I don’t really know what it’s all about, but I know that one of my favorite readers and commenters is a Libertarian or at least holds a lot of libertarian views, so I thought he’d enjoy this post by The Boring Made Dull.
[Here’s an earlier TMV post about the move.]
In an announcement released late Tuesday, Gravel said he is joining the Libertarian ranks because it “is a party that combines a commitment to freedom and peace that can’t be found in the two major parties that control the government and politics of America.
“My libertarian views, as well as my strong stance against war, the military industrial complex and American imperialism, seem not to be tolerated by Democratic Party elites who are out of touch with the average American; elites that reject the empowerment of American citizens I offered to the Democratic Party at the beginning of this presidential campaign with the National Initiative for Democracy,” he said in a statement.
In an e-mail to supporters, Gravel, 77, wrote, “I look forward to advancing my presidential candidacy within the Libertarian Party, which is considerably closer to my values, my foreign policy views and my domestic views.”
I wrote an article about party switching for Campaigns & Elections and I think what was written there about sincerity and possessing core beliefs still applies.
It gets a little more nutty, from Fox:
[Libertarian National Media Coordinator Andrew] Davis noted that Texas Rep. Ron Paul is a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party but is running as a Republican presidential candidate. Paul was the Libertarian Party presidential candidate in 1988.
Davis said 15 candidates are on the slate for the Libertarian Party nomination, which will be determined at the May 22-26 national convention in Denver, Colo. He said Gravel isn’t “a perfect libertarian” but he supports essentials of the party — opposing a military draft, empowering the American voter and standing against “the war of American imperialism.”
Last month, Gravel endorsed Green Party presidential nominee Jesse Johnson. National Multimedia Director Sklyer McKinley said at the time that Gravel didn’t see any reason “why not” to offer his backing since “voting party line is not smart” and he agrees with Johnson’s message as well as the Green Party’s approach of “direct democracy, mobilizing at a grassroots level, working with people one-on-one and enabling citizen democracy.”
“He’s a current Democratic presidential candidate who is now a member of the Libertarian Party who has endorsed a member of the Green Party,” Davis said. [my emphasis]
Yet more reasons to love America.