Whenever I have five or more people ask me the same question, or bring up the same subject, I feel obligated to express my thoughts in this column on the subject. Because local people identify me as a person with political experience, I have been approached by many with the same question: “What does the Libertarian Party stand for?”

It makes me long for the good old days when people kept their political leanings to themselves and partisan politics was not a subject to be discussed in proper social circles. So much for “Back in the day..!”

Former New Mexico Republican Governor Gary Johnson and former Massachusetts Republican Governor Bill Weld are running for President and Vice President of the United States representing the Libertarian Party. Because of the remarkably unpopular Donald Trump and equally unpopular Hillary Clinton, the Johnson/Weld ticket has a chance of determining who will become the next occupant of the White House.

With Dr. Jill Stein representing the Green Party, chances become even stronger that whoever wins in November will win by less than 40 percent of the popular vote. I say this because many Republicans will not vote for Trump and instead will move to the Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Conversely, disaffected Democrats who supported Sen. Bernie Sanders and don’t trust Hilary Clinton may be drawn to the Green Party’s Stein.

So why would the Libertarian Party be attracting Republicans who oppose Trump?

My first suggestion is to visit the website of the Libertarian Party at www.lp.org.

What I have gleaned from the Libertarian website is that “liberty” is the basis for all politics, meaning the less government the better. Personal Liberty, Economic Liberty and Securing Liberty are the headers for their platform.

At its core and in current political terms, the Libertarian Party does not support laws that infringe on personal choice (read: pro-choice), what you are allowed to grow (read: legalizing marijuana) , and whom you are allowed to marry (read: support for LGBT rights).

Under the heading “Economic Liberty,” the Libertarian support the repeal of state and federal income taxes, Social Security, and all other federal programs that infringe of one’s right to earn a living.

I guess you can imagine what is under the heading “Securing Liberty”: Libertarians oppose any form of gun control that prevents individuals from protecting private property and for their own personal defense.

So if you are pro-choice, pro-gun, and are ambivalent on LGBT, Social Security and paying taxes, you may want to take a look at the Libertarian Party platform.

There is much more to the Libertarian platform than I have listed here, but it gives one pause to realize that for the first time since the days of Ross Perot and John B. Anderson, the third and fourth party will determine who wins, including their own candidates. Both Green Jill Stein and Libertarian Gary Johnson have a real shot at winning the White House this year, thanks to Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, and less than 40 percent of the voters.

 

A native of Niles, Jack Strayer moved back home in 2009 after living and working in Washington DC since 1976. Strayer has served as a congressional staffer, state legislative press secretary, federal registered lobbyist and Vice President of the National Center for Policy Analysis. He is a nationally recognized expert on federal health policy reform and led the fight for the enactment of Health Savings Accounts (HSAs).