Everybody who knows me knows that I think the Libertarian Party is a joke. It’s not because they’re politically impotent, that is at least consistent with libertarianism. It’s because the party is striving to become like the two major political parties and in so doing is sacrificing libertarian principles. Case in point, the Libertarian Party is now purging dissenters from its ranks:
The Howell man whose impromptu striptease last month at the Libertarian Party’s national convention made headlines across the U.S. has been suspended from the party.
James Weeks II announced Sunday evening that Libertarian Executive Committee officials approved his suspension earlier in the day because of his actions.
Weeks, chairman of the party’s Livingston County branch and an announced party candidate for county sheriff, said “the reasoning behind this suspension is their disapproval of my use of free expression in lieu of a speech during my run for Libertarian Party chair at the national convention.”
Normally I don’t find dancing overweight men wearing a g-string appealing. But Weeks was the highlight of the Libertarian Party’s national convention. While all the super serious people were busy nominating somebody who isn’t a libertarian to be the party’s presidential candidate, Weeks went on stage to reminded everybody that the idea of a libertarian political party is a joke. John McAfee, the only frontrunner in the Libertarian Party’s presidential race that displayed genuine libertarian beliefs, had the best response to Weeks antics:
When James Weeks stripped at the LP Convention last Sunday there were widespread boo’s and general disapproval of Mr. Week’s exuberance. Rather than enjoying a respite from the grey blandness of the convention, people were muttering that the world would think that Libertarians were fools. Well, if we care about such tivialities, then we are indeed fools.
Libertarianism cannot spread if its proponents allow their actions to be guided by the people in power. When libertarians try to emulate those people in power, outside of being satirical, they must sacrifice their principles. Once the principles of libertarianism are sacrificed then there is no point in spreading them.