What's the Matter With the Libertarians?

By P.J. O'Rourke

Why isn't the Libertarian Party doing better in the 2016 presidential election?

As of the latest polling, the Gary Johnson/Bill Weld ticket is only attracting 7%-8% support from likely voters.

A strong streak of libertarianism runs through the American character. It's something we seem to be born with. If you have kids, you hear it all the time. Almost the first things kids say when they learn to talk are three phrases that might as well be slogans for libertarianism: "Leave me alone!" "Quit telling me what to do!" and "That's mine!"

And yet, Libertarians aren't attracting the kind of attention you would expect in an election where the two major-party candidates are so disliked that they seem to be engaged in a competition to see who can get "unfriended" most on Facebook.

The Libertarian Party has an excellent campaign platform.

The platform starts with a Statement of Principles...

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

It's impossible to disagree with that.

The platform is solid in its support for economic liberties...

The only proper role of government in the economic realm is to protect property rights, adjudicate disputes, and provide a legal framework in which voluntary trade is protected. All efforts by government to redistribute wealth, or to control or manage trade, are improper in a free society.

The platform also goes right to the monetary heart of economic liberty...

We favor free-market banking... We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies and unconstitutional legal tender laws.

And it minces no words about government finance and spending...

We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Constitution... Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a "Balanced Budget Amendment"... provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes.

The Libertarian platform is forthright on gun control...

We affirm the individual right recognized by the Second Amendment to keep and bear arms, and oppose the prosecution of individuals for exercising their rights of self-defense.

It addresses environmental concerns with intelligence...

Governments are unaccountable for damage done to our environment and have a terrible track record when it comes to environmental protection. Protecting the environment requires a clear definition and enforcement of individual rights and responsibilities.

And it carefully handles tricky issues like abortion...

Recognizing that... people can hold good-faith views on all sides, we believe that government should be kept out of the matter, leaving the question to each person for their conscientious consideration.

It's only on matters of foreign policy that I'm not sure I'm fully in step with the Libertarians...

American foreign policy should seek an America at peace with the world. Our foreign policy should emphasize defense... and enhance the likelihood of peace by avoiding foreign entanglements.

I detect a little wishful thinking there, given the lunatic behavior of America's foreign adversaries. But better some Libertarian wishful thinking than the bad thinking or no thinking of Trump and Hillary.

Meanwhile, the Libertarian candidates have plenty of experience in government leadership.

Gary Johnson was the Republican governor of normally Democratic New Mexico from 1995 to 2003. He supported marijuana legalization in a socially conservative region and pushed school vouchers, ignoring powerful opposition from an entrenched public-education establishment. He allowed no tax increases, vetoed 750 spending bills sent to him by the state legislature (more vetoes than the other 49 states' governors put together), laid off 1,200 state employees, eliminated New Mexico's budget deficit, and left the state with a $1 billion budget surplus.

If you're worried about a candidate's "real-world experience," before Johnson entered politics, he founded one of New Mexico's largest construction firms.

If you're worried about a candidate's health and fitness, Johnson has climbed Mt. Everest.

Bill Weld was the Republican governor of invariably Democratic Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997, making him the first GOP governor of the state since 1970. And he was re-elected by the largest margin in the state's history. He cut state spending and taxes and privatized many state services. During his tenure, the number of Massachusetts CEOs who rated their state's business climate as "good" or "excellent" went from 33% to 83%.

But never mind how good the platforms and candidates are. It isn't working.

You would think, given the wholesale socialist statism of Hillary Clinton and the imperious, bossy demagoguery of Donald Trump, that the 2016 presidential election would be teaching us a lesson in the value of individual liberty.

But it hasn't been.

My theory is that we aren't learning our lesson in individual liberty because the world is such a scary place. We're beset by the alarming speed of technological change, worrisome economic instability, threatening global instability, and terrifying violent fanaticism.

Fear is a bad schoolmarm. We've got a monster at the blackboard. How can we learn even "two plus two" if all we can think about is, "EEEEK, the teacher is huge and slimy and scaly and has three heads!"

So we turn to the big, stupid bullies at the back of the classroom for help – Trump and Hillary.

We don't know where else to turn.

Libertarianism doesn't seem to be the answer because libertarianism depends on civil society. Lately, our society has been anything but civil.

But we've abandoned libertarianism for another reason besides fear. The expansion of public politics leaves little room for private association – for civil society – where libertarianism can thrive.

Our community organizations, clubs, lodges, fellowships, brotherhoods, and churches no longer play important roles in the drama of civics. They've been upstaged by politics.

Every grievance, no matter how minor – such as the speed of our Internet connection – results in a political demonstration.

Politics has expanded. Politics has taken over.

Politics has become such an obese operatic performer warbling so loudly that none of us individual bit players can be heard. Politics is so fat that we individuals are shoved off the stage into the orchestra pit. It is over when the fat lady sings.

Of course, I have to acknowledge Gary Johnson and Bill Weld have not exactly been setting the campaign trail on fire.

I mean, they're good guys. But Johnson does seem as if he maybe not only advocated the legalization but also practiced the utilization of a certain recreational substance. Plus, he thinks "Aleppo" is a brand of dog food.

And I'm not sure what a centrist Republican like Weld is doing on a Libertarian slate. But he is known to like to have a good time. Maybe running for vice president gets him invited to more cocktail parties.

Gary Johnson and Bill Weld – I think of them as the "Toke and Tipple Ticket."

Well, we don't endorse candidates in the Stansberry Digest. As someone put it, "Our job isn't to back a horse. Our job is to change the racecourse."

But come election day, I wouldn't absolutely surprise myself if I turned out to be having a tipple. Or even (after searching my teenagers' bedrooms and backpacks) a toke.

And, since we now know that one or the other of the major-party candidates is going to win, I'll need it.

Regards,

P.J. O'Rourke