Liberty's Blog

John Hospers Open Letter To Libertarians

Founding father of The Libertarian Party and 1972 presidential candidate John Hospers posts an Open Letter pleading with Libertarians to vote for George W. Bush. He hasn't weakened his beliefs but eloquently explains how John Kerry is so very anti-libertarian in almost every way.

As a way of getting acquainted, let me just say that I was the first presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party back in l972, and was the author of the first full-length book, Libertarianism, describing libertarianism in detail. I also wrote the Libertarian Party's Statement of Principles at the first libertarian national convention in 1972. I still believe in those principles as strongly as ever, but this year -- more than any year since the establishment of the Libertarian Party -- I have major concerns about the choices open to us as voting Americans.

There is a belief that's common among many libertarians that there is no essential difference between the Democrat and Republican Parties -- between a John Kerry and a George W. Bush administration; or worse: that a Bush administration would be more undesirable. Such a notion could not be farther from the truth, or potentially more harmful to the cause of liberty.

The election of John Kerry would be, far more than is commonly realized, a catastrophe. Regardless of what he may say in current campaign speeches, his record is unmistakable: he belongs to the International Totalitarian Left in company with the Hillary and Bill Clintons, the Kofi Annans, the Ted Kennedys, and the Jesse Jacksons of the world. The Democratic Party itself has been undergoing a transformation in recent years; moderate, pro-American, and strong defense Senators such as Zell Miller, Joe Lieberman and Scoop Jackson are a dying breed. Observe how many members of the Democrat Party belong to the Progressive Caucus, indistinguishable from the Democratic Socialists of America. That caucus is the heart and soul of the contemporary Democratic Party.

Gutsy letter, at a time when it is critical for for the Libertarian party to get votes to stay on ballots throughout the country. it also means money. Votes translate into cash from the Federal matching funds. My reccomendatation for Libertarians is vote Badnarik if you are not one the Battleground states. I suspect that most Libertarians will be holding their noses when they approach the ballot box this Tuesday.

posted by Liberty @ 8:31 PM