The Libertarian party was founded in December of 1971, and has since risen to be the third largest United States political party.

The Libertarian platform is mostly based on the philosophy of Libertarianism, which values personal freedom and that the federal government exists only for the purposes set forth in the Constitution. According to their Statement of Principles:

We hold that all individuals have the right to exercise sole dominion over their own lives, and have the right to live in whatever manner they choose, so long as they do not forcibly interfere with the equal right of others to live in whatever manner they choose.

The Libertarian Party platform includes ending the failed "War On Drugs", a free market economy, keeping the Internet free, and keeping the military home as a purely defensive force.

The Libertarian 1996 and 2000 presidential candidate was Harry Browne, and in 2000 it fielded more than 1430 candidates nationwide, of these 280 for Congress.

Yes, the Libertarian Party stands for limited government and expanded civil liberties, but that has to be taken in context. Go to their website, www.lp.org, and you'll discover that:

The most important step is to end government control of education... to transfer control of education from bureaucrats to parents and teachers and encourage alternatives to the public school monopoly.

It is time to recognize that welfare cannot be reformed: it should be ended. This includes eliminating AFDC, food stamps, subsidized housing, and all the rest. Individuals who are unable to fully support themselves and their families through the job market must, once again, learn to rely on supportive family, church, community, or private charity to bridge the gap.

The Food and Drug Administration is clearly an unnecessary burden on the American health care system. There is no evidence that agency offers Americans any real protection, but there is massive evidence that it is causing great harm -- driving up health care costs and depriving millions of Americans of the medical care they need.

Wouldn't we be better served if naturalist organizations, such as the Audubon Society or Nature Conservancy, took over the management of our precious parks?

So in reality, even though the Libertarians may seem to be on the crazy left when it comes to civil liberties, they're on the crazy right when it comes to economic issues, and essentially believe that everything the government does can be done better by a corporation or NGO.

If you're a firm believer in the power of laissez-faire, then the Libertarians will definitely appeal to you. If you're deathly afraid of corporate kakistocracy, then you should probably look to another party come Election Day.

The Libertarian Party is the largest political organization in the United States today advocating libertarian positions. There is a difference between being a Libertarian and being a libertarian. Many politicians and members of the public hold libertarian-leaning views on some issues. But not all of them are members of the Libertarian party. Sometimes a Capital-L Libertarian will become a small-l Libertarian, as when Ron Paul ran as a Libertarian candidate for 1988, before returning to the Republican-fold. Gary Johnson, who held office as a Republican when he was governor of New Mexico, ran as the Libertarian Party candidate for President in 2012.

So while the philosophy of libertarianism might be a popular philosophy, how is the Libertarian Party doing as a political entity? According to the Libertarian Party's own records, listed here:
http://www.lp.org/candidates/elected-officials
There are 154 elected Libertarian officials in the United States. Of these, 38 are in partisan offices, and 116 are in non-partisan offices. The Libertarians in non-partisan offices are people who have registered to vote as Libertarians, but did not have that listed on the ballot when they ran.

And what type of offices are they in? The great majority seem to be City Councilpeople, or serving on school boards, library boards, or other such utilitarian boards and councils. There are a few mayors in there, although none of large towns or cities. I can not find a single legislator, even at the state level, on the list. But perhaps this is just a slow year for them? The Libertarian Party also has a page listing its history:
http://www.lp.org/our-history

In its forty-year history, it has elected some candidates to legislative office, but they seem to be mostly in a few states with small legislative districts, such as New Hampshire or Alaska. Beyond that, while it has gained many votes in races legislative or presidential, it has managed to win very few elections.

Since the Libertarian Party is the party that overall believes that people are responsible for themselves, and will make the proper choice when given all the alternatives, why have Libertarian candidates historically done so poorly? While it might seem at first that the duopoly of the major parties is a good answer, this is not a very good philosophical answer, since the restraint of the monopoly power of large organizations is against libertarian (and Libertarian) philosophy. Also, in practical terms, Libertarians are frequently on the ballot in every, or almost every, state. So why can't they get elected? Why is the party that believes that the free market decides things the most efficiently, so poor at selling its product in the marketplace of ideas?

I think it is a fair question to ask: if libertarian ideas are popular, which they often are, why aren't Libertarian candidates more successful?

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