The Texas GOP to Texas Libertarians (and Gandhi): "How Dare You!"

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win." Mohandas Gandhi *

Texas Republicans have a new solution for those pesky Libertarians: quit thinking you should have the right to organize a political party and go off to become the new ACLU. Or an anti-abortion group!? (Seriously.)

Here's the Travis Monitor:

It would be good if the Libertarians/libertarians attempted to aspire to real political effectiveness, because this country needs more freedom and less Government, and their influence could be salutory. But that would require taking off the big "L", abandoning a failed third party approach, and becoming libertarians working in the one major political party where their ideas are most at home: the Republican Party. Consider some of the most effective political activist organizations - the litigious ACLU, the social conservative Christian Coalition, the gay rights Human Rights Campaign. I would add another group from Texas: The Texas Alliance for Life. TAL has achieved multiple pro-life victories as a force that influences the two party system, working mostly with Republicans but also with prolife Democrats to achieve their goals. These groups successfully worked the two party system, rather than try to work outside it.

Yeah, that's a great idea, guys. We'll all go become good little robots and give up half our message--individual liberty from State coercion whether the State is liberal OR conservative--in order to insure GOP electoral success.

So here's the score: In Texas, they've stopped ignoring us. They've stopped laughing at us. Now they're starting to fight us. This is progress.

Unfortunately, at national Libertarian Party headquarters, the efforts of State and local candidates still seem to be stuck back on Ignore.




*Whose words, thankfully, have been dropped from the masthead of most increasingly rabid websites in Delaware.