Advocates for Self-Government e-newsletter:
This is a question I enjoy asking people, for several reasons. One, it’s an ice breaker when meeting new folks at libertarian events, and people usually like to tell their story to other libertarians. Another is that I learn something about the person with whom I’m speaking. For me, their story is another data point that informs me how I might more effectively persuade others to become libertarian.
liberty Like many Gen Y libertarians, my view of how the world operates was fundamentally and irrevocably altered by Congressman Ron Paul following his 2008 presidential campaign and the Campaign For Liberty. It is likely that I would never have been exposed to the libertarian ideas he was presenting were it not for the internet—specifically Youtube and social media.
After watching every “Ron Paul destroys…” Youtube video I could find, I decided to take action and seek out some real-life libertarians in Sacramento. My online search connected me with Dr. Jim Lark, who was listed as the national LP’s student outreach contact. It so happens that Dr. Lark was also serving as Chairman of the Advocates for Self-Government. He graciously helped connect me with other libertarians in my community and also introduced me to Sharon Harris, the Advocates’ former and longest serving president.
Upon deciding to start a Students For Liberty club on my college campus at CSU Sacramento, it was not long before my Operation Politically Homeless kit from the Advocates arrived in the mail. With the help of a few student volunteers I had already recruited, we proceeded to conduct several on campus OPH events over the next two years and further identified and recruited many more libertarians.
I have heard it said that libertarians are not community-oriented and lack empathy and concern for their fellow citizens and neighbors. My experience coming into the movement and since has run completely counter to this narrative, and I attribute my sustained activism and commitment to libertarian principles over the last eight years to people like Dr. Lark, Sharon Harris, and the countless other passionate and caring people I have since met in the liberty movement.
Social movements are as much about advancing political ideals and policies as they are about attraction to the people who promote them. In hindsight, it was the personal integrity to his political philosophy that initially attracted me to Dr. Paul—something that I had not seen from a politician before. It is an honor for me to able to work to attract and persuade people to embrace libertarian principles and to empower libertarians to be highly successful at presenting the ideas of liberty to the world.
So, what attracted you to the liberty movement? Please write as and let us know at [email protected]. We’d love to hear from you.
IPR notes:
Ron Paul was the Libertarian Presidential nominee in 1988, and despite more recently serving as a Republican congressman and contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2008 and 2012 remains a life member of the Libertarian Party. James Lark is currently a regional representative on, and past chair of, the Libertarian National Committee, and is or has been an officer of his state and local party organizations and LP candidate for public office. Sharon Harris was a founding member of the Libertarian Party of Georgia and has been a state candidate of that party.
What Jill stated very well.
I’m not attracted to any movement.
I changed my political beliefs (just prior to Obama being elected) from that of life long Republican (I declared myself Republican as a teen ager, I’m now 69). My personal beliefs are in line with the libertarian principles of consensual agreement and the right of the individual to pursue Life, Liberty and Happiness unencumbered and unobstructed by any entity. I was influenced by some members of a political message board I used to subscribe to and my oldest son, all of whom were Ron Paul supporters which led me to reading about his career and liking what I read. My biggest influence was my ability to see the trees because I stand outside the forest. I started paying attention to the big picture and realized there was NO difference in policy between the R and D factions except to be sold with different rhetoric. Results speak for themselves.
I am happy to see there are new libertarians coming along and hope they stay true the the principles.
What attracted me to the movement? Being asked to pay an enormous amount of money to the IRS (which is still the biggest problem in my life), and knowing some of those dollars were being used to murder people in other countries.
The name “Mike Sertic” rang a bell. It turns out he was elected to the Libertarian Party of CA’s Executive Committee in 2014 and then disappeared. It’s an unusual name, so I suppose it’s the same guy. No one knew very much about him.