Monday, September 3, 2012

A Note to Libertarians Thinking of Running for Office

From Thomas Jefferson:
Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct.

9 comments:

  1. lol. what other way is there to bring about liberty if not run for office??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Changing the political culture of society is the best way to bring about liberty, in my opinion. If a liberty candidate runs for office, yet runs in a district where people are statists, then that candidate would fail to gain traction. People need to see government for what it truly is: a legitimized organized crime syndicate. They need to be persuaded that using force via proxy to achieve social goals (which is what government essentially is) is just as immoral as using force directly. Once people realize this, then the difficult task of dismantling control from the power elite becomes a little less difficult.

      Delete
    2. The other way to bring about liberty is to de-legitimize the state by intellectual revolution.

      Delete
    3. There are as many non-political ways to work towards liberty as there are ways to betray your principles while running for office. Your imagination is the limit.

      Delete
    4. This comment depresses me. Can the idea of the state be THAT ingrained that the notion of working outside of it is inconceivable?

      Delete
    5. Take a look at how the country was changed within a couple decades or so despite blatant media hostility and lying over that issue to being radically pro gun. It didn't come from people in office, it came from educational efforts in newspapers, the internet, lobbying groups, books, etc. That led to almost everyone in both parties, including obama and pelosi and reid, being terrified of the issue when they were in power.

      Polling numbers reflects the shift as well. It wasn't electing republicans that changed anything, it was educating and changing the culture of the people. Then the politicians were scared to touch the gun control issue other than a few fascists in safe Dem districts that don't have to answer to the national party.

      Those of us on the pro gun movement remember that as late as the 1990s, there were still many fascist thugs like sarah brady and foxnews "conservative" charles krauthammer calling for banning ALL privately held firearms. Now they all claim to support the 2nd amendment, but of course they don't. Sarah Brady even had to change her group's name from "handgun control inc" to "the violence policy institute" bc their views were so out of the mainstream.

      Sarah was forced to go from advocating banning all pistols in the 90s to now saying she just wants restrictions on high capacity mags. Did electing republicans in races change that, or did changing the people's mindset change it? Here is a hint: Ron paul has said over and over that winning a race isn't what is going to change anything, but changing the ideas and culture of the people will.

      Delete
  2. That's wisdom right there.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Doesn't apply to ron paul. He's speyshul.

    ReplyDelete