How does libertarianism fit in with your beliefs?
Great question!
I will keep it short.
I am:
- Antiwar
- Pro-2A, our right to bear arms[1]
- Pro Freedom of Speech; against censorship... that includes people I do not agree with or that do not think like me
[1]
I think this is a good interview because:
- Larry Sharpe ran for NY Gov twice, and imo had a pretty decent platform
- Larry Sharpe explains how the LP convention works
- LP Convention got a lot of press due to RFK Jr. and Trump accepting an invitation to speak (Biden was invited and refused)
I'm not going to bother finishing because it seems like LP 101, so I'm unlikely to learn anything. But it does seem like a good interview for people new to the LP Party.
To be clear, Chase Oliver is the 2024 Libertarian Party nominee. He was a Democrat as a kid due to anti-war views, and found a home in the LP with those views. He is in favor of small government in pretty much every sense, and I think he has a good representative of LP values. I hope Chase puts out more content so people can get more familiar with his platform. He's not my ideal candidate, but he's a lot closer than anyone else running in the general election.
Edit: I ended up finishing it. Larry Sharpe knocked it out of the park, and I lold when he said, "Reason isn't libertarian, it's Republicans who hate Trump." The host was speechless, like her entire understanding of what a libertarian is was Robbie Suave, who, like Larry said, is basically a centrist Republican.
Check it out, he even fields some chat questions and I really liked his answers, especially the one about labor unions. I sincerely hope he runs for LP President at some point, he's pretty decent at communicating libertarian values.
Summary:
- Sabrina Salvati is hosting a [inteview] with guest Larry [Sharpe], a commentator and Libertarian candidate for governor of New York.
- The Libertarian National Convention attracted attention this year due to RFK Jr receiving a nomination from the party and Donald Trump speaking at the event.
- The Libertarian Party decides on its nominee during the convention, and anyone can be nominated from the floor as long as they are registered with the party and get a seconded nomination.
- RFK Jr was nominated by someone from the floor and ran for the nomination along with several other Libertarians, but he was not chosen as the party's nominee.
- Some Libertarians wanted RFK Jr to be nominated for the votes he could bring to help the party gain ballot access in certain states.
- The announcement of RFK Jr's nomination caused confusion on social media, as people assumed he was the party's nominee for the general election.
- A phone call from Angela was made to RFK Jr to confirm his acceptance of the nomination.
- The Libertarian Party's internal workings are not well understood by many people, which contributed to the confusion surrounding RFK Jr's nomination.
RFK got something like 6 votes (Larry claims 10% of the convention). I'm guessing it was a joke nomination since RFK's views largely don't fit with libertarianism (though being anti-mandates in any form resonates).
Any confusion wasn't widespread, and probably have similar numbers as those who think Trump is somehow libertarian (and he was rightfully booed at the convention, except when he promised to free Ross Ulbricht and appoint a libertarian to his cabinet). Btw, Biden was invited, but didn't attend.
Chase Oliver is the LP presidential nominee, and I honestly think he's a good fit. He's:
- anti-war
- pro-lgbt (but not unfair, despite being gay himself)
- pro-2a
- focused on cutting the deficit
- pro-recreational drugs
I don't think RFK. Jr is any of those things, though I haven't looked too closely at his platform because I've largely written him off as a conspiracy nut.
Thanks for explaining and sharing your views!
I agree about RFK Jr., he is not antiwar, he just acts like he is.
That is why some circles on the left stopped supporting him, due to his foreign policy.
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