Liberty Blog
The views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of the Montgomery County Libertarian Committee or its members.
I wholly admit that the Libertarian Party has a branding issues. That issue did not begin recently, but truly dates back to the origin of our party in 1971. Since 1971 our platform has been used by some to make us “republican lite” and by others to die standing on “white idpol hill.” Choosing to tell me that in my private life my gender is my own, yet the moment I walk through a business’s door my gender becomes their property when it comes to which bathroom I use. These people also make a mockery of the very ideals of libertarianism and should not lecture us on satire in politics.
Others choose to die on hills pertaining to homophobia, transphobia, and racial bias. These people use the tired argument of “property rights” as a way to dance around the messy topics associated with it. Instead of objectively looking at potential issues they ignore it. These people should also not lecture us on satire in politics. All of these issues damage our image and branding far more than a candidate with a boot on his head ever would.
For the past 50 years, we have been viewed as the little sibling of the Republican Party and we deserve that. Let's face it, many of our members are former GOP including myself, and as a party, we haven't done enough to distance ourselves from the stereotype. Recently (within the past 5 months) I've found myself doing some serious soul searching as to where I even stand on the spectrum. I once used to revere the likes of Ron Paul and Rand Paul, the likes of Hayek, Ayn Rand, Mises, Rothbard, and Friedman. I wholly ignored the existence of a much less heard from part of our very own party, the libertarian-left. And this is where I believe that we have failed massively as a party and need to begin to work to fix our brand.
Vermin himself is a left-libertarian and is actively igniting the torch of liberty on the left side of our party. Furthermore, through apps like TikTok he is introducing the next generation of voters to our party. Search TikTok for #verminsupreme and you'll find millions of hits. We have to face a fact, on the national stage, over 40% of eligible voters stayed home last election cycle (2016). This is because the amount of political apathy in the United States has grown with each cycle as politics becomes more divisive and less welcoming to people.
The next term I’m going to mention needs to be explained, “Suit and tie politicians.'' This is not a dig on everyone who wears a suit and tie, but more an expectation that we embrace individuality and not pretend that a suit and tie makes you superior to the person in a tie-dye shirt next to you. In 2019 while I was a candidate for office, I wore a sports jacket and dress shirt, but one thing I did not do was hold myself to be superior to those who didn't. Perception is everything, on that I agree, but we need to remember what every voter wants, and that is a real person. Vermin is as real as it gets. He is a humble, down to earth person and voters see that from both sides of the aisle.
In the Libertarian Party, one of the most amazing things about our party is that we embrace individuality as I stated above. We don't shove those who are “different” to a corner. That is one of the things that brought me to this party. We also need to recognize that a lot of those who are “different” are the libertarian-left, which we need to capitalize on. As a party, we have a ton that we can learn from this often silent side of our ideology. Trust me, I know this because they are teaching me a ton myself.
Vermin has been helping to expand the membership of many state affiliates and also promotes down-ballot candidates. The fact that he has a celebrity status will show those on both sides of the aisle who are disenfranchised that there is a home for them in this party. Furthermore, it will show people that not all parties are the same, and that the Libertarian Party is home to true liberty and freedom. Every youth that Vermin reaches is another potential future voter for a down-ballot candidate and may possibly even be candidates themselves.
In the end and in simple terms, this party exists of a few broad sects of people. Those include anarchists, minarchists and voluntaryists to name a few. As an anarchist myself, I seek to bring the federal government to constitutional limits at a minimum. I have said many times “burning the system down” and I say this because people hear that and listen. Once they hear those words they become curious and Vermin is very talented in doing the same in ways many of us couldn't begin to touch. Vermin has a way to bring the eyes of a room to him, at that point he takes the boot off and speaks in ways regular people get.
Speaking on the boot and Vermin’s comedic message, it is similar to the false promises made by every officeholder from the two-party system. The key difference is that Vermin uses terms like “Zombie Energy” and “Free Ponies” to show the absurdity of the promises made by “real politicians.” Honing in on the boot, Vermin often takes it off when he needs to make a point or when speaking for extended periods of time. And honing in on the satirical message, he uses that as an ice breaker and always ventures into our platform and his stances.
I've said it often during the ramp-up of our 2020 candidate’s race for the nomination and I'll keep saying it. This election isn't about winning the presidency, anyone thinking that it is lying to themselves and those around them. We took in around 3.5% of the vote in 2016 with our most successful candidate for POTUS, Gary Johnson. This year is about getting 5-15% of the vote and getting us closer to dividing the vote to around 33% each between us and the two old parties. In doing so we suddenly go from being the fringe third party to a true contender. The only candidate we have with the reach to do that is Vermin. So set aside your preconceived judgments about the boot and message and you'll see that he can do it.
At this point I have to admit, up until this election cycle I thought Vermin was a total joke. He admits that those campaigns were not serious, but we now find ourselves at a point where he has the most dedicated team he has ever had with strong central leadership. He has openly stated that this is serious and that he wants to help us grow. In my opinion, it would be foolish to let this chance slip.
A few final thoughts, since 1971 we have tried the same thing over and over again with little success nationally. In 2020 we have a choice, try something different that could thrust us forward and put us in contention do something historic in 2028 or 2032, or keep the path we’ve been on and be in contention possibly in 2040 or later. So to those in my party, I ask this when Vermin wins the nomination in May where will you stand? Will you support and vote for the man with the message, and yes a boot, or will you work against him and the party as a whole?
Read Randy Garbin's counterpoint to this essay here.
