The Libertarian Party candidate is losing to the Green Party and a guy who dropped out of the race and begged people not to vote for him. This is what happens when you nominate weak candidates
Posted by AbolishtheDraft@reddit | Libertarian | View on Reddit | 211 comments
Kusanagi8811@reddit
I voted for Kennedy for the lulz of being able to say I voted for a Kennedy and because the rest of the candidates were turds
TheSov@reddit
A very large chunk of libertarians voted for Trump.
rippingbongs@reddit
Yep. He's basically claiming he's going to let Elon gut the government. That's worth a vote even if there's a 10% chance it happens, because the alternative is just a vote to beat the green party, whoopty doo.
MonthElectronic9466@reddit
I believe that was the plan.
cstatus94@reddit
I am one of those. Because Oliver was a worse candidate than Jo Jorgensen and I predicted he wouldn't even get one percent of the vote I didn't think it would be this bad where RFK Jr beat him. The LNP needs to take a long look in the mirror how do you not even get 1 percent of the vote with so much anti-war energy.
KAZVorpal@reddit
It's not like the LP has had a good candidate in, like, thirty years.
Farmin247@reddit
I actually liked Gary Johnson in 2016. He definitely wasn’t perfect but definitely better than Jorgensen and far better than Oliver.
KAZVorpal@reddit
He was a sore loser Republican who actually avoided talking about legalizing drugs when running for president with the LP, because he never stopped being for prohibition.
druidjc@reddit
What? You didn't like Bob Barr?
LP nominations seem to usually be selected to troll libertarians. We dare you to vote for this guy.
KAZVorpal@reddit
Bob Barr, the guy the LP helped REMOVE FROM OFFICE because he was a neocon drug warrior...and then made their own nominee?
I don't see how that could be trolling...
Yorn2@reddit
Barr worked with libertarians after his removal from office and helped make medical marijuana real for four years. As much as you might despise Bob Barr, he was one of the major reasons why we have legalized recreational marijuana in the US today. I really think libertarians underestimate just how big of a deal that was.
KAZVorpal@reddit
He's so unprincipled that he was willing to switch from a thing he was ruining lives to ban, to supporting legalization of that thing.
That's not who you want running for president as a libertarian.
Who knows which one he actually believes in.
And he also didn't really become libertarian on foreign policy, he just moderated his psychotic neocon position somewhat.
ThinkSignature@reddit
I did. Proud of it too.
sahuxley2@reddit
Yeah, to stop shit like this from democrats.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disinformation_Governance_Board
RealisticInspector98@reddit
If this was anything like HUAC then it was bound to fail
LectureAdditional971@reddit
I think bigger than anticipated at the end, with Ron Paul being responsive.
buchenrad@reddit
I voted for chase, but not because I cared about chase. My state was going Trump for sure so I used my vote to help draw attention to 3rd parties and maybe (but apparently nowhere near this time) get that 5%.
Trump certainly has my attention with Ron Paul though. If I was in a swing state that probably would have been enough to earn my vote.
Consistent-Area5074@reddit
I did the same as far as shooting for 5% And I think by now, everyone should know we aren't going to win an election until we are able to actually get in the rink with Dems and Reps. We can't get there unless we make it happen by hitting that threshold.
TheSov@reddit
I not a trump supporter but him coming to the LPC and telling libertarians he would free ross...was a pretty nice olive branch we dont normally get.
Wizard_bonk@reddit
Ross was ordering HITMEN… dude deserves some jail time for felony conspiracy. But the drug shit… the whole drug war. Hopefully it’s a sign that he’ll end that… or at least solely focus on opiates and open up the asylums… but idk
Maltoron@reddit
Never convicted on that and never even made it to court.
TheSov@reddit
no he wasnt and you know it.
The_Pudge@reddit
This might actually be the best a main party candidate has ever done at courting libertarians. It's not much, and I bet it amounts to even less, but hey, it's something I guess.
druidjc@reddit
Yeah, the diehard LPs were shitting on it at the time, but this was the most consideration I've ever been paid by a major party. He actually noticed us and took the time to address us as a bloc and discuss issues we cared about on our terms instead of pretending we don't exist. Obviously he didn't pledge to become a libertarian but I feel like him reaching out to libertarians was a small but important step to a lot of the small ls out there.
The_Pudge@reddit
And if it actually does lead to a change in governance, it's about as good of an outcome you can really hope for right now. I'm (very) cautiously optimistic.
druidjc@reddit
Me too. Trump announced during his campaign he was putting together a group to investigate government waste. For as much as people bag on Musk, declaring he was going to work on this problem and going so far as to name a person who would be put on the case is FAR more than the vague suggestions of maybe taking a look at it someday that we usually get. I don't expect a revolution but I am hoping for an improvement at least.
Lanky-Strike3343@reddit
Was there anything that even came close? I remember 2016 and 2020 (the first only ones I voted in) and it don't even remember any lip service to libratarians
The_Pudge@reddit
Reagan in 1980 I suppose.
TopKekBoi69@reddit
Definitely was respectable at least. I didn’t vote tho
KAZVorpal@reddit
If I were registered, I'd've voted for Ron Paul, ergo for Trump, because of that last bit about Paul being part of the coming Trump administration.
SigfaNeith@reddit
Because Oliver was a shit show to start and can go F himself.
I_ATE_THE_WORM@reddit
I think it's because the Democrats and their cheer-leading media is just that bad and people's conscience told them they can't just vote their conscience. Their tone and their policies would further gut the middle class while telling them all they are crazy/racist/ignorant. At least with Trump you don't have to worry about the media gaslighting and lying about how great he is. The fourth estate eviscerated the last decent and possibly electable people to run: Gary Johnson, Ron Paul. President Donald Trump, brought to you by the lying media and terrible leftist policies.
LibertarianTrashbag@reddit
Because slapping huge tariffs on everything is more libertarian friendly than believing in COVID (no, not suggesting steps a government should take in that kind of situation, just believing in COVID).
TheSov@reddit
what does covid have to do with this?
LibertarianTrashbag@reddit
I mean, people don't like him mainly because they think he's a COVID-lockdown-supporting-basically-a-commie-democrat type of guy, when his policy platform is literally standard libertarianism.
It was really just an example to contrast with a VERY non-libertarian Trump policy that people will turn the blindest eye to just because he pretends to sympathize with libertarians sometimes.
TopRedacted@reddit
Yes, i did. The angry left wing LP gore their big primary victory and nominated the third place guy nobody liked outside of far left LGBT activists. This is what they wanted.
Loominardy@reddit
*5th place. Also yeah I agree.
domz459@reddit
Yea I decided to as well
HooChooDadoo@reddit
Or Kennedy
gbombs@reddit
I really think Ron Paul’s comments on working with Elon in the days working up to the election really helped tip the scale here
Zealousideal-City-16@reddit
It was what did it for me. Himming and hawing, then Ron Paul possibly working with Elon to cut waste? Deal.
cfreddy36@reddit
Even if it's a small chance, it's worth the bet to me, because ain't no way anything libertarian is coming from the other side.
HereForaRefund@reddit
Robert Kennedy's job was to keep Chase Oliver and the libertarian party from getting any momentum.
EndDemocracy1@reddit
Good. Chase Oliver was a terrible candidate. The Libertarian Party needs to realize that we're tired of them nominating clowns
Mello-Fello@reddit
Chase Oliver is about as libertarian as Trotsky
MyAdviceIsGr8@reddit
What are Chase’s unlibertarian opinions
MichaelScottsMug@reddit
He doesn’t really have any but there are more diet republicans than actual libertarians in the LP. Not even trying to do the whole “libertarians argue who’s more libertarian” thing but voting for Trump over Chase is pretty telling about your libertarian beliefs. (I understand if you just didn’t want Kamala to win but thinking Trump aligns more with the libertarian view point is asinine)
crushworthyxo@reddit
Tbh I voted for him because I liked his ideals best out of everyone. I wasn’t going to vote for Trump again and I wasn’t happy to vote Harris. So I looked elsewhere. I read up on him and watched the Third Party debate. I assume most people hate him because he’s anti-war. Imo, his policies were mostly what I was looking for, so he got my vote. Simple as that.
NimbleCentipod@reddit
If the LP wants me to care, they'll nominate a libertarian.
Noble98@reddit
Elon has been at war with government agencies for the last 4 years and with him taking in Rand Paul I voted Trump. Seemed like a no brainer considering the messaging is kill the department of Ed, kill DEI government requirements, etc. Glad I did too. Without Elon and Rand Paul I imagine Libertarian party gets 1% of the vote at least
conipto@reddit
It wouldn't matter if Ron Paul himself had run with 80's Ross Perot on the same ticket.
I honestly don't think the US can go back from this two-party system at this point. I put my votes to him, even if he is a clown, just to say "I reject this D/R bullshit", and no one gives a shit.
Fight local, ignore the big offices - for now.
well_spent187@reddit
The biggest thing is starting local. Seeing Libertarian candidates in local and state races would open people to the idea of the party being competitive and relevant. A Libertarian Pres without a congress will struggle hard to do or change anything
RunItBack2024@reddit
I wish we more like Canada or the UK where they have multiple parties and they're far more left than the United States.
cfreddy36@reddit
I think it would take someone like Ron Paul, but maybe even more traction, getting a deep primary run then running as an independent. And even that might not be enough.
Nolobrown@reddit
What blows my mind is there are plenty of level headed libertarians out there that are not only well known but also well spoken.
aModernProposal@reddit
There was a huge push for Jill Stein from Muslims as a fuck you to the democrats.
3rd party did really poorly this cycle in general.
ChodeBot@reddit
This is what happens when you have weak voters
GuyBannister1@reddit
He was just a bad candidate. Honestly, the LP is such a joke. There really needs to be something better.
MAnthonyJr@reddit
jo jorgensen was decent in my opinion. she’s what lead me to find out about libertarian
redsteakraw@reddit
No she wasn't we were facing the biggest affront to liberty with lockdowns and covid crap and she gave like no pushback was very lackluster and didn't attract much attention. We need someone who can talk a big game spread the message and be able to kick ass and take names, she was no where near that.
Darth-Litheran@reddit
That’s the party’s fault not hers.
redsteakraw@reddit
She controls her messaging, wearing a mask outside saying how you are following all the rules come on.
Pkmn_Gold@reddit
Yeah come on wtf why would a person running for office follow the laws smh
redsteakraw@reddit
It is called taking a stand for freedom, John McAfee wouldn't have been wearing a mask. Furthermore as a leader you have to stand up and well lead. The example being set was be little bitches and just blindly follow the authoritarian hellscape under covid.
Consistent-Area5074@reddit
Taking a stand for freedom and completely sabotaging yourself like the the hard-core magas have are different things. In the climate we are in, making that drastic of a stand at that time would be akin to inciting revolution. Not saying she was right in that, but neither is doing the extreme opposite and fully rebelling, painting us further as off brand republican.
redsteakraw@reddit
You make it seem like I was advocating killing cops and holding down an armed bunker of resistance. Just was asking for a backbone, live your life like you did before, no mask and not following dumb rules and actively resisting and advocating against said rules. A pizza place freaked out on me not wearing a mask so I boycotted them and I still tell people to never go there. You need to know who are your people and who you can rely on when the chips are down. Apparently I can't rely on her or the Chase types when the chips are down.
Consistent-Area5074@reddit
Not at all. I should have elaborated instead of being lazy. It would have been construed as such and that she aligned with the ideals of other outspoken groups just because she voiced a difference in opinions and advocated freedom. She would have 100% been labeled as such as well as any other Libertarian. Thats how the media and dems would have spun us and I don't think that's a good image as much as chase oliver was a good candidate. Tact and being articulate seem to be lacking across the board through politics, which makes things as volatile as they are.
redsteakraw@reddit
Trump has shown the media is biased and some of the worst people are in it, they are liars and mass manipulators so you shouldn't give a shit what they say. Do your thing and do it loudly and strongly and you can win. Fuck tact when they are playing dirty it just makes you a couple steps behind with your hands tied behind your back. Like it or not that is how it is.
MAnthonyJr@reddit
i didn’t claim she was the best.
R3d_d347h@reddit
Garry Johnson was a great choice before her. Actually pulled good numbers.
gaedikus@reddit
she is for sure
Fecal_Tornado@reddit
She really was. I even donated to her campaign.
cstatus94@reddit
Nah she was just as bad. The Anti-racist stuff was a joke and alienated a lot of Libertarians.
druidjc@reddit
And the the excuses afterwards saying that she just wasn't familiar with what "anti-racist" implied. She's an academic and a presidential nominee. I don't buy for a minute she was unfamiliar with the term. She put it in a tweet, FFS!
SnakeHisssstory@reddit
The infamous tweet heard round the party
KAZVorpal@reddit
Yes, I spent a bunch of time with her when she was the VP candidate in 1996. She's great, the closest they've had to a good, principled candidate in decades.
TopKekBoi69@reddit
She was one of the best Libertarian candidates of the 2000s+
18hockey@reddit
Same, I always thought that after the whole Gary Johnson debacle the LP was a joke, until I heard about Jo and her policies.
Muscularhyperatrophy@reddit
She was definitely one of the best ones we have had running in the last couple decades
GuyBannister1@reddit
She was a great candidate. I really liked her.
KobraHashatashi@reddit
the ideology is there but the charismatic public face is lacking, in due time that person will come.
RogueStatesman@reddit
Yeah Oliver was a turnoff. A libertarian who held views contrary to libertarianism. What could go wrong?
LeFlamel@reddit
Which views?
AbolishtheDraft@reddit (OP)
Unfortunately the Libertarian Party has a history of sabotaging itself. Just look at Dancing Underwear Man or Nick "I got physically assaulted" Sarwark
1madeamistake@reddit
I had to unfollow him on everything. I used to turn to his page as a voice of reason until about 2 years ago. I have no idea what happened.
DVHeld@reddit
MiCauc Derangement Syndrome
Haha_bob@reddit
Chase Oliver was a weak candidate. It also didnt help Chase Trump was actively courting libertarians in a way a Republican hasn’t since Calvin Coolidge.
The Ron Paul being floated as someone to work with Elon also gave us some tingles in the week before the election.
AbolishtheDraft@reddit (OP)
Chase Oliver also went out of his way to alienate half of his own party. He bashed Ron Paul, he called the great Lew Rockwell a "racist", and he seemed more interested in starting drama with other libertarians than actually campaigning.
Vadriel@reddit
If reading this sub frequently is any indicator, libertarians love bashing other Libertarians.
b100darrowz@reddit
It is Chase’s most libertarian quality
DVHeld@reddit
Libertan*
finetune137@reddit
Touche 😆
RunItBack2024@reddit
Damn libertarians; They ruined libertarianism!
KAZVorpal@reddit
Rockwell isn't a racist. I knew him a long time ago. He's just a race-baiter.
Unfair@reddit
Yeah I remember reddit making a big deal about how Trump got booed at the Libertarian Nation Convention - well at least he bothered to show and make his case. Biden and Kamala wouldn't do something like that.
shodan13@reddit
What does it say about your party when that's all it takes to get your votes?
Unfair@reddit
Someone showing up and trying to earn your votes? That can mean a lot to a lot of people.
sleepnandhiken@reddit
So what is better about Trump, compared to Harris, when it comes to Libertarian values?
Additional-Fun5499@reddit
Not gaslighting citizens with all the media they own and calling them uneducated/racist/greedy when you disagree with them. Calling Trump a threat to democracy when they appointed their own nominees. They support genocide and endless foreign aid to the point inflation is at a record high. Harris and Biden both have track records of incarcerating low income people of color for victimless crimes like selling drugs to truancy. Trump pardoned all those people and did something no candidate has done in my lifetime, and that’s acknowledge third party candidates and asking libertarians for their help. Add Ron Paul into the mix and we feel we’ve been heard.
sleepnandhiken@reddit
Trump didn’t pardon a swath of random low level drug offenders. Most people of the 200 something he pardoned happened to have outspokenly good opinions on him.
Gaslighting? Be specific here.
The just letting Harris take the nomination I can kinda get. This was kinda her job though. Biden responded to the sentiment that his time is done, too old, needs to retire. So the VP took over. A more unique situation but it’s not like the President actually needs to Primary in this day in age. They have them but not really, same goes for 2020, 2012, and 2004.
Ignore what I typed above this. So policy wasn’t on the ballot at all? You just wanted to feel heard? That can mean so many things but all of them seem unserious.
Additional-Fun5499@reddit
If it wasn’t apparent enough already, Ron Paul’s goals have come to fruition. He changed the Republican Party’s platform to get rid of the Neo-Cons and influence the party to more libertarian ideals. JD Vance is bringing up Ron Paul’s views on ending the federal reserve. Thomas Massie just got appointed to the Secretary of Agriculture. We finally are making progress and being heard.
sleepnandhiken@reddit
You kinda just doubled down on “being heard” as your main influencer.
Shifted to libertarian goals how? I thought the main goals were personal freedom and taxes bad. Trump really didn’t advocate for those things.
Ending the Federal Reserve can be a thing as long as “ending the federal reserve.” isn’t the end of the thought. Get rid of it and then we do..? US currency is the world standard as is. It would be good to be assured changes in our currency regulations don’t change that.
Additional-Fun5499@reddit
Ending the federal reserve’s monopoly on currency, ending the income tax and lots of other taxes that hurt lower and middle classes and encouraging competition with currencies such as crypto or gold/silver.
sleepnandhiken@reddit
Monopoly on currency? They regulate the US dollar. Nothing else. One of Crypto’s biggest criticisms is how unregulated it is. If you have any problems with the status quo in relation to crypto it just can’t possibly be “it was to regulated”
Like I said before he raised taxes on all those people. Using Federal Income tax. The year he passed it was lower. But it was scheduled increase. People in certain brackets are feeling it for sure. That wasn’t Biden. Our current income tax schedule is Trump’s. Unless you are in a high tax bracket TRUMP increased your federal tax burden.
Additional-Fun5499@reddit
It is illegal to use Gold or Silver as tender. The dollar is the only form of “legal tender” and they use it to print endless amounts of money for foreign aid and wars while we foot the bill for the inflation. That’s why bitcoin was founded by anarchists who knew our monetary system was in need of a reform.
I file as sole proprietor so taxes have been fine with me. Taxation is legalized theft by a government that has a monopoly on violence/force. Harris county in Houston has been overrun by democrats who just keep wanting to raise taxes but keep “misappropriating” funds and always saying there’s never enough. But there is so much corruption it’s not even funny. I’m not trying to fund the lifestyles for these politicians whose only assets are their political careers.
sleepnandhiken@reddit
This is a trip. Bitcoin has done exactly 2 things. Help people buy drugs/illicit goods and become its own speculative stock. The coin market is kinda a game that the government hasn’t kept up with. Over regulation can’t be seriously claimed.
It isn’t really. If you say you want to give me so much gold for my ps5 there is nothing that’s going to stop us from that transaction. In a similar tone it’s not that weird that Perkins is unwilling to take Dogecoin for transactions. They probably won’t take the exact amount of the bill in gold, either. Private people and businesses don’t want to do that shit.
Actually I’m not sure where you are going for here. Do you think Trump is going to change anything about this? Remember I’m asking about decisions Trump would make and Harris wouldn’t.
Again, specific changes to policy. I typed to much for these wishy washy ideals. What do you actually want to see done differently. What is Trump going to do differently than Biden when it comes to crypto? To me it seems like it’s thrived the most when no one knows how to regulate it. Perhaps Trump knows how to regulate and that’s what you want
Unfair@reddit
Lower taxes?
sleepnandhiken@reddit
Trump campaigned on Tariffs. So no, he didn’t campaign on lower taxes.
The last time federal income taxes were adjusted were under his presidency. They lowered them at first. Now though they have been creeping up. He scheduled it to increase a bit every year for a while up until a certain tax bracket.
shodan13@reddit
And the LP is still pretending to be an actual party?
Unfair@reddit
I mean it’s a minor party just like the Greens - they shouldn’t pretend to be a major party.
shodan13@reddit
Better with this attitude they'll never be one either.
Yorn2@reddit
3rd parties in the US don't really exist to "win". They exist to get candidates from the two other major parties to steal our ideas and implement them. The socialists and progressive parties at the turn of the previous century got a lot of what they wanted (8 hour workday, end to child labor, etc.) without getting a single presidential electoral vote. It's possible the LP essentially dies now that the Republicans have finally stolen all of our ideas, and at this point maybe it's a good thing. I voted for Chase Oliver, but that's only really because I don't trust Trump to actually put someone like Ron Paul and Elon Musk in charge of a department of government efficiency, but if they actually follow through with it, I don't know what else the LP will exist for.
There's a possibility the LP continues to exist in some form because I don't think a Trump presidency is going to actually make significant changes to the level of control the military industrial complex has, but if the GOP actually becomes the party of smaller government, then what will be the point of the LP?
SaladApprehensive115@reddit
https://youtu.be/yxgybgEKHHI?si=TzagyfpMLkcjkXrY
ParasiticDaemon@reddit
You guys member how fun 2012 was?
I member.
gvillepa@reddit
If you look at direct spend and indirect spend/effort, it really comes down to insane levels of marketing effort. Whether it's the green party or libertarian party, it will take billions of dollars of marketing to lift the awareness and buy-in. Just my 2 cents.
Infinite-Potato-9605@reddit
Raising awareness definitely needs a solid marketing game! I’ve toyed with Google Ads and paid social media campaigns for brand pushes. But honestly, tools like Pulse for Reddit help tweak the buzz without needing a billionaire’s wallet. Getting noticed here can be a game-changer.
Consistent-Area5074@reddit
This is exactly why we as a party need to stop flipping to elephant or donkey, because we aren't going to get to that threshold until we make bigger turn outs. 3rd parties are capped at what $5k in a single donation with no availability to forming a PAC because they're too small?
Big_Mommas_Son@reddit
He wasn't even on my ballot in TN.
LibertarianLoser44@reddit
We lost momentum after 2012 and 2016. JoJo was not a good pick, and neither was Chase... we should've picked Justin Amash in 2020 and 2024. We need someone with some kind of name recognition and not an unknown party loyalist.
16thompsonh@reddit
The choice here was easy, and I voted for him for a few reasons:
1.) He’s the candidate closest to my values as a Libertarian.
2.) The two-party duopoly needs to be challenged.
3.) He’s the youngest candidate running by a landslide.
4.) He’s not running on a platform of hate/stupidity like Trump or on a platform of anti-Trump like Harris.
Yes, he’s not the “most perfectest” libertarian that could have been nominated, but to act as if any of the other candidates better embody libertarian values at all is ridiculous.
Zero_lash@reddit
It's currently 223 291...
Butane9000@reddit
Yes, because Chase Oliver is a bad candidate who did absolutely no real campaigning. I think I saw maybe 1 or 2 instances of any news or public appearances out of him between nomination & election day. Unlike Joe Biden in 2020 he doesn't have an entire media apparatus assisting him.
Jazzlike-Being-7231@reddit
No, this is what happens when you have incompetent leadership
BarbuthcleusSpeckums@reddit
Voted for Jo last election. Idk how you all feel about her, but I’m all down for being a giant Switzerland.
Mc_Lovin789@reddit
This was the first time I had to write in the libertarian candidate, what a clown show
Track_Black_Nate@reddit
Wheres Gary Johnson at!!
daboot013@reddit
I was gonna write in Ron Paul but he is suppose to be on the trump transition team. I liked a lot of what his coalition is about. I don't trust he will keep his word on much. But if it gets people like Massie and rand Paul incharge. I can stomach it
Thatonedrunkidiot@reddit
If the libertarian party was smarter we would run candidates as republicans
Jonathan_Falls@reddit
I had no idea who was even running until 2 weeks ago
ScottyMcScot@reddit
With the utter lack of a campaign he ran, I'm not sure he realized he was running.
Fecal_Tornado@reddit
Chase was worse than Gary Johnson round 2. Still confused about the pick.
DubyaKayOh@reddit
Nobody is going to take the Libertarian Party seriously until the Libertarian Party takes themselves seriously.
Unfair@reddit
They weren't even on the ballot in New York (although to be fair neither were the greens) - I had to write someone in.
ugapeyton@reddit
Same in Tennessee
Unfair@reddit
It’s so annoying- they’re so afraid to give people a choice
wrabbit23@reddit
Same in Illinois
BadPAV3@reddit
We deserve every bit of this.
KAZVorpal@reddit
I often wonder if they're full to the brim with agents provocateur.
Either that, or they're mind-blowingly stupid.
Averagebaddad@reddit
Nobody is going to take the libertarian party until the libertarian party starts actually wanting to grow as well
Wizard_bonk@reddit
Dave smith 2028, gonna hit 10% choke. But hopefully it’s enough to scare the republicans into doing something about the federal reserve
Brendanlendan@reddit
I cannot believe RFK still got over half a million votes after dropping out and explicitly telling people to not vote for him.
Like that is as wasteful of a vote as you could get
Fanglemeister@reddit
I voted Libertarian all the way down the ticket... below Pres/VP. There's no way I was going to risk handing the country over to Kobamala and the Commies.
void_magic@reddit
Chase Oliver wants taxpayer funded gender conforming surgeries for illegal aliens and prisoners
joefishgiordano@reddit
We’re never going to get anywhere until we begin winning elections at the local and state level. I voted for a libertarian county commissioner in 2020, and voted for him again this year. Setting our sights immediately on the White House is doing nothing but setting ourselves up for failure especially when the candidates suck. I was proud to vote for Jorgensen in 2020 and Johnson in 2016 but a libertarian did not get my presidential vote this time around.
Celebrimbor96@reddit
We could’ve done what the dems did and pretended we were excited about a bad candidate until we became so fake we convinced ourselves it was real excitement.
Moaiexplosion@reddit
Why don’t all minor parities unite for voting reforms? ranked a choice voting is a popular option. Not saying it’s the best. approval voting is another option. There needs to be a better way to break the duopoly.
kalamakenn101@reddit
I’m sorry who is this demo voting for Jill’s t3in?
Bones301@reddit
I've said this and got downvoted for it
Kilgore_Trout_2BR02B@reddit
You're a weak party, candidates are the least of your worries
No-Stop641@reddit
Looking back, I'm glade Dave Smith did not run.
telefawx@reddit
No puberty blockers to kids.
Likestoreadcomments@reddit
Realistically it wouldn’t matter who we ran. Especially in the context of the lnc - because around that time our opponents were two former presidents and a Kennedy. Yeah good luck idc who you are. Even Dave Smith who would have been an amazing candidate would have got rocked this year. Smith/Russell 2028!
thekeldog@reddit
The Republicans have actually tried to reach out to Libertarians. The Democrats apparently didn’t think it was necessary to appeal to us at all.
Trump promised to put a Libertarian in his cabinet, it was a better bet to have some influence with a party with a shot at winning vs. voting for Oliver and getting no concessions from whatever party actually won.
Freeing Ross, crypto friendly regulations, free speech are all things Libertarians would value that we very well might get from Trump. Harris was going to be far worse on nearly every topic libertarians care about.
Xyrgo@reddit
He was a weak candidate who ran a weak campaign. He made zero noise. All his twitter posts were generic LP talking points. I had a feeling Jill Stein was going to get more votes simply due to name recognition (her third time running for president) and that people who want the war with Israel/Gaza to end were all moving towards her or even Trump. Any other LP candidate should have been able to pick up former rfk voters and staunch antiwar libertarians but he couldn't do it because he just sucked... And Trump was just making the right moves getting tulsi, rfk, Elon, Vivek, and others to support him. Any LP candidate would have struggled but I think still could have performed better than Oliver.
rjm72@reddit
This also is what happens when the party itself refuses to support the candidate chosen at the convention. Is the schism in the LP foreshadowing what we’ll see in the major parties ten years from now? Would we be better off with right or none smaller parties?
Refugee_Savior@reddit
LP candidate wasn’t even on my ballot this year (illinois)
russt90@reddit
The absolute state of American libertarianism. Sigh.
Parkrangingstoicbro@reddit
Quite a few libertarians voted Trump
Fuck Chase Oliver though
Beginning-Town-7609@reddit
Predictable. I’m a registered and Lifetime member of the LP and I didn’t vote for the ticket. Give me better than this.
ztruthfull1@reddit
Al the 3rd parties need to try and combine into a single party, then maybe they can garner enough votes to get attention. Possibly on the debate stage like Perot
ConscientiousPath@reddit
Turns out, most people aren't ok with transitioning kids or paying for the transitions of prisoners.
And if you don't make the effort to give them anything else to talk about they just aren't going to have much reason to show up.
And that's without going into how for once we had one major party candidate who at least wasn't backed by the warmonger neocons.
Long_Employer1955@reddit
Libertarians never win the election ever, I don't know why it's even an option on the list for people to vote, it's always either red or blue. Either way, I'm just glad we get a break from all the woke nonsense for the next 4 years.
Important-Internal33@reddit
Dude, if you don't like wokeness, get ready. It's going to be front and center for the next four years. Trump baits people and pours gasoline on any fire he can. You're about to hear from more angry woke people than ever.
interwebzdotnet@reddit
You seem like a real libertarian, you are for limited choice? 🙄
Long_Employer1955@reddit
No, I'm just saying that's all there ever is.
No-Wonder7913@reddit
There were 5 choices on my ballot. Was yours different?
Long_Employer1955@reddit
Yes, but tell me when the last time was we had a libertarian president?
soonPE@reddit
I cringed every time an edgy teenager posted they voter for Oliver
KobraHashatashi@reddit
i’m an independent and it was stein vs oliver for me, she won me over with her stance on agriculture and water supply and oliver won me over with his stance on education. essentially i chose health over education with this one but there shouldn’t be any animosity of any 3rd party groups, just civil disagreements and we should do a better job of that general support of one another to make the 3rd parties option more visible and impactful in future elections. this 2 party system needs to be splintered immediately.
flynnparish@reddit
LP had no chance even then, plus Ron Paul wants to be on Elon's team.
Loominardy@reddit
Libertarians did themselves a favor this election by nominating a weak candidate. Because of this many libertarians ended up voting for Trump which helped him get his win especially in those rustbelt states. If they nominated a better candidate, perhaps Kamala Harris would be our next president…
Thunder_Mage@reddit
Trump was right, they like losing because they refuse to compromise on anything, and now they have pie on their faces. They deserve it.
gauntvariable@reddit
Yeah... why DID he get the nomination? I didn't think they could do worse than Jo Jorgensen, but boy did they manage to prove me wrong.
Penguinswin3@reddit
Jo was based AF, I would love to have her back
Dismal-Mastodon-7043@reddit
Jo was as exciting as stale Triscuit crackers.
cfreddy36@reddit
She was just virtually unknown outside the party and wasn't really that exciting. She was maybe too based lol
SlyChimera@reddit
I bet a lot of money on Jill Stein to win even though I support this party. I’ll take it
KAZVorpal@reddit
Yes, I was involved in the national LP leadership in 1996. After the grotesque corruption around the National Convention, I quit.
They hand-pick some candidate they like for BS reasons, and quietly help him get nominated, every election.
So they pretty much never have anyone who can take advantage of the disdain that most people have for the Uniparty duopoly.
And they get what they deserve.
BigL54@reddit
Bring back Gary Johnson
Guzzler829@reddit
Chase Oliver would be a great President. He's just not a strong candidate.
Apprehensive-Read989@reddit
I voted for Jo last election and Gary the election before that, but Chase was an incredibly weak candidate and I simply do not like him. I wrote in Ron Paul.
Dismal-Mastodon-7043@reddit
It was definitely a combination of Oliver being dreadful and Ron Paul potentially working with Trump to clean things up.
gokehoego@reddit
The LP is infamous for putting the dumbest candidates up for President. The LP would be better off sticking with local and state govt positions for right now.
EazyBucnE@reddit
Libertarian Party had a fair bit going for it once upon a time, Johnson/Weld was a ticket that I was proud to have voted for. Shame it’s devolved into a complete joke and is now going to end up fifth nationally
mack_dd@reddit
I still voted for him, but yeah, he was a weak candidate.
At the very minimum, he could have tried getting on Joe Rogan and Tim Pool.
Madam_Kitten@reddit
The LP cannot move forward without serious candidates. They should be focusing more on local elections. Revenue and membership is at an all time low, even the Mises Caucus is feeling the strain.
crcampbell2210@reddit
Chase Oliver is an idiot and a joke. Got what you deserved. Liberty is not the same as Anarchy
PM_ME_DNA@reddit
The last statement is false. Chase is not an anarchist
Vinylware@reddit
Chase never claimed to be an Anarchist, at best he was more Minarchist.
Maxluva@reddit
Genuine question: How is Chase Oliver an Anarchist?
wrmbrn@reddit
Chase Oliver wasn’t a serious candidate
MrDex124@reddit
It's impossible for the third party to perform tolerable on the national level with ANY candidate. First, it should try to win or at least make a name for itself on the local level. And use gained authority to climb higher.
Any results below 5% are statistically insignificant and should not be compared to each other.
MakinBaconOnTheBeach@reddit
I was undecided up until a few days ago but was probably going to vote for Oliver. It may have been done just as a stunt but getting Ron Paul on board to help eliminate government waste sold me.
Rickyretardo42069@reddit
You think maybe the Mises Caucus just turned people away from the party that just didn’t come back? When the Mises Caucus became the leader of the LP I personally swore it off and was going to vote D/R for the election, but when I saw people on these supposedly libertarian subs that I never bothered to leave pissed about him I actually looked into him and he’s what brought me back, because he seems significantly more sane than the people running the rest of the party
33saywhat33@reddit
LP is not ready for Primetime.
Locally, they don't even support state legislation that they believe in. If a L did not propose the bill they won't discuss it.
So short sited.
BraveDawgs1993@reddit
I thought it was obvious that the LP went with Oliver to keep from nominating a candidate who would take voters from Trump.
jimbobcooter101@reddit
The entire party needs a reboot. I've seen more organization in a stampede.
PurpleStickie@reddit
Now would be a good time to choose and focus on preparing the next candidate.
djleepanda@reddit
...or maybe we swayed to vote for Red or even the Blue?
vollmas@reddit
The Libertarian party might as well cease to exist and reform as a PAC for libertarian-leaning Republican candidates in the future if they have no interest in actually supporting their candidates for office. The two party system is a corrupt shackle on our representation, but the current state of our third parties is an embarrassment as well.
0verkast@reddit
Chase Oliver is actually a very good speaker from what I've seen. He had no exposure and seemingly very little support from the party in general. It almost seems like the party chair was pursuing aiding Trump and allowed people to only amplify Chase's personal more liberal beliefs to attempt taking away angry democrat votes(which of course failed).
As far as Chase himself, he put very little effort on social media until the last week when suddenly he was using his FREE social media platform well amd finally interacting. It feels like they threw and took Trump up on his offer behind closed doors.
Ragtime07@reddit
Yep. This party sure knows how to get me excited and then nominate some middle of the road candidate that has no change of moving the needle.
Let’s all be real nice to Dave Smith. I believe he has a shot to make an impact in the near future
gingerb34rd@reddit
We should give up on presidential races and put the money in targeted local elections. Chase's result is embarrassing.
Lastoneasleep@reddit
I thought he was Chase was fine as a candidate, but the Mises run LP sold out to Trump. Chase got zero support from the actual party.
whoisit1977@reddit
Neither party ever had a candidate
Bocaj6487@reddit
There were no libertarians on my ticket at all. I only had 4 choices for President/VP.
bombfirst885@reddit
Oliver was on my ticket in MN and I was surprised to see a libertarian running for one of our senate seats (Rebecca Whiting). She ended up getting 1.7% of the vote to Oliver’s 0.5% which shows his weakness.
ospfpacket@reddit
I am so surprised the Dems didn’t attempt a primary and just threw support behind Harris.
robinson217@reddit
I'm literally subscribed to this sub and barely knew a thing about him. 3rd party is a waste of time and energy. Best option is to get libertarian minded candidates into one of the dominant parties. Last real effort was Rand Paul in 16, but he was just a shadow of his father, and got steamrolled by Trump 🤷🏻
BitsyVirtualArt@reddit
I found it weird that the guy I would vote for was publicly supporting Trump already.
bdyelm@reddit
For the longest time the LP wasn’t even mentioning Chase, the party did a horrible job promoting their own guy, whether we like him or not. And the fact they invited Trump to speak at the (L) convention where he told libertarians that he was libertarian and to nominate him was a joke. There is a range of beliefs among libertarians, but I blame the party, not Chase.