if you pledge your allegiance to a party - any party - you're fooked. they'll hold no allegiance to you after the election. vote for people, not parties.

The LP is different from any other party. Only the Libertarian Party requires each and every single member to sign a pledge that they agree to a certain set of principles. Nobody else does this. It's not so much that I have allegiance to the party. There are many people inside the party that I'd never vote for. But as a general rule of thumb, libertarians are far better people, far more intelligent, far more ethical, and have a greater understanding of what it takes to fix the damage caused by the major parties.

So while I won't vote for everyone inside the LP, I won't consider anyone outside it. Any vote for a Democrat or a Republican is a vote for larger, more expensive, more intrusive government that violates the limitations on its powers, steals more of our money, starts more unconstitutional wars (kills more people), attacks more of our civil rights, and tries to control more of our daily lives.

I hear NatCom violated the party platform several times in its proposal to depart Iraq.

Time out a second here...

Far better than who, exactly? The LP must be a very different party indeed if by signing a paper I become more, no, far more intelligent and ethical and understanding; a far better person. Hah! Better at what? Suspension of disbelief? You must be if you're entertaining the illusion that the presence or absence of a signature gives you *any* indication as to how intelligence, ethical or understanding a person is. Having not signed such a pledge myself, are you in a position to stand in judgement claiming to be a far better person than I am?

If there was even any hesitation in your vigorous denial of my proposition, then I think I may have some insights for you as to the difficulty your party has as to membership. It could be your towering superiority complex. You might want to have that checked out by a professional.

I will withold further comment, pending your reply.

The hubris of demanding "you shall all believe like we" ... I've heard that somewhere ... Catholic Church, Amway, Assorted Dictatorial Regimes* ...

(* I am not implying that the Libertarian Party is representative of a dictatorial regime, nor do I mean to malign dictatorial regimes, but the danger is there. Pass out the silver lame' jumpsuits, all hail the great leader.)

No. I'm just saying those who fit the description I made are typically the ones who are attracted to the LP.

I don't think it is a "superiority complex". Feel free to sit down with 5 random republicans or democrats from all walks of life and all income levels. Talk to them about the problems in America, what their solutions would be, and how those solutions further the cause of freedom in America. Ask specifics and you'll understand what I'm talking about.

In general the LP has a lot of logical thinkers. A lot of computer programmers, accountants, business owners, lawyers, etc. and they can all tell you about the U.S. Constitution, all tell you about the non-aggression principle, all tell you about how to fix things, why our solution is best, and how it will provide the most freedom at the least cost and inconvenience.

Thank you for your reply.

You haven't said anything that excludes the D or R party members. I reckon anybody politically motivated enough to go to the effort of signing onto the party's charter, could do the things you describe. I bet you interact with a bunch of smart people, people who know their stuff and walk and talk a lot of politics.

But that part about "why our solution is best", that's practically everybody. I applaud your efforts to engage people of other political persuasions. That's a good idea too. And I will freely acknowledge that many many people who say they're a Democrat or a Republican prefer the company of their own kind. That doesn't lead to growth, even for LPers.

I think most folks that bother to vote aren't members of a given party. I vote, I consider myself an informed voter, and I'm haven't signed up for membership in a given party. Compared to the general population, you and I are more informed, by a wide margin. But there are smart people on all sides of the political spectrum. Denying that is a mistake. Seeking to learn about and from your "opponents" makes good sense.