I first became aware of the libertarian party in 1972, while living in Washington D.C.
They were running a candidate for President by the name of John Hospers who had written a book titled
Libertarianism. Having read the book as well as many others on the subject, I promptly joined the Party. I was then invited
to be the Washington delegate to the convention in Denver. I'm fairly sure that the only reason I was asked was due to
the fact that I was probably the only Libertarian In Wash., D.C. Not being able to afford the trip; I declined.
John Hospers and his running mate Tony Nathan got under 3000 votes nation wide.
For the next few years I subscribed to Reason Magazine, Ayn Rand letters and any other publication
on the subject I could find, which included numerous books, which don't need mentioning here. Needless to say I became
a strong advocate of Libertarian principles.
In 1976 Roger McBride ran and the
party decided to have a Media event in Wash, D.C. I was asked to man the entrance desk, which I excitedly accepted. Since
I wasn't part of the elite that occupied a smaller ballroom, I sadly wasn't able to participate in all of the intellectual
conversations that I'm sure was going on. However I did meet Nathanial Brandon whom I insisted that he pay the $6.00 to
enter the area, at which point I was informed that he was a guest speaker. Nevertheless, smiling he graciously gave me the
$6.00. At his presentation, one of the few I was able to attend, I stood next to Murray Rothbard, who made humorous remarks
all of which I've forgotten.
Roger got 173,00 votes, followed by Ed Clark
in 1980 getting almost a million.
Then sometime in 1983 or 1984 the party went
through one of those purest intellectual arguments and since then has only gotten 300,000-400,000 votes in presidential elections
and I lost interest in the politics of Libertarianism as apparently the rest of the country did, until recently.
The concepts of individual liberty has been around for a long time, with the first real taste of
it during the 17th and 18th centuries in England, where a 2 house parliament was developed. The structure
of England was the Monarch the House of Lords and the House of Commons. It wasn't a Libertarian society, but it was better
than the Absolute rule of Kings in Spain or France. The American colonies were a natural outcrop; left to their devices that
taste became a craving, leading to our Constitution and Bill of Rights. None of this happened over night. It took Centuries
of intellectual arguments with it gradually being implemented into society frequently with violence. If our forefathers had
sat around their Taverns doing nothing other than discussing these libertarian ideas, we would be living in an entirely different
world.
Liberty is never won nor for that manner maintained in a single battle.
It's done by pieces in one step at a time; sometimes winning other times losing.
The people of the United States have acquired a taste. A taste that has turned into a craving and once it
is known it can't be forgotten. The Libertarian movement is a natural continuation or outcropping of this taste. Will
it succeed is not the real question, but when.
