heard this over and over in 2012 but no one would take them seriously. Why? It's because they were the fringe with no real candidates except a loose cabal of stammering idiots who only seemed to care about marijuana legalization and hippy dippy kumbaya ideas. However, if these same Republicans that are anti-Trump bounce into the Libertarian Party and they try to use it as a platform for their ideas (much like Libertarians have used the Republican Platform in the past) I see it being very influential to that party or any third party really.

Does Trump fracture the two party system?

Nope. The problem was not Trump alone. It was the selection among the candidates that rose to the top.
 
Nope. The system is too rigged to allow anything more than democrats and republicans. Not to mention, most of the sheep have been brainwashed into thinking they're "required" to be one or the other, but nothing more.
 
I can't believe I am the one who is saying this, but it appears that for anti-trumpers like myself, the Libertarian Party seems like an attractive option. Why? Well many old traditionalists feel like our party has been hijacked by this very group. Of which Trump now has most of their ears. The party switchers have all gone out and voted for Trump leaving a gaping hole in the actual libertarian movement, because lets face it. Trump isn't a libertarian! Yet many libertarians are voting for him because of the perception that he is an outsider and that he is "tough" and he will give it to the politicians. Lets just forget about the fact that these people are dreaming and have bought his lies hook, line and sinker. As that's not what this thread is about.

The problem many people had with the Libertarian Party is that they were considered among the fringe of the fringe. All the while, they claimed they were the purest of "real" Republicans. I heard this over and over in 2012 but no one would take them seriously. Why? It's because they were the fringe with no real candidates except a loose cabal of stammering idiots who only seemed to care about marijuana legalization and hippy dippy kumbaya ideas. However, if these same Republicans that are anti-Trump bounce into the Libertarian Party and they try to use it as a platform for their ideas (much like Libertarians have used the Republican Platform in the past) I see it being very influential to that party or any third party really.

Does Trump fracture the two party system?

Here in Texas, there will be three choices: Trump, Clinton or Johnson. As a die-hard Cruz supporter, which there are many here in Texas, which of the three HASN'T run down Senator Cruz?
 
Nope. The system is too rigged to allow anything more than democrats and republicans. Not to mention, most of the sheep have been brainwashed into thinking they're "required" to be one or the other, but nothing more.

Agreed. Back when I was a voter, I used to vote for libertarian candidates. People excoriated me for "wasting" my vote. Actually I wasted nothing. My vote, just like everyone else's vote won't fix anything. Those in power don't want it fixed. Even the voters have nothing to say about it.
 
The problem many people had with the Libertarian Party is that they were considered among the fringe of the fringe. All the while, they claimed they were the purest of "real" Republicans. I heard this over and over in 2012 but no one would take them seriously. Why? It's because they were the fringe with no real candidates except a loose cabal of stammering idiots who only seemed to care about marijuana legalization and hippy dippy kumbaya ideas. However, if these same Republicans that are anti-Trump bounce into the Libertarian Party and they try to use it as a platform for their ideas (much like Libertarians have used the Republican Platform in the past) I see it being very influential to that party or any third party really.

The situation hasn't changed. Libertarians are still the fringe of the fringe. Libertarianism simply isn't a popular political philosophy. If Republicans moved to the Libertarian party, they would change the Libertarian party to the point where it would no longer be considered libertarian. At that point, what difference does it make? Conservatives in congress will just have an L next to their name instead of an R. People's political philosophies don't come from their political party, the political party's philosophy comes from its members. A Libertarian party filled with Republicans who hate Trump won't look like a party filled with libertarians, it will look exactly like a party filled with Republicans who hate Trump.

The problem with Libertarianism isn't the party, the problem is that the philosophy itself simply isn't very popular. For that to change, powerful libertarian voices need to win people over to their cause. A libertarian version of Bill O'Riley, for example, could win people over. As of right now, people just aren't interested in libertarianism.
 
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