Missing voice from coverage of Tea Party protests: Libertarian Party, America’s third largest

by Kay B. Day

Screen shot of the Libertarian Party home page. The party had a presence at the September 12 rallies, but branded media omitted coverage.

Branded media outlets skew to the left but they give a nod to the right even though it’s often a negative nod. What none give a nod to is America’s third largest political party, the Libertarians. But in Saturday’s historic rallies, not only in Washington but in other cities as well, Libertarians had a presence.

That presence is documented in a statement about the Washington rally on the party’s official website: “Wes Benedict, Executive Director of the Libertarian Party, commented, ‘As expected, there were lots of Republicans at this event.  However, with all of the smiles and thumbs-up we received, you could tell that many people felt little or no allegiance to the Republican Party.  There was a constant flow of people stopping to photograph our signs and we passed out lots of Libertarian Party literature and stickers.’"

Neil Boortz's Fair Tax book is the best approach I've seen to addressing inequities in the antiquated US income tax system. The current system punishes productivity and rewards languor. It also punishes Main Street in a manner far differently than politicos like Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) who has never apologized to the American people for his tax lapses even though he heads the committee that writes our regulations.Sometimes you hear the Libertarian party mentioned  in a negative rendering, such as when 9/11 truthers are mentioned, though technically that movement is not part of the party’s official platform. I’ve heard a number of celebs declare their politics lean towards Libertarianism—Judge Andrew Napolitano, for instance. Judge Napolitano is the youngest life-tenured Superior Court judge in the history of the State of New Jersey. Another high profile voice is that of Neil Boortz, whose book on the Fair Tax is the most logical approach to solving the taxation crisis in America I’ve seen.  According to the website The Advocates, entertainer Clint Eastwood is also associated with Libertarian beliefs. I've heard Glenn Beck declare an affinity for Libertarian principles.

Most of us associate Dr. Ron Paul’s politics with the Libertarian Party although he is technically a Republican.

Traditionally Libertarians are associated with Republicans in the populist psyche, and there are platform elements in common. But Libertarians have a distinct platform that makes them unique—a purist adherence to the U.S. Constitution, solid protection of individual rights and small government. The Party has been equally critical of Democrats and Republicans. And though a facet of the GOP enjoys Libertarian support for individual candidates, the GOP grassroots tends to be as disgusted with Libertarians in the same manner they view Democrats. That’s to be expected, of course. A third party, if it is legitimate, must have a unique platform of its own and stands in direct competition to the two parties that dominate American politics. My personal opinion is that while Libertarians and the GOP traditionally share fiscal approaches in theory, the Democratic Party is the exact opposite of the Libertarian Party if viewed on a historical basis especially on the matters of entitlements and taxation.

The think tank most often associated with Libertarian views is The Cato Institute.

On the official Libertarian Party website, the platform includes a preamble:

“As Libertarians, we seek a world of liberty; a world in which all individuals are sovereign over their own lives and no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the benefit of others…We believe that respect for individual rights is the essential precondition for a free and prosperous world, that force and fraud must be banished from human relationships, and that only through freedom can peace and prosperity be realized …Consequently, we defend each person's right to engage in any activity that is peaceful and honest, and welcome the diversity that freedom brings. The world we seek to build is one where individuals are free to follow their own dreams in their own ways, without interference from government or any authoritarian power…In the following pages we have set forth our basic principles and enumerated various policy stands derived from those principles…These specific policies are not our goal, however. Our goal is nothing more nor less than a world set free in our lifetime, and it is to this end that we take these stands.”

The party is active in all 50 states and claims more than 250,000 registered voters. The website also says, “In 2008, more than 15 million votes were cast for Libertarian candidates around the nation.”

We plan to interview Garry Reed,  a writer who covers Libertarian politics in Dallas for The Examiner media brand.

As traditional media gave a nod to the tea parties September 12, Fox News was alone in airing continuing coverage.

No one mentioned the Libertarians. Why do branded media exclude this party?