PIML 96061305 / Forwarded to Patriot Information Mailing List: [Two messages on what is happening with the Libertarian Party and the fallacy of a wasted vote.] PIML ================================================================== Date: 12 Jun 96 16:54:07 EDT From: William Winter <73163.3063@CompuServe.COM> Subject: LP ADVISORY: Party "On A Roll" ----------------------------------------- ADVISORY FROM THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY News from the National LP headquarters for members & supporters of the Libertarian Party ----------------------------------------- Watergate Office Building 2600 Virginia Avenue, NW, Suite 100 Washington DC 20037 Phone: (202) 333-0008 E-mail: 73163.3063@CompuServe.com For information about the party: (800) 682-1776 ----------------------------------------- June 12, 1996 ----------------------------------------- Libertarian Party "on a roll," says major newspaper article WASHINGTON, DC -- "Libertarians poised to make inroads in November," blared the headline on June 8th in the Arizona Republic, one of Arizona's largest newspapers. "Libertarian Party's popularity grows," headlined the reprint in the Washington Times on June 10th. The lengthy article announced: "The Libertarian Party is on a roll." Written by Washington, DC-based reporter Adrianne Flynn, the wide-ranging article examined the party's surge in membership, finances, and elected officials. It also touched on the race for the party's presidential nomination, quoting both Harry Browne and Rick Tompkins, and previewed the upcoming national convention. In an opening salvo of upbeat statistics, the article noted: "Membership is up nearly 40 percent in three years. Fund-raising income has doubled. Their numbers in the ranks of state and local governments swelled by 130 percent. Their platform is plagiarized regularly. "The party that used to rejoice at getting a mere 5 percent of the vote in an election is setting its sights higher these days. It's looking to tap into widespread voter discontent and become the viable third party that polls show citizens want. "Libertarian ideas also are more popular now than a few years ago. The Cato Institute, a Washington-based non-partisan think tank founded by Libertarians, was one of the most widely quoted sources in the budget battle between Congress and the administration last year. Republicans adopted longtime Libertarian calls for 'devolving' federal responsibilities to state and local governments, reducing the size of the Cabinet and selling off federal assets." "This article proves, once again, that nothing makes news like news," said National LP Chair Steve Dasbach. "Sustained progress, success, and growth is what generates real media coverage for the Libertarian Party. And more success will create more media coverage." # # # ================================================================== Date: 12 Jun 96 20:20:11 EDT From: Sandra Crosnoe <71232.1740@CompuServe.COM> Subject: ACT (fwd): Top email of the week! To De Clapsadle, Corbin, and Zuber - Thanks for the forward! To the author ??? - will someone please convey our thanks and deep appreciation! This is dedicated to all people who have ever run a campaign on principle and lost only to find that the *next* election swung the right direction! Also to all those currently engaged in the battle! Remember, the political power mongers will only move as far as they must to get your vote . . . This may be the most important piece you've read in a long time. If it reaches the core of your being - it will change you and the political process. Your vote is indeed precious! *PLEASE DO NOT GIVE IT LIGHTLY* Forwarded by Sandra Crosnoe for Associated Conservatives of Texas INTERNET:act@why.net Date: Wed, 12 Jun 1996 15:48:12 -0400 From: Sheep50@aol.com Subject: Fwd: Top email of the week! From: DZuber@wow.com (Dee Zuber) Date: 96-06-12 00:36:55 EDT Political Pals: This email from one of our kindred spirits at Princeton University is great and worthy of printing, memorizing for rebuttal purposes, incorporating in "letters to the editor" and something very worthy for wide distribution. It tells it exactly as it is! Dee Zuber ****************************************************************************** >From web site: http://www.math.princeton.edu/~tpbarber/3pc/ideas/waste.html#winner "Why should I vote for a 3rd party?" The Fallacy of the "Wasted" Vote If you are like most people, you might say something like: "The way I see it, there are two real possible outcomes in most elections: either the Democrats will win or the Republicans will win. I vote for one of these two parties because I do not want to "waste" my vote on someone who has no chance of winning." It has been estimated that 80% of Americans use this procedure when deciding how to vote,and this is unfortunate. Voting for a candidate other than your true favorite has the EXACT OPPOSITE of the desired effect. Let's see why... "But I don't want to vote for someone who can't win." Voting for a candidate other than your favorite has the exact opposite of the desired effect. If your beliefs exactly match those of some particular candidate, then you ought to vote for them. Of course, this never happens, so you have to pick the lesser, or the least, of several evils. Suppose you, and people like you, almost always vote for candidates from one of the two major parties. If you do this, the optimal strategy for the parties is to IGNORE you completely. Since the candidate already knows that your vote is in hand, he can then concentrate on moving the platform AWAY from your wishes, in order to court the votes of people with beliefs far from your own. For example, many people who like Libertarian ideas always vote for Republicans. What does the party do to reward them? They make policies to win over moderate liberals. Similarly, many people who like Green Party ideas always vote for Democrats, and so the Democrats ignore them and make policies to win over moderate conservatives. Either way, the voters get the opposite of what they wanted, as the Democrats and Republicans move toward the political center. To give recent example, in this year's presidential race, it is likely that most of Pat Buchanan's supporters will vote for Bob Dole in the coming election. Dole knows this, so he simply ignores Buchanan and his platform, and even tries to make himself look more liberal in order to court centrist Democrats. Politicians don't want your approval, so long as they have your vote. "But I dont want that other guy to win!" Perhaps you feel that if you vote for your favorite candidate instead of a more popular alternative, then things will backfire on you because then your least favorite candidate might win, and if he does then it will be your fault. This is a false fear. If your least favorite candidate wins, then it is not your fault. You personally have only one vote. Like it or not, you are powerless to turn the results of a democratic election. This being the case, your one vote counts for something only in the sense that it represents your approval of some set of principles. Voting is a means of conveying information about what you believe. If you ignore your principles then this information is lost, and your vote really is wasted. In preparation for subsequent elections, all politicians in the dominant parties continuously review polls and election results to see what voter blocks they might like to try to sway. If your block or party is big enough, these politicians will make some effort to win some of you over by implementing policies that you favor. They would be fools not to, since politicians and parties that enact unpopluar legislation lose the next election. Recall what happened to George Bush after he broke his "no new taxes" pledge. The only way you can make your vote worth something is to use it to vote for the candidate whose principles are closest to what you really want. The Clear Conclusion In short, voting for someone other than your favorite candidate is not only unappealing, but also contrary to your own best interests. The only way to make your voice heard is to actually VOTE, and when you do, vote for your principles. During this year's Republican primary in South Carolina, Bob Dole spent tens of thousands of dollars running an ad that said: "Bob Dole is going to be the nominee. Don't waste your vote." We leave it to you to resolve the paradox. ****************************************************************************** Date: Mon, 10 Jun 1996 17:13:30 From: dclapsadle@gnn.com (De Clapsadle) Subject: Fwd: >From web site: http://www.math.princeton.edu/~tpbarber/3pc/ideas/waste.html#winner Forwarded by: De Clapsadle UWSA,OH Reform Party http://members.gnn.com/dclapsadle/index.htm ====================================================================== ACT is not approved, chartered, or licensed by the state. We answer to the Lord God Almighty. We are a first amendment protected network. We are not a 501c3 and therefore contributions are not tax deductible. 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