The Case for Concentration
Is a political reality in the future of libertarians? Will the case for migration and concentration be the proposal that sees victory in the end?
“An idea whose time has come cannot be stopped by any army or any government” -Ron Paul
The Failure
In 2001, Jason Sorens wrote a paper about how the history of libertarian politics in the united states was replete with decades of failures and waning momentum. In his discussion of what political progress the Libertarian Party had made in its first 30 years, he comes to an immediate and obvious conclusion. None.
No meaningful sustained electoral success, and a continued lack of relevance at the national stage of politics, but consistently topping out at 3-4% in state elections. A recipe for failure at best, and an argument for a diagnosis of insanity at worst. Doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results, is the definition of insanity after all. Well, perhaps we’re past due for a revisiting of his work.
If you haven’t read Sorens’ essay, I suggest you do. It’s short, thorough, and direct. It isn’t a heavy read, but its ramifications are profound for those whose lives are embroiled in the political fight for liberty. You can read it here.
The Success
Following the call to action in Sorens’ essay, a group of activists, along with Sorens, formed a new organization and drafted an online petition and pledge to move to New Hampshire once the petition reached 20,000 signers. With a mission to exert their “fullest practical efforts” to achieve liberty in their lifetimes, those who signed the pledge, and eventually moved to New Hampshire became known as Free Staters. In February of 2016, the goal of 20,000 signers was reached, although a great many made the move ahead of time to lay the groundwork for the future.
Starting businesses, laying the foundations of community, getting involved politically, and running for office, these early movers and Free Staters had a profound impact on the state. From initiatives for cannabis decriminalization to constitutional carry, and some of the country's most expansive school choice programs, the political successes of Free Staters have provided a stark contrast to the continued failure of political libertarianism on the national scale. Aside from topping the CATO Institute’s Freedom Index as the freest state, New Hampshire has also become a sort of Mecca for libertarian activists seeking a friendly and welcoming community where they can be surrounded by people who share their values.
The Insanity
While libertarians in New Hampshire have been seeing gains and success, those in the other 49 states have continued to pursue failure in electoral politics time and time again. An unfathomable number of activists have been burned out, and an absurd amount of money has been wasted chasing the ever-elusive goal of “ballot access” for the Libertarian Party. This fundamental hurdle, which in and of itself does nothing to improve electoral results, as here 50 years later Libertarian Candidates continually reach to break 3-4% in federal and statewide elections.
In fact, getting a single state representative elected, Marshal Burt in Wyoming, as a Libertarian, took the combined resources, efforts, and finances of the entire Libertarian Party and its flagship Frontier Program, to campaign full time and spend tens of thousands of dollars to get 53% against an incumbent Democrat, who didn’t raise money, didn’t campaign, and had run unopposed and never had an opponent in his career. In 2022, Burt will face a Republican challenge, in a newly redistricted and gerrymandered district, how he will fare- anyone’s guess.
The fact that Burt’s opponent achieved 47% of the vote without campaigning, simply based on the letter next to his name on the ballot, should be an indicator of why the strategy of partisan libertarianism is failing. Voters are stupid, voters are uneducated, and don’t make an effort to inform themselves. Voters have no incentive to inform themselves either, as the truth is, the candidates the major parties run accurately reflect their values and morals as far as they are concerned. People identify based on what political party they are registered with and align with, and that is who they vote for, no matter the reality of what the candidate supports or advocates.
The System
Politics in the united states, with its direct representation, and winner take all election systems, has devolved into a strong two-party system for most of the country’s history. In any system where only a plurality is required to elect someone, you will inevitably see consolidation between two competitive parties. So it comes as no surprise, that the United States has had a strong two-party system, that has only gotten stronger over the years.
The advent of social media and the internet brought people closer together than ever before, and with that closeness and interconnectedness, has come division and anger. The cost of expressing controversial political opinions has diminished to zero, as social networks are no longer limited by geography, and cyberspace has become the new public square for outreach and debate. As people debate their ideas, they’ve become more and more divided along them. And as politics has become more divisive, people have begun to publicly and socially identify with political parties.
And with neither major political party actually representing a consensus of the people, politics has become a fight for plurality control, with a minority imposing their viewpoints on a majority of other minorities at any given time. So is it any wonder that Libertarians continue to fail at trying to provide an alternative that people don’t want?
The Solution
The destructive nature of partisan politics is the antithesis of the promise given to us by the American Republic. A government representative of the people and their varying different cultures was promised and delivered, before being corrupted, bought, and transformed into the bureaucratic and pedantic nightmare we know as the United States Government. With an understanding that libertarian philosophy will forever be a fringe ideology, and a minority of people truly embracing the values, ethics, and culture of liberty, what choice do we have but to abandon the false hope of democracy at large?
Concentration is the key, and only by coming together in a single geographic jurisdiction will libertarians concentrate enough of our collective influence to have an impact on the greater culture, and in effect the legislature and politics of that Jurisdiction. And thanks to the work of Jason Sorens, The Free State Projects, and the early movers who kickstarted the migration for liberty, that place is New Hampshire. In New Hampshire alone have libertarians garnered enough influence to be talked about openly in the news, to have seen our policies become law, and see government dwindle and freedoms grow year after year. And with a healthy disrespect for partisan politics, we don’t waste our time trying to fail repeatedly like libertarians elsewhere, as those who run as partisan libertarians have taken the mantle of outreach, growth, and public education, those who don the registration of whatever party is most popular in their district manipulate the democratic systems towards enabling them to vote in the legislature in favor of freedom.
Live Free and Thrive: 101 Reasons Why Liberty Lives in New Hampshire
What makes New Hampshire so special? Well, I wrote a new book about that, available in kindle and paperback formats in mid-November. We’re also going to be producing a brand new documentary about it as well! And we have a great crowdfunding campaign started to help produce it so we can publish it for free!
All donors will be thanked in the credits, and there are producer credits available still if you are interested! Reach out to me with any questions!
Subversive #86: “The Case for Concentration”
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Summary
21 years ago, someone had a novel idea. What if, the small number of libertarians across the country decided to stop losing, and started moving? By concentrating their small numbers in a small area, they could amplify their political voice at the local and state level, and create a utopia of libertarianism as proof of concept of their ideology. Well, with 21 years down, what progress is there to show for the effort? Have the predictions held true? Is there any argument left for the Libertarian political strategy? We will revisit Jason Sorens' original paper, and examine how the strategy has held up compared to political libertarianism.
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