Libertarian Reform reactions from David Eckhardt

==Reactions on a Pittsburgh Libertarian email list==
:July 6, 2006 from Dave Eckhardt
Ringleader is such an Emotionally-Loaded term.
Among my objections to the "Reform the LP" campaign was
its repeated use of emotionally-laden terms and false
dichotomies -- starting with the name itself: "reform"
has the connotation of righting wrongs. Think of all
the terms that could have been used instead, such as
"advance", "popularize", "grow", etc. In general, any
time anybody claims they're "reforming" something I
assume they're trying to put something over on me (see
"campaign finance reform").
I found the campaign against the membership pledge
deceptive. Convention attendees received two stickers,
one reading "big tent libertarian" (meaning: ditch the
pledge) and the other reading "anarchists only" (keep
the pledge), and were encouraged to wear one or the other.
Now, we may not need a membership pledge (I think we do),
and it's possible we need to replace the one we have
(personally I am open to suggestions), but despite having
received and carefully read the "RLP"'s pre-convention
pamphlet I don't see how the current pledge equates to
anarchy, and I believe many current LP members would
reject that characterization.
A similar pair of stickers was handed out about the
Platform--keeping the platform was derisively labelled
"libertopia tomorrow", and I think abruptly ditching
the entire platform en masse was called something like
"gradual libertarian".
Again, maybe the platform is too long and/or too idealistic
and we need a smaller, more-focused one (fine by me).
But it appears as if what we got was a campaign for
rejecting *all* platform planks (the right to keep and bear
arms squeaked through with something like 50.1% of the
vote, which I interpret as meaning that many people just
checked the "reject all planks" box on the ballot).
Personally I don't believe this country will get limited
government until the average citizen wants it, and I don't
think the average citizen *can* want limited government
without understanding what it means. I think Badnarik is
on track when he addresses the situation as an educational
problem.
What I *don't* think will work is an "electoral reform
program" consisting of handing out three stickers to
everybody in the U.S., "Commie Democrat", "Ayatollah
Republican", and "Sensible Libertarian", and expecting
a sound-bite trick to bring in the votes.
Dave Eckhardt