Liberty Blog

The opinions expressed in this article are not those of the MontcoLP Comittee. It is part one of a two-part series about the state of the party's public perception. 

Let's Fix the Libertarian Party’s Branding Problem

Having spent most of my career working as a creative, I’ve acquired a fundamental understanding of marketing and branding. At the moment, I’m working with a small restaurant that hopes soon to franchise. They already have a great product. They brought me in to help them polish their look and their messaging, because the big money they hope to attract mostly cares about brand value. Food is food, but when a customer recognizes a brand from mile away and associates it with something they love, that’s money, baby. 

The Libertarian party has a serious branding problem. Tell the average Joe what you are, and he’ll likely consign you to the lunatic fringe. It won’t matter that you just helped that guy change his tire or just paid for his coffee when he found himself a dollar short. Ew. Libertarian. 

Libertarianism recently experienced a minor disturbance in the force over Vermin Supreme and his “wins” in a few state primaries. I’ve done zero research on Vermin, and for good reason. He wears a boot on his head. That’s pretty much all I need to know about the guy.

Libertarians suffer slings and arrows from “mainstream” society for a variety of reasons, but the stone aimed at the Libertarian freak show hits a bullseye. I know that the two major parties also have their lunatic fringe, but they keep it corralled. When the Democratic circus came to Philadelphia in 2016, they let their more radical members fly their freak flags well out of reach of the news media in Roosevelt Park. 

In contrast, the Libertarian Party puts their side show in the center ring. According to Wikipedia, our upcoming national convention will select among Vermin, Jo Jorgensen, Dan Behrman, and maybe John MacAfee as our next presidential candidate. Never mind that none of these unknowns have a remote chance of reaching Gary Johnson’s 2016 historic vote percentage, the fact that delegates must seriously consider a guy with a boot on his head says it all to the vast majority of voters. 

The bad branding reaches all the way down to the local level, of course. Honing our message requires careful consideration, especially at the local level. Compounding our problem are candidates that publicly campaign with facial piercings, Metallica T-shirts, cargo shorts, hot pants, and/or tube tops. They waste not just their time, but as someone who wants to help get them elected, they waste mine. 

If you can’t play politics, then don’t do politics. I too harbor plenty of ire for professional politicians, but I do recognize the skill involved. It’s not easy. You might have dreams of “blowing up the system,” but so did the half-million at Woodstock, and today they draw down their 401Ks administered by their corporate overlords. 

I understand that using the term “freak show” twists the panties of some brilliant, hard working Libertarians, but the very people we need to reach apply that pejorative and worse. 

According to an oft-said axiom, you dress for the job you want, not the one you have, and in politics the winners emerge from within the parameters of societal norms. Last I checked, no one occupying any local, state, or national office goes to work with footwear on their head. 

I’m a life-long libertarian, and I signed up with the county party about two years ago. I joined for the camaraderie, for the beer, and to help put a few libertarians in public office. We’ve had some success. Our group has an interesting mix of members from divergent backgrounds, and we all walk the walk as well as talk the talk. 

But I’ll be frank here: I have to wonder how serious our effort when we nominate and support candidates for office who have a greater chance winning Powerball than getting 0.1% of the vote in a contest for dog catcher. With our meager resources, it seems obvious to me that we focus on races where we have a fighting chance — borough or township councils — the low hanging fruit of politics. 

Local offices don’t require a voluminous public service resume. However, legitimate candidates need to show their commitment to their communities and — this is key — present themselves well and have a reputation for playing nice with others. 

When we can show our neighbors that Libertarians live in their midst and belie the image spread on The Daily Kos or Salon, and that we make great neighbors, raise happy families, and participate in our communities, we build the brand.

And if you don’t want to wear a tie or a Polo shirt, and you delight in showing off your facial tattoo of a couple in a standing 69, please join me behind the scenes working on position papers, designing logos, distributing yard signs, or manning a phone bank. I’ll buy you a beer when we’re done. 

Read Henry Conoly's response here.