(The following was originally published in the Albuquerque Journal.)
The New Mexico Democratic gubernatorial primary is so boring I had begun watching Albuquerque police lapel camera reruns. Depressing stuff. So I clicked onto the New Mexico Secretary of State website.
I am going to share what I learned. Lucky you.
This is particularly relevant information because in less than a month, we will choose the Democratic candidate who will get beat by Susana Martinez.
Quick now. How many official parties are there in New Mexico? Four, according to the Secretary of State. In addition to the big guys, there are the minor parties: the Libertarian Party and the Independent American Party of New Mexico.
We are all somewhat familiar with the Libertarian folks. They don’t like government interference and want the “right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest.” I think that means they don’t want anyone telling them to wear a motorcycle helmet.
Perhaps you didn’t know, however, about the Independent American Party. This group endeavors “to find, nominate, assist and support candidates for federal, state and local offices who are wise, moral and honest.” Good luck with that trifecta.
Yes, it was started by libertarians, but we are talking about the movement as it exists today.
Jed Ziggler May 12, 2014 at 4:41 pm
‘Not mentioned at all, to my surprise, was the TEA Party, which is kind of like Libertarians on steroids.’
“Absurd statement. The TEA Party is not an actual political party (except for the Tea Party of Florida), it is a splinter group within the Republican Party, and if they’re ‘Libertarians on steroids’, I’m Bob Barker.”
The TEA Party movement was actually started by libertarians. The establishment saw it as a threat, so the Republican Party sent people in to co-opt/hijack it. They were pretty successful in rendering the TEA Party movement to be mostly ineffective from the perspective of fighting for individual liberty.
That might explain it. Or maybe the words they are looking for are right wing ractionaries.
Maybe they meant libertarians on crack.
But yeah, not what people usualy mean by describing something as something “..on steroids” at all. Misses the peace and civil liberties sides of libertarianism completely, as many people all too often do.
It is kind of like libertarianism on steroids – meatheaded, pumped up, in a roid rage and with shrunken balls.
“Not mentioned at all, to my surprise, was the TEA Party, which is kind of like Libertarians on steroids.”
Absurd statement. The TEA Party is not an actual political party (except for the Tea Party of Florida), it is a splinter group within the Republican Party, and if they’re “Libertarians on steroids”, I’m Bob Barker.
Oh sorry I mean the bottom one. Missed the top one, assumed it just linked to the Journal home page.
It’s working fine for me.
The link doesn’t work.