Is the LP Right for Me?

I am an occasional member of the Libertarian Party (LP). At the moment, I am not a member, but I could be open to the prospect of rejoining in the future. My initial reason for allowing my membership to lapse was simply because I questioned the wisdom of continuing to financially support an organization whose primary goal is winning elections when it consistently fails to accomplish that goal. More recently, I have begun to wonder whether I am wanted at all in the party. This is my effort to think through these issues and attempt to determine whether the party is right for me and whether I am right for it.

Whether you like or dislike the Democrats and Republicans, you have to recognize that those parties provide value to their members by advocating for and using their power to enact policy that their members want. The power to make change favorable to their membership is a real benefit that makes financial support worth the investment for those members. It also acts as a psychological assurance that the party, even if it isn’t currently winning on all policy fronts, is looking out for its members, and that feeling of protection is an additional benefit to the parties’ members.

Unfortunately, the LP offers no such benefit to its membership. It’s not their fault. They have no power and will not have the power in the foreseeable future to dictate policy change. Instead, they are limited to advocating from a position of no power and hoping that culture will eventually catch up, as it seems to do. Although that is a good thing and should be applauded, I’m not sure it’s enough to warrant financial support. Then there’s the issue of whether we are ideologically compatible.

The January 6th riot at the Capitol brought varied and intense reactions from everyone aware of its happening. The LP condemned the riots and their apparent goal, which is a good thing, but they also seemed to condemn the use of force in all circumstances of protest. There is no question that the actions of Trump supporters on January 6th were wrong inasmuch as those actions were aimed at overturning an election so an authoritarian could remain in power. What is not as clear is whether those same actions would be acceptable to the LP in other circumstances. I asked that question directly to the LP in the form of a tweet and never received an answer:

However, the LP did tweet this out:

So, the question becomes, when does the LP believe the initiation of force is acceptable and when will it back up those who initiate it.

It is my view that the actions of the rioters on January 6th would be acceptable in the right circumstances. Had those actions been taken in New York (or perhaps other states) in protest of the abusive nature of the state government during the pandemic, not only would I support those actions, I would be willing to participate in them. The reckless action of placing Covid infected patients in nursing homes, the targeting of religious groups for exercising their faith, the arbitrary and persistent closing of businesses not favored by the state, the inconsistent and illogical school opening and closing policies, and the hypocritical way the politicians violate the very same orders they expect citizens to abide by amounts to nothing less than abuse, justifying the type of response we saw at the Capitol.

The Non-Aggression Principle (NAP) is a cornerstone belief for the LP, and it should be. I also believe in the NAP and would not condone the use of force for minor disagreements or infractions on one’s rights. However, I cannot agree with anyone who believes that there is no NAP violation until the state has actually put a gun to a person’s head or dragged them out of their home. Such a narrow application of the NAP amounts to assent to tyranny.

So, if the LP’s position is that they will only support those who use violence when their life is actually at the point of being ended by the state, I cannot agree to be a part of their organization. I am not sure if that is their position, but what I do know is that I did not see the kind of organization from the LP that I saw from BLM and Antifa over the summer. Say what you will about those organizations, they are willing to climb down from their ivory tower to organize real action against oppression, and yes, that includes the use of force. I am not sure that the LP would support such actions from those victimized by arbitrary lockdown rules enacted in places like New York and California, and that’s the problem — I don’t feel like the LP would have my back in such a circumstance.

To be clear, I am not advocating the use of force or violence against non-state actors when the state has aggressed against its citizens. Such actions are always wrong and should be condemned and resisted with force when necessary. I am also not advocating the use of force against the state for routine policy disagreements. However, when the state takes it upon itself to enact policy that leads to the loss of life, property, or income without regard for any kind of due process, the use of force against government agents enforcing those policies and against government property is justified, and those who believe in liberty should have the courage to support those who place their liberty and safety on the line to fight back rather than just repeating over and over again that they do not believe in the use of force to achieve political goals as a sort of condemnation.

So, is the LP right for me? I doubt it. Am I right for it? Again, I doubt it.