So in my job, I deal with a lot of people of an “independent” mindset. They were Trump supporters until about the time the brutal push on Lafayette Park happened. Since then, I’ve noticed a hard shift from “Trump is our president” to “I’m going Libertarian!”
Now, this struck me as out of left field. For nearly two years a lot of these guys were dead-set on their love for El Presidente, even after shit like the murder of Jamal Khashoggi or the response to Charlottesville. Then, on reflection I suppose it makes sense. They all want to keep their guns, none of them want to pay taxes, and they all want the ability to “do what they want without hurting anyone else.”
So, I looked up the Libertarian platform of Jo Jorgensen, their candidate for 2020. She does make several good points, like pointing out the skyrocketing cost of healthcare or the unjust rates of incarceration among minority communities. That our system for retirement and our foreign military fuck ups have landed us in constant trouble at home and abroad. On the surface, she’s got good points.
Dig below the surface, you hit asphalt.
Her campaign website only includes a few token statements about letting people do what they want and platitudes regarding taxes. There’s no plans, no details, nothing. Yet somehow, she’s gained support among a fairly representative portion of my coworkers. This was mainly the beer talking, but one said that all he wants is to shoot his guns and smoke meth in peace.
Then we have Joe. When asked, I tell them that yes, I wanted Bernie. Only Bernie isn’t the candidate, Joe is. Joe might still have that chronic foot-in-mouth disease, but his plans are detailed. He either has a detailed plan in-place (Ala his military family plans) or is willing to look to others (Warren’s bankruptcy plans). Hers are points the Dems have made for decades, but no one on the right listened to because it involved changing how we as a nation act and taking some personal responsibility.
On pointing this out, I’m met with the constant refrains. “He’s creepy!” “He’s a pedo!” “He’s old and senile!” Yes, the projection here speaks decibels. Biden might still be trying to process how times have changed, but the difference between him and El Presidente is the difference between FDR and Huey Long.
We need to be on the watch people. To use a geek analogy, the GOP is still the Klingon Empire but the Libertarians could be our Romulans. We won’t notice them until later, when they’ve already gained enough power to be a potential problem. Libertarianism does have certain good points about letting people be, but when it comes to running a government they’re woefully and terrifyingly aloof. Their sink-or-swim mentality regarding our fellow men and women hides behind the veneer of personal liberty. And if you think Libertarians give a shit about financial or environmental regulation? I not only have a bridge to sell you in Brooklyn, I’ll sell you the Hudson River too.
I know that right now the objective is to break the current occupiers, but we can’t take our eyes off our political flanks. Whenever a party fails in the US, there’s another waiting in the wings ready to rise with a fresh coat of paint. If the Libertarian Party is the next dance partner, we need to learn their steps now. Hopefully, I’m just playing Chicken Little and the sky isn’t really falling (Yet, God knows 2020 could have anything happen at this fucking point). That doesn’t mean we should stop promoting our ideals as beneficial for everyone in this country.