Debate Alternatives

For those unsated by Kedwards/Chush, here's a link to Wednesday's third-parties debate, and another to BlogCritics' non-candidate Libertarian/Green discussion from yesterday.

Comments

[Dave Weigel]

I'm unconvinced that "light the fires of liberty!" is the best slogan for a Libertarian in wartime. Can we have less crazy third parties, please?

[Josh]

Why does Badnarik keep saying 'offensive' wars are unconstitutional? Can't he say they're a bad idea or immoral or something else less plainly wrong?

[thoreau]

At the risk of thread-jacking:

I won't be posting much (if at all) next week. I'll be at the Optical Society of America meeting in Rochester. The geek factor should make H&R (where my D&D and Monty Python jokes are always understood) seem downright socially acceptable by comparison! 😉

To bring this back to the topic of debates, if I do watch next Wednesday's debate it will probably be in a bar or lounge or hotel with a bunch of other scientists. Should make for interesting debate viewing.

[Matt Welch]

Hey Thoreau, did you see the cartoon in the New Yorker this week? Nebbishy guy on the way to work turns to his enthusiastic wife on the doorstep and says (paraphrasing) "I'm an optometrist, honey. I don't 'go rock.'"

[thoreau]

Matt-

Sorry, I don't subscribe to the New Yorker. But I do like optometrists and ophthalmologists. They're the only physicians that I can relate to on a technical level. With all the other doctors I just have to take them at their word, but with eye doctors I can actually understand a lot of what they're discussing and ask meaningful questions. In fact, I learned so much about the eye from having a chronic eye disease that in the optics class I'm teaching I devote 3 hours (of a 45 hour course) to the eye, including a dissection of a cow eye.

[Blind Cow]

I hate you.

[Ammonium]

Third parties? I thought they banned all third parties except the Libertarians? My ballot only has three candidates, down from six in 2000.

[Lee]

Wandering about I've found this site and post...it is BRUTAL in its assesment of the Libertarian Party.

I've wondered about many of these things myself.

http://timwest.blogs.com/

[Tim West]

I see I attracted some attention. 🙂

I dont mean to be brutal. I do mean to try to illustrate the frustration and sometimes self destructive manner in which libertarians fight amongst themselves and how things could be improved, and also how the "philosopher" wing of the party does more harm than good in getting the Party votes.

I've been voting libertarian since Marrou and I myself ran as a lib candidate for State Office in 2000. My catalyst for starting the blog was a former WV State Chair who I didnt agree with on immunizations for children. She threatened me using her Chairmanship to block me from involvment in the WVLP. There's too many stories like this around, and too much "I'm a better libertarian than xyz is". We fight ALL THE TIME, and in the end, over very silly things. The LP of Canada is a basket case becuase of this exact thing.

I think the rest of my leanings can be had from a in depth reading. I dont want the LP to remain a bit player in politics forever. Right now there's a hole in american politics you can drive a MAck Truck thru, but the LP has to start being a real political party instead of a social/debating/political club to claim that electorate.

[thoreau]

Once I'm done with grad school and established in a job I plan to get involved in a local LP chapter (have no clue where I'll be in 6 months, but I'll join up wherever I go) and try to actually elect people. I know that I'd make a horrible candidate myself, but I'm more than willing to work on somebody else's campaign. I don't care if the person is a purist, as long as he or she is electable and interested in making the gov't smaller.