How Can The Libertarian Party Come Together and Succeed?

by Resa Willis

The purpose of this narrative is to offer transparency and expose the critical components lending to a lack of forward progress. Although our party has seen advances during this election cycle partially made possible by polarizing old-party candidates, our opportunity to fully capitalize on the current political climate has been undermined by infighting, inaction, and exclusion.

A political party, like any complicated system, must have operative sub-systems in place. Just as a living organism is comprised of many specialized systems, it cannot function when a sub-system fails to function.

The goal of the Libertarian Party, much like the goal of most human beings, is not simply to exist—it is to live. Existence, whether in human form or as a political party, is a sickness indicative of apathy and inaction, and the passive acceptance of the status quo. Simply existing does not get us noticed. Living requires healthy systems, working together toward a common goal: liberty and freedom.

Our bodies are comprised of trillions of cells, each with specialized roles, working together to provide a special function for the overall being. Similar cells band together to form unique tissues. Bone cells form skeletal tissue, cardiac cells form heart tissue, skin cells form integumentary tissue, nerve and glial cells form brain tissue, etc. Our party is comprised of specialized cells just like this. We have anarchists, anarcho-capitalists, minarchists, classic liberals, and many other philosophies. The minarchists, when put together, form the minarchy ‘tissue’ of the party. The anarchists, when put together, comprise the anarchy tissue, and so forth.

Ideally, when specialized tissues come together, they work with each other to form systems comprising a healthy organism capable of not only existing, but truly living. Non-working systems and systems wishing to exist solely in isolation contribute to the illness of the entire organism.

Our party is ill.

We argue, we exclude, and we fail to match narratives with action.

We have necrotic tissue occupying key leadership positions across the country who maintain these roles purely for a title, doing little to advance the party. New blood seeking to make a difference and inject life into the party faces the frustration of coming up against this necrotic leadership, only to be met with indifference or outright refusal of acknowledgement. Our party is losing immense potential by not immediately embracing these enthusiastic potential members. We simply cannot afford this. Loss of potential due to ego will continue to suffocate, slowly snuffing out the injection of new life. Revolutions are not born from ego and complacency. If we want a revolution, we have to go get a revolution.

Technicalitarians, another hindrance to achieving a healthy system, are best viewed from the screens of social media, spending their time at home, picking at the minute details associated with others’ philosophies. These are the people who can’t see the forest for the trees. Instead of finding common ground with others, they go out of their way to pounce on differences in viewpoints, adamantly arguing with others, proclaiming how ‘right’ they are. We are so hellbent on being correct, that we expend all of our energy trying to tout our intellectual superiority, meanwhile getting absolutely nothing done for the party. We can sit back and argue philosophies, or we can actually get out there and take action. Revolutions are not born from words alone. If we want a revolution, we have to go get a revolution.

Libertarians encompass a highly diverse group of people, so myriad viewpoints is a given. The Technicalitarians get so bogged down in the details, that it prompts them to judge others as “not Libertarian enough.” We call each other statists, the Libertarian version of “Poopiehead” as the ultimate insult, saturating the power of a very serious word. We push away disenfranchised old party members, who seek shelter with our party, by attacking them on issues on which they differ from us. Embracing common ground is the only way to make people feel welcome, yet we drive them off. What a waste of opportunity, and a sad representation of our party.

Another example of exclusion is the power plays of established members in offices that keep others from obtaining positions. Important seats in large states are remaining unoccupied because of old guard members wishing to maintain their control of the balance of power, leaving entire counties without representation. As an extension of this, our organizational structure is also adversely affected by gaps in leadership, lack of efficient communication, personal power plays, and outright apathy. Communication and organization are the neural pathways to transmit communication throughout the entity, yet the connections are failing.

This year has provided a prime opportunity to unite and make our presence known—an opportunity to move past existence and truly live as a party. We are allowing our differences to divide us, and we cannot afford it. Divisiveness creates chaos. Unity ignites revolutions.

We have an opportunity to put our differences aside and pursue the common goals of the party: liberty and freedom. Our systems are healthy standing alone, but we must unite the systems to create a working, living entity that can accomplish the seemingly insurmountable. The old parties do not have this opportunity. They are akin to Frankenstein’s creation: pieces stitched together into a monstrosity that cannot be controlled anymore, creating fear and causing people to feel helpless to change what has been created. In a time where we are watching the monster tear itself apart from the inside out, we should be creating a beautiful alternative for those seeking something different.

Our party has an unprecedented opportunity to do this very thing, yet our lack of action, confrontational adherence to unwavering views of what true libertarianism is and is not, and personal egos are fracturing our party. We cannot move past existence this way.

If we want a revolution, we have to go get a revolution.

We must unite. We must put aside contention. We must get up, get out there, and get noticed. We cannot sit back and allow a small fraction of the people to do the majority of the work. We must put ego aside. We must focus on the end goal instead of fighting about how to get there.

We cannot simply exist. We must LIVE.

Revolutions are not born from apathy, inaction, and discord. If we want a revolution, we have to go get a revolution.

Together.