February 1, 2010
Dear Friend of Liberty,
An analysis published by the Cato Institute on January 21 offers a variety of statistics to support the notion that Americans are becoming more libertarian, and that they are becoming more comfortable with the word “libertarian” itself. I thought this study was very interesting, and I encourage you to take a look at it.
According to the study, a 2006 Zogby poll posed the following question to a sample of voters: “Would you describe yourself as fiscally conservative and socially liberal, also known as libertarian?” Apparently 44% of the respondents said “yes”! That’s very encouraging to me, because I had thought the word “libertarian” was scary or confusing to most people. I doubt that all of those 44% really have political views that I would describe as libertarian, but I think it’s great that they feel comfortable with the libertarian label.
The authors of the study used a different poll to determine how many voters are actually libertarian. According to their criteria, about 15% of voters are libertarian. I think one of the most important jobs of the Libertarian Party is to make sure that libertarian voters are voting for Libertarian Party candidates. There is a lot of untapped potential out there.
Obviously, the Republicans and Democrats in Washington are not making voters happy. Fewer and fewer voters are identifying as Republicans or Democrats. We need to find those voters who are libertarians, and get them to join us in our effort to bring liberty back to America.
What can you do to help? A lot of things. You can join the LP or make a contribution. You can become a Libertarian candidate, which will give you great opportunities to express Libertarian viewpoints to the public. You can volunteer locally with your Libertarian Party affiliate. Even something as simple as putting a bumper sticker on your car that says “Libertarian” is great. (In fact, some marketing and campaign professionals estimate that’s worth at least $200 in advertising!)
Whatever the level of involvement you’re comfortable with, please try to do something.
Sincerely,
Wes Benedict
Executive Director
Libertarian National Committee
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