I don’t generally like discussing politics, but this has been on my mind recently so hear me out. We all know these are not good times to identify yourself as a Republican. I don’t mean to offend. I’m not saying there is something wrong with the positions that they stand for, just that the word alone can generate a laugh now. Every day on popular sites such as Digg and Reddit, there is at least one top story making fun of either Fox News or something said by a Republican. John Stewart and Stephen Colbert focus their shows on mocking mainly Republicans. I’ve even had conversations with people from Europe who genuinely believe that the Republican Party is solely comprised of racist and sexist people of less intelligence.
    The fact that the two most prominent Republican politicians in the public eye are George W. Bush and Sarah Palin says enough. Due to this image of the Republican Party, we could very well see the end of conservative thought actually making a difference in this country. Conservatives need a mind that will actually put up a fight and run a campaign that earns respect from the mainstream media.
    This is the perfect time for the Libertarians to step in and fight for supremacy. The Democrats triumphed over the Republicans in the 2008 presidential election and it is time for the Libertarians to do the same in 2012. Although The Republican Party holds much power right now, I firmly believe that Libertarians are on their way to being the most well known conservative party in American politics. Still, there are a few obstacles in the way.
    The biggest problem is that The Libertarian Party doesn’t have a true face anymore. Ron Paul jumped ship to the Republicans (even though he still truly is Libertarian), leaving no front-runner for the next election. Sure, there are popular Libertarian journalists such as John Stossel and Mike Drudge, but I guarantee your average U.S. citizen would not be able to name a single politician currently under The Libertarian Party. Libertarians need a brand new face with a clean slate. I think it’s safe to say the American public would give that person more of a listen than Bush or Palin.
    How would The Libertarian Party gain a louder voice in American politics? The greatest (and easiest) way is to finally be included in presidential debates. Politics are not a two party system in the U.S. and the presidential debate needs to reflect that. We saw a giant leap for third parties in the gubernatorial race in New Jersey two years ago. Incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine and Republican Chris Christie were heavily favored, but Independent Chris Daggett was no slouch. Daggett participated in all three gubernatorial debates and even garnered up to 20 percent of voter support in the polls; the most any third party candidate in New Jersey has ever received. But because of the close race between Corzine and Christie, many who previously aligned with Daggett went either Democrat or Republican by election day. Still, Daggett made a statement for third party candidates and we can only hope to see our federal government treat these candidates with the same respect that state governments have.
    It is sad to say that there are citizens who don’t even know there are more than two political parties in the U.S. Those who say they chose one candidate because they were the, “lesser of two evils” don’t even know there was most likely a third party candidate that they could identify with. By entering the mainstream political debate, support for the Libertarian party would skyrocket.
    This isn’t an arrogant comment, either. Consider these Libertarian views on civil liberties: Pro-choice, pro-gay marriage and pro-legalization of marijuana. Add anti-war and anti-ridiculous amounts of government spending to that list. These are all currently very popular stances in the general public and if third parties receive a respectable amount of media coverage, people would look at a different side of conservative thought. Both Democrats and Republicans would merge to Libertarian, effectively making it a major party. All of the pieces are in place. If this were a chess match, Libertarians would have a clear advantage over Republicans. It’s time for a revolution.