Tip Top Secret Libertarian 2010 Georgia Election Strategy, Part 2

Hi Kids,

Here's part 2 of the Tip Top Secret Libertarian 2010 Georgia Election Stategy, here after referred to as TTSL2010GES.

As an after thought on part 1, we'll examine the advantages the accrue to the Libertarian party here in Georgia by deciding our candidate slate at the convention next year as opposed to the primary system used by our democrat and republican brothers here in Georgia. The Georgia LP is a small outfit, agile, nimble and able to resolve candidate issues and suitability in one day during our annual convention. Like any other party there are conflicts to be resolved, issues to be refined and platforms to be built, but unlike our foes in conventional politics land, there is no special interest money sloshing around to muddy up the waters of Smaller Government, Lower Taxes and More Freedom.

So how does the Georgia LP benefit from not dragging a slate of candidates around the state of Georgia for the better part of year prior to a primary election? Looks kind of self evident to us, we don't have to force our candidates to re-enact the Bataan Death March up and down and all around the great state of Georgia to sell their souls for some meager campaign contributions and a handful of equally meager endorsements. Our guys don't spend 11 months beating their breasts and rending their garments screeching about how they are the best guys or gals for the job and whining the whole time about much money it all costs and will you please give me some more money to get on the short list of people I'll take calls from IF I manage to get elected. Libertarians just don't work that way.

So if you add up all the money our republican and democrat foes are going to spend just to figure out which one of their contenders will be the candidate for a given statewide office, you wind up with a figure that runs into millions of dollars, thousands of man/woman hours and heaps of outdated political yard signs littering the highway and byways of Georgia. We Libertarians will have spent exactly zero up to that point. A major advantage to our way of thinking.

Now traditional political consultants will tell you that the primary system is absolutely vital to the traditional political campaign. It allows the voters to get some exposure to the herd of political aspirants, it allows the voters to make a measured evaluation of each of the contenders based on their proposals and then the voters select which one of the herd move on to the general election while mercifully culling the rest. And all the while polls will have to be commissioned, TV and Radio and print ads will have to be composed, produced and aired so that the voters have an opportunity to see each candidate in the best light while making the others look like a collection of lying, thieving chintzy bastards. And tons more money will have to raised and spent. Millions more.

So by utilizing the more traditional convention setting, the Libertarian party is able to spring ahead of our conventional political foes when it comes to selecting candidates. We also suck at fundraising but that's a topic for part 3 or 4 of the TTSL2010GES at a later date.

More to follow from your friendly neighborhood Libertarian Community Organizer!