What’s Wrong with the Libertarian Party?

The Libertarian Party has been in existence since 1971, and it has never presented a considerable challenge to the Republicans or Democrats.

The unfortunate thing is that the Libertarian Party—philosophically—is closer to the ideals of our Founding Fathers than any other party on the current political scene. The question is: If the Libertarian Party is the most traditionally American party, why does it do so poorly in national elections? The answer is simple: The Libertarian Party is too extreme.

Most American do not know much about the Libertarian Party, and they hear about only the most controversial elements. For example, the Libertarians are extremely liberal on the drug issue. This issue alone alienates the vast majority of potential Libertarian voters. How many mainstream Americans really want to be associated with a pro-drug party?

This is the problem. Libertarians just take things too far and are unwilling to budge on anything. The Libertarian Party platform does have a clear and consistent philosophy of freedom and minimal government, but most Americans are not ready to swallow the whole Libertarian pill. The country has gotten too far from its original structure, and through the generations, people have lost touch with the concept of true liberty. Americans have grown comfortable with having the government involved in every aspect of their lives. The prospect of full freedom just sounds like anarchy to most people.

If the Libertarian Party wants to be viewed as a serious and viable party, they have no choice but to adopt an incremental approach. The party needs to show some flexibility by backing off of its most unattractive positions and work toward the big picture of becoming a mainstream national party.

The Libertarians have some very good ideas on many issues such as gun rights, taxation, free speech, and free trade. In many ways, the Libertarian views on these issues match the views of millions and millions of Americans. If the Libertarians would just get focused on a few key issues and put the rest of their platform on the backburner, they could gain tremendous national support. There are millions of disillusioned Republicans and Democrats looking for a place to go. If you Libertarians get your act together, a lot of those voters could be yours.