I am tickled to see the media attention my party is enjoying this election season. I, like all people, hope with all my heart that my party's nominee is chosen by the American people to be our next president. My candidate is Gary Johnson- Libertarian. He, along with running mate Bill Weld, is popping up on Meet the Press, CNN, Local News, NPR, The Late Show and a host of other outlets. This is a far cry from the attention nominees Harry Browne, Michael Badnarik, Bob Barr and Johnson have garnered in past elections. Why the sudden interest? The two best political candidates rolled out by the large mammal parties are a lying crook and an egomaniacal-Hitlerian bozo. This jolt of caffeine has been a wake up call to the population. People see the choices and ask themselves "Perhaps other alternatives should be explored?" Enter my little party.
I became politically aware when I was in 5th grade. Gerald Ford drew my attention because, believe it or not, in the wake of Watergate, he took the presidency out of the news. I thought he deserved a second term in the '76 election. On election night, while my mother and my uncle discussed how they voted for Carter, I proudly told them I voted for Ford in Miss Tuttle's election because he calmed things down after Watergate. They looked at me like I had leprosy.
In '80 I threw my support to Reagan. After 4 years of Carter, a majority of people threw their support to the Gipper. Carter (one of our worst Presidents) was the reason I became a young Republican. The Reagan years coming off the Carter years, looked like Nirvana.
I kept my Republican affiliation through G.H. Bush. In '96 my party rolled Bob Dole to battle Bill Clinton. I had become increasingly frustrated with my party. They preached fiscal responsibility but history from Eisenhower on proved they did not practice what they preached. As an adult I looked back at the Reagan years to realize the prosperity was built on an ever-increasing national debt. I became frustrated that my party was more interested in telling adult people how to live their lives rather then letting people make their own decisions. I bristle when someone tells me how to live my life. I allow adult people the freedom to make their own choices. That is the basis of liberty, Reluctantly, I voted for Dole, but I was on the verge of a paradigm shift.
The Democratic Party was not an option for me. The party's platform of ever-increasing government to match the socialist countries of Europe is a pushback to personal freedom. I don't want that. I realized I am fiscally conservative but socially moderate. Through research I found the Libertarian Party.
In 2000 I went into the booth and voted for Harry Browne. I was actually nervous to leave the booth because I felt I had committed some kind of treason. Guess what? The two-party system is not law. I left the library in Collinsville, Illinois without getting shot. I turned the corner and voted my conscious (long before being prompted by Ted Cruz).
I am a Libertarian because I believe in the platform. Period. I did not jump aboard out of frustration over Hillrod or the Donald. This has been my party for 16 years. I am not a Liber because I want to steal votes from one candidate and give the election to the other. I vote LP because I believe in their platform. I do not throw my vote away. I vote what I think is best and I DON'T VOTE THE LESSER OF TWO EVILS. Voting against a candidate is truly throwing your vote away.
During the 2012 election I evolved from being a passive Libertarian to an active party member. I felt the need to do this to educate people that 1) the two-party system is not gospel 2) my party falls in line with the thinking of the majority of Americans and 3) people complain every four years how inept our president is, yet they keep voting Republicrats into office. My motto: STOP COMPLAINING AND VOTE REAL CHANGE. Real change is not voting for the big mammal candidates. As Bernie proved, you can bark you're an outsider until you are blue in the face but, in the end, you're still at the mercy of the party machine.
We are a small party that does not have the financial resources of the big mammal parties. We are not lead by a billionaire with 4.5 billion dollars in the bank. We are built on working people who believe in personal freedom. We believe the government is in place to protect our rights and keep our country safe (and no, carrying on covert wars in the Middle East does not keep us safe). That is who my party is. As Johnson/Weld continues to pick up steam, do your due diligence. Research our party and make an informed decision before you go into the booth. Who knows, you might like what you see.
