This Libertarian Community Organizer Wants To 'Free the People': Podcast

Matt Kibbe explains why "beer is freedom," and talks about his new documentary series with Rep. Thomas Massie, Off the Grid.

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This Libertarian Community Organizer Wants To 'Free the People': Podcast

In previous lives, Matt Kibbe has been a congressional staffer, the head of FreedomWorks, and a New York Times best-selling author.

These days, he's the president and "chief community organizer" at Free the People, a libertarian nonprofit that defends "free speech online, the right to bear arms, and privacy from government cyber-snooping."

At FEEcon, the annual gathering in Atlanta sponsored by the Foundation for Economic Education, Kibbe talked with me about his belief that culture is more important than politics, how to reach the "liberty curious" via social media, and Off the Grid, his group's forthcoming documentary series about Rep. Thomas Massie's "quest for a self-sustainable life on his farm in eastern Kentucky.

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Audio production by Ian Keyser.

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Comments

[Libertymike]

If the commentariat had to pick the one poster here who would be the worst libertarian community organizer, who would win?

My nomination: our resident misanthrope, Sparky.

Forget ideology, forget coherence, forget intellectual vigor, and forget vision. All of those are important, but I submit that Tony, PB, and OBL would be far better libertarian community organizers than Sparky for one very important reason: they are not miserable misanthropes.

[Yellow Tony]

"Sparky" could froth up a mild riot with his anger if he presents himself well enough.
This dimension's current me would organize a very saucy party that would put those cocktail parties that Reason staff members ostensibly attend to shame.
Buttplug is perpetually butthurt; so I don't think it'd work out too well. Hell, he might attract WCR, and they would then proceed to create a nexus of vehement retardation.
OBL would turn the gathering into some sort of sarcastic parody like what saracstaball is to football.

[Libertymike]

That was a great episode of South Park.

Note, the point is not that PB or Tony or OBL would be even mediocre libertarian community organizers; rather, their names are broached to illustrate how awful Sparky would be due to his general and pervasive misanthropy. Its a downer.

[Yellow Tony]

I think PB would easily be worse than Sparky. The former is more obnoxious in my mind.

[Chipper Morning Baculum]

A misanthrope dislikes humankind and actively avoids others. I don't think Sparky fits that definition. He just hates smug douchebags. He is probably fun at parties, and so are all the Tonies. But what do I know, I could be wrong.

[ThomasD]

Libertarian? Ok.

Libertarian community? Possible.

Libertarian Community organizer? Unpossible.

A more apt term might be an unlibertarian community disassembler.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Organizer: What're we gonna do?
Libertarian Community: Nothing!
Organizer: When are we gonna do it?
Libertarian Community: *leaves the area*

[Eidde]

Murray Rothbard and Ludwig Mises
Let us do whatever we pleases
Keep what we earn through skill and luck
Choose what to smoke and whom to fuck
To certain actions we say "no way"
But we defend our right to do it anyway
Don't tell us we're misbehavin'
Go away and quit yer slavin'

[SusanM]

Libertarian community organizer? That sounds as good an idea as "Catholic Day Care" or "Progressive Financial Planner".

[JeremyR]

Of course, a large section of the planet hates beer and would be happy to ban it, or if that's not possible, suicide bomb places that sell it.

[Inigo Montoya]

Thankfully those Prohibitionists ultimately lost and haven't rebuilt their numbers since the 1920s.

[SusanM]

I think he's talking about Muslims. Unless you've got a picture of Carrie Nation wearing a tablecloth headscarf and 20 sticks of TNT.

[Inigo Montoya]

I've met Muslims who don't mind having a drink. I've also known Catholics who think birth control is fine, and Mormons who drink coffee and even smoke cigarettes. Hell, I've even met gays who have little to no sense for personal fashion and interior decor. It all helps to fuel my belief in viewing people as individuals instead of collectives.

[Deconstructed Potato]

Amen to that.

I'd like to remind everyone that #AestheticallyDeficientGayMenAwarenessWeek approaches and I am collecting pledges for #TerribleSweaterDirtySneakersFriday
Please give generously.

[SusanM]

How about a Macy's Gift Card?

[SusanM]

And I'm totally down with that. I've yet to meet a label that can best me. I was simply unpacking the "suicide bomb the places that don't" bit.

[Stephanie Anna]

Note, the truth isn't that PB or Tony or OBL would be even unremarkable libertarian local state coordinators as per the sources from white biker jacket reporters; rather, their names are intended to delineate how terrifying Sparky would be because of his general and inescapable pessimism. It's a killjoy.