The libertarian predicament

During the primaries, many of the members in the Columbia University Libertarians were unified in support of Congressman Ron Paul. Now it seems that our libertarian front has become divided. Even though Dr. Paul has said that this is only the beginning of the intellectual revolution to restore our civil liberties in the United States and that there is much work to be done in the future, many of us feel dismayed at voting in the upcoming presidential election. Upon the request for a presidential endorsement from the Spectator, we found ourselves at odds and we therefore feel the need to explain our libertarian predicament in this op-ed.

Despite identifying under the same political party, many of our organizations members have opposing views on the main party candidates. Some of our members claim that it would be better to vote for the lesser evil of the establishment candidates, either stating that Obama seems worse because they believe that his welfare plans might reduce the middle class and make people dependent on handouts, or rather that Romney may be more of a threat on a global scaleafter all, he has shown himself to have no qualms about bombing Iran, and has called Russia the U.S. number one geopolitical enemy.

However, many of us CU Libertarians wont be able to hold our noses and accept the system, deducing that neither Obama nor Romney have a concrete plan to lower our $16 trillion debt. We fear that they would engage in crony capitalism and that their policies might be dictated by Wall Streetand according to an NPR article this year (Romneys Crony Capitalism Charge May Ring True for Leaders of Both Parties, July 18), these are not unreasonable fears at all. Besides just the economy, the CU Libertarians are also concerned about Obama and Romneys mutual support for the National Defense Authorization Act, the crippling sanctions on Iran, and the drone strikes in Pakistan that have killed many civilians.

With all these concerns in mind, some of us will abstain from voting this year as a protest against the two-party system and follow Lew Rockwell, whose 2008 article The Only Choice on November 4th makes clear his refusal to give consent to the government and states that choosing not to vote is one of the few rights we have left. These non-voters may argue that they havent signed a social contract, and therefore they should reclaim their individual sovereignty by withholding their consent to be ruled by this government system.

But for those of us who wish to exercise our freedom of speech through a vote, the fact that the Libertarian Party is finally getting recognition, however small, is exciting. Candidate Gary Johnson may only have been allowed into the third-party debates, but he will be on the ballot in 47 states. Johnson does have many libertarian policies, even though he is sometimes criticized for holding establishment positions, especially regarding military interventionism. Many of us realize, however, that to unify under the Libertarian Party would be to break into the system and be further recognized as a relevant entity in political discussion.

Still yet, some of us feel slighted when we hear that any of our members would even consider these options. Many of us who joined the group after discovering Ron Paul and feel that it would not make sense to vote for anyone besides him. Unfortunately, there is no hope that he would win since the end of his active campaigning in May. However, this will not stop some libertarians who will vote according to their conscience from writing him in. Ron Paul himself has not publicly endorsed anyone and has rather let his supporters choose their own options.

In effect, the CU Libertarians will not endorse any candidate. We do not think this is the most important election of our generation. But it certainly is the scariest. Because we liberty-minded citizens have already lost this battle. The hope which remains is that we will be able to win the war. As Dr. Paul reminded us at the end of his previous campaign, Elections are short-term efforts. Revolutions are long-term projects.

The author is a Columbia College junior majoring in film studies. She is a member of the Columbia University Libertarians and the co-founder of the Youth for Ron Paul chapter at Columbia University. This op-ed is written on behalf of the Columbia University Libertarians.

Created: Wednesday 31 October 2012 07:07pm

Updated: Wednesday 31 October 2012 10:36pm

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The libertarian predicament