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Post 0

Monday, October 31 - 11:37am

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The LP failed to attract voters, so North Carolina acknowledged the obvious and pulled the plug on them. I did the same myself many years ago, and I recommend this course of action to everyone.

Peter

Post 1

Monday, October 31 - 7:36pm

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I don't think pulling out of the Libertarian Party is the best idea. All parties have wackos, but there are enough 'rational sounding' people in the two major parties to drown out the wackos. I think the problem that rational libertarians have is that we notice Libertarian Party wackos like the guy who turned his skin blue and ‘Starchild’ then don't join the party. If all rational libertarians join the Libertarian Party we have a better chance of drowning out the voices of the Starchilds.

Post 2

Wednesday, November 2 - 12:52am

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I agree with Stephen (contra Peter) that 3rd parties -- in particular, of the libertarian variety -- are a net good.

Folks in the US like a good dichotomy, but dichotomies can be false and, therefore, wrong -- for mankind. Bipartisan politics is one of the best examples (on earth) of a false dichotomy. This dichotomy, for instance, is persistently used in order to adopt "lesser" evils (ie. to advance toward statism).

Quips like "a vote for Badnarik is a vote for Kerry" surface, and even gain headway -- in the small minds paying attention. Rand is noted as someone who totally busted false dichotomies, perhaps better than any other thinker who has ever lived. To say that there is no "third way" is a cop-out in rationalist garb. It is to say that a step in the right direction can be wrong -- because of range-of-the-moment, concrete-bound, anti-conceptual concerns.

I think long range -- and from my view, the libertarian party is right and good for man on earth. Shame on N.C. -- for actively perpetuating man's suffering on this planet.

Ed

Post 3

Wednesday, November 2 - 8:24pm

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The NC State Board of Elections did in October what it could legally have done in February. They delayed because they knew we were petitioning to regain official ballot status and didn't want to unnecessarily spend the money to change all registered Libertarians to Unaffiliated.

Currently we have collected about 1/3 of the signatures needed to regain ballot status. As long as the requisite signatures are gathered by May, 2006 the Libertarian Party of North Carolina will then be on the ballot thru the 2008 election.

Decertifying the LP at this time had two major consequences. First, it made it currently impossible to register as a Libertarian. Second, the only two partisan elections (municipal) this year lost their Libertarian candidates. One of those candidates collected signatures on his own behalf and will be on the ballot anyway, but officially as an 'Unaffiliated' candidate.

Because North Carolina is among the hardest states to obtain ballot status, the LPNC has filed suit against the State to essentially throw out all current ballot access requirements. The legislature would then have to start from scratch. Recent court decisions and opinions give strong reason to believe the suit can be successful.

If the suit is successful the petitions will not be needed. That is why a greater effort has not been made to complete the petition drive. It is, however, continuing. No one wants all the eggs in one basket.

The LPNC will be on the ballot for the 2006 elections and beyond. In fact, the only presidential election we've missed since 1976 was 1988.

Post 4

Thursday, November 3 - 5:08pm

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Florida passed a constitutional amendment during its 20 year review cycle mandating a level playing field for all parties. Prior to that year 2000 change, the two major parties enjoyed significantly easier loadboarding of candidates onto the ballot than did any other party. I do not recall the details but I do recall the requirements as substantially more onerous for minor parties than for major ones. Now the Florida State Constitution requires all parties to meet the same ballot access requirements.