Politics as a Libertarian Strategy

Politics is often seen as the “holy grail” of libertarian strategies…a strategy that can gain a huge bang for the buck. Think carefully about traveling that path.

Non-political efforts

To begin with, it is a common assumption that non-political methods of messaging are somehow petty or insignificant when measured against the expectations of success from politics. This premise trivializes non-political messaging.

It is a false dichotomy; it suggests if you are not playing politics, you are doing nothing, or nothing important.

Your efforts outside of politics only seem small when your expectations are grand and unrealistic. You cannot predict how these non-political efforts will influence others; you may never witness its positive outcomes.

Several of today’s most influential and principled communicators are helping untold numbers overcome the myth of the State. Tellingly, their success occurs outside of politics. I urge you to perceive that as inspiration, rather than discouragement.

Political efforts

Conversely, the idea that politics is, or can be, a highly effective means toward a free society, is often taken as a given. The goal of liberty demands this assumption be discussed.

Politics as a strategy (whether for “messaging”, or real-world advancements) can be problematic.

I’ve argued before that politics is the least useful strategy to spread liberty. I used the broken window fallacy to convey that there can be unseen effects of your political involvement, effects that can outweigh the gains you claim to see. For example, your personal participation in politics can easily reinforce the legitimacy of the State in the minds of your audience, through your very actions.

Having said that, I understand that many advocates of liberty are passionate about using the Libertarian Party as a messaging platform. Some of the very communicators mentioned above, many initiated due to Ron Paul’s political exposure, are motivated to employ politics to one degree or another.

If you insist, then be realistic

While I am highly skeptical of the chances for success, it is conceivable the strategy of politics can theoretically lead to net positive results. For this reason, I urge you to always be realistic when you weigh your hoped-for political successes against the unseen costs. And always remember your True North goal of de-legitimizing the State.

You must find a way to separate the rot of politics from your principled message (a requirement notably absent in non-political strategies). You will be taking on a mighty task. Your hope is to “reach” more people than you would with other strategies. You will need to work hard at helping others transform a “cul-de-sac” to an “on-ramp”, while minimizing collateral damage along the way.

Expect infighting to be part of the game

Notice that bitter infighting mostly happens in a political context. It is rare in other strategies. Twitter battles over how you podcast, blog, write books or essays, all pale in intensity compared to political arguments. Politics brings out the worst behavior because of the tendency to tie one’s identity to political life choices. When this is challenged, people get emotional and this leads to infighting.

As long as a person has an identity-based emotional attachment to his political actions, he will react emotionally to any challenge to it. The infighting is essentially baked into politics. This is another reason it is a highly inefficient strategy.

Political efforts will require something difficult: emotional detachment; to be unaffected by what others think or do in politics (in the same way you are respectful of how others blog or podcast, or what blogs or podcasts they favor).

But even if you can overcome this, others will be unlikely to view it that objectively. They will continue to react emotionally as they do now.

Seeking a leader

If you genuinely believe a “leader” is needed in this struggle, I suspect some blue got slipped into your red pill.

To say you need a leader, means you want to be led. And worse: you want others to be led.

It is no different than a cult member saying “I need a leader to lead me away from my cult leader”.

It is for the individual to lead themself away from the idea that the State is legitimate.

Libertarians who participate in politics place an enormous hurdle before themselves. They want to communicate that men do not need leaders, within the framework of an institution built around the opposite premise.

I would remind all libertarians that the best among them are not leaders; they are influencers. Anyone paying attention to the real world, especially the last year, knows that most key influencers are succeeding outside of politics.

I urge you to come to grips with these realities.