November 8, 2000

9:22 AM

Seven Libertarians elected to local office. Browne results similar to Reform party without benefit of matching funds.
It's a new day in America.
posted by thirteen (16 comments total)

The fact that Browne was roughly competitive with Buchanan -- even though Buchanan had $12 million in federal money to spend -- is reassuring," said Dasbach. "Over the years, the Libertarian Party has shown it can bounce back from temporary setbacks, but I expect that Buchanan's showing will mark the effective end of the Reform Party, since they've lost their federal welfare."
Sounds about right to me, anybody think the reform party has anymore gas left? Time for some (more) 3rd party mergers.
posted by thirteen at 9:34 AM on November 8, 2000

I don't think any amount of money can bring the Reform party of from the grave it's dug itself.
posted by pnevares at 9:39 AM on November 8, 2000

Dammit.
"of" = "up"
posted by pnevares at 9:40 AM on November 8, 2000

Great. Any day now we'll be back on the gold standard, and privatizing highways. Although I disagree with pretty much every position they have economically, I am glad they did well.
posted by Doug at 9:54 AM on November 8, 2000

Well done, Libertarians.

It's scandalous how poorly Buchanan did, given he had all that money to work with. I'm hoping the Ventura people can take back control of the party, and shift the emphasis from abortion back to political reform.
posted by johnb at 10:22 AM on November 8, 2000

Presidential nominee John Hagelin (Natural Law Party) was trying to merge the Greens, Natural Law and Reform Parties this summer. It is his opinion that the NLP shares the positions of the Greens on the environment, and the fiscal positions on which the Reform Party was founded. And many of the Reform Party leaders who tried to keep Buchanan from wrestling control of the party away supported Hagelin.

But as I was discussing with a friend, unless people who are disgruntled actually do something to help a third party come to power it will be a long wait. Simply voting for Nader, Browne, Hagelin, et alia is not the same as volunteering and working for a new party. Activism is a requirement.
posted by terrapin at 10:28 AM on November 8, 2000

I wouldn't mind seeing the small parties at least supporting each other in races where they aren't competing. None of them can afford to run candidates in all races.

Simply voting for Nader, Browne, Hagelin, et alia is not the same as volunteering and working for a new party. Activism is a requirement.

I'm not sure I'd call it a requirement, but it sure does help. The small parties are so much smaller that each individual contribution counts for a lot more than it would in an equivalent major-party campaign. This is even more true in local races, where your candidate actually has a chance to win given sufficient volunteer support.

-Mars, still glowing from Joe Szwaja's record setting performance against Jim McDermott last night
posted by Mars Saxman at 11:07 AM on November 8, 2000

Frankly, I think that the Republican and Democratic approaches to dog-catching have been woefully deficient. Good luck, Libertarians!

Sorry, that was mean. Instead of dog-catching, I meant "soil and water conservation, and library services". In the nicest possible way. ;-)
posted by dhartung at 12:21 PM on November 8, 2000

Im sure Al Gore would make a fine dog catcher. Mr. Bush too.
posted by thirteen at 12:51 PM on November 8, 2000

Make that 15. The Greens picked up some elections too. 6 of the Libertarian seats were uncontested, which takes a large chunk of the excitement away for me (As I said before I will not vote for an uncontested position). It is mind boggling to think a LP candidate in Massachusetts came within a percentage point of winning a Senate seat. Dan might think it's small potatoes, but I am feeling good in a way I seldom do. Very grateful for an exciting election, I hope the turnout continues to grow in the future. Honestly grateful to all who voted, no matter who you voted for. I wish I felt like everyone voted their conscience, instead of fears, but I am not too surprised to find the country nearly split down the middle. It is a wonder we ever get anything done.
According to preliminary reports, 15 Libertarian candidates around the country won their elections -- more than any other alternative party.
By late Wednesday, the Green Party had 13 winners listed on its website; the Reform Party had zero; the Natural Law Party had zero; and the Constitution Party had zero.
posted by thirteen at 8:57 PM on November 8, 2000

16 Green winners (so far). Nothing higher than local government, disappointingly.

Johnb for Congress! Sylloge for Congress! Thirteen for Congress! The MeFi 3 for a better America!

I’m certainly not playing whose-dick-is-bigger, I just saw the thread and did some clicking. Either way, I’d like to see some third party consolidation as Mars and Terrapin noted. Most Nader coverage on NPR had some interesting third party coverage. A Professor from SC said to watch either Ventura or a Ventura-like (notable socially liberal, fiscally moderate) candidate jump to the fore.

If consolidation doesn’t happen, I’d like to see powerful defections from the R-Ds, which isn’t quite as likely. I was talking to the Green NY Chair, and he said the Dems give so much support to their candidates in the form of volunteers and contributions that leaving the party would assuredly put re-election into jeopardy.

Without winning higher posts and a notable lack of leadership this will be a difficult road to travel.
posted by capt.crackpipe at 12:53 AM on November 9, 2000

A friend of mine who used to work with the Libertarian party notes that this is the #1 problem with them and, it sounds like, most third parties: little or no support from the central party organization for candidates in local races. I suppose it makes a certain amount of sense to save all your money for the highly-visible Presedential race, but it does leave candidates for smaller offices twisting in the wind.
posted by kindall at 2:13 AM on November 9, 2000

thirteen, I was just teasing. I truly wish the LP -- or any party, for that matter -- all the best in building a base through local offices. I don't think they'll ever contest the presidency otherwise.
posted by dhartung at 8:12 AM on November 9, 2000

A friend of mine who used to work with the Libertarian party notes that this is the #1 problem with them and, it sounds like, most third parties: little or no support from the central party organization for candidates in local races.

I don't think the Greens have a central party organization in the U.S. The Nader campaign had to build their own.

-Mars
posted by Mars Saxman at 11:10 AM on November 9, 2000

Actually, there are two "Green" parties in the US. The Green Party USA and the Association of State Green Parties. If my information is correct, Nader actually ran with the ASGP's platform rather than the more radical Green Party USA Platform which advocates, among other things, the abolition of the US Senate because of its non-proportional representation. Both parties supported the Nader campaign, but I think Nader only associated himself with the ASGP. IMIIC, that is.

But Nader himself isn't a member of any party, again IMIIC, but the ASGP best matched his beliefs and supported his campaign.
posted by daveadams at 1:19 PM on November 9, 2000

Nader had is own platform and the two Greens were — if I’m not mistaken — unified in their support of my favorite presidential loser. They had a kangaroo primary and everything.

You’re right about him not being a Green.
posted by capt.crackpipe at 1:48 PM on November 9, 2000