I have decided to quit the Libertarian Party and join the Democratic Party. My ideological beliefs and principles have not changed, but my concerns and priorities have.
There are three big reasons why I’m making the switch.
1. Republicans staged a coup attempt on January 6th. They came very close to overthrowing Congress and installing Trump as a dictator. And they are trying very hard to pretend that this failed coup didn’t happen.
2. A new generation of Democrats is taking marijuana legalization and police brutality seriously. I’m at a point where instead of voting to express my ideals, I want to vote to achieve a result. This is how many idealists end up becoming Democrats, and it has finally happened for this libertarian.
3. The alt-right is staging a takeover of the Libertarian Party. The Libertarian Parties of Kentucky, New Hampshire, and Connecticut have been posting dog whistle tweets and Holocaust memes on their verified Twitter accounts. While there are still many principled Libertarians within the LP, it’s starting to become a magnet for deplorables. At the start of 2021, I was chairman of the Libertarian Party of Allen County, Indiana. I was voted out as chair because I publicly blamed Trump for the Capitol riot. The new chairman dismissed the terrorist attack as “just a few broken windows” and insisted that I was biased against Trump. There are also anarchists within the Libertarian Party. While I’ve never been an anarchist myself, we all had the understanding that violently overthrowing the government would be suicidal and futile. But this year, some folks made a solid attempt at overthrowing Congress and survived. What was once unthinkable now seems totally doable in some circles. So I don’t want to work with anarchists anymore.
My goal over the next election cycle is to cause Republicans to lose support, funding, and elections. Yes, I disagree with Joe Biden on things like the economy and healthcare. But if Republicans plunge this country into civil war, that will have a worse impact on economic growth and public health. Call me selfish, but I just don’t want Americans to experience what Republicans have been doing to other countries.
And I don’t mean to scare you all, but I think a lot of libertarian and conservative voters will decide to switch party affiliations over the next couple of years. Like it or not, the Democratic Party is the closest thing to a conservative party right now. The Republicans have their feet firmly planted in the air, to paraphrase FDR. So your typical suit-wearing, SUV-driving, corporate tool is going to take a long loving look at his portfolio and decide that supporting Trumpy conspiracy theorists just isn’t in his best financial interests. You can try to get conservatives to care about others and get nowhere, but if you appeal to their self-interests, then you might make some headway. And it is in my interests to recognize that Joe Biden is the lawfully elected President of the United States.
To be sure, way too many Republicans aren’t even this rational. You’re going to need all the help you can with them. Every 4 years, you’ve been telling me that I’m wasting my vote. And I’ve seen a number of pieces by progressives blasting libertarianism the same way conservatives blast socialism. But here I am anyway. You and I are us now.
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