Libertarians, please. Quit ruining this.
The below is an account from someone who actively campaigned and voted for Gary Johnson in 2012 and 2016.
Gary had his issues, and to be honest, no candidate is perfect. But to Libertarians it seems, no candidate can EVER be perfect. So we shoot ourselves in the foot.
Let me explain what it is like for those of you who are inside the party.
It was a nightmare to try to get anyone to come on board. I would invite people into a "For Gary Johnson Facebook Page" and it would be a bunch of Libertarians on there fighting about something, calling Gary names and, well you remember.
My friends/family would message me and be like WTELF, "you want me to risk making Obama/Hilary/Romney/Trump President for that? These people don't even like their own candidate!!!!"
I think in both election years I may have successfully converted 6 people and I honestly have no idea how they voted. I'm an Irish girl from Philly raised by a salesman. My success rate should be a wee bit higher.
Please, please, please do not do this again.
The independents, nonvoters, hate-voters, and, yes, LIBERTARIANS, need somewhere safe to land. They can not come into our groups and see infighting. They are going to walk right out.
The hate-voters (people voting for the less of 2 evils) are scared. Period. They are only voting out of fear. Someone motivated by fear is not going to change their mind easily. They need to see a group united and a promise of a something better.
The American public right now is begging for Politicians, and their supporters, to be HUMANS. If we can give them this and show them what Freedom, Respect and Caring is all about, our goals will be so much easier to attain.
At this point in an election, most people have had to sacrifice pieces of what their vision was for the Libertarian Ticket. We are all in the same boat.
Unless you somehow saw and campaigned for a Jorgensen/Cohen 2020 campaign before today?? Anyone? Nope, no one. No one got their way. But everyone can win if we all work together.
PLEASE. I am so tired of trying to convince people I'm not crazy. Thank you.
Here's a post from 24 May in the [Jo Jorgensen/Spike Cohen for President/VP 2020 group(https://www.facebook.com/groups/joj2020)
Look, I am new to the Libertarian party because I am quite sick what's happening with our country because of our govt. I am all for the party's principles and such, but just today alone reading all the posts, and subsequently, the comments, I am faced with a decision.
Y'all are falling all over yourselves with the in-fighting and arguing, that I don't see how anything gets done. We are not all going to agree on every single thing that goes on, but for heavens sakes, this is getting ridiculous.
Instead of jumping in and saying, okay this may not be what I was hoping for, how can I work with this; y'all are jumping down each others throats. For someone new to the party, it's like watching a bunch of toddlers fighting over the sandbox at the playground and it's off-putting.
I was excited to be a part of something new (new to me) that aligned with my core beliefs, but after today, I'm not so sure now. Y'all seem to be more divided amongst each other than the country as a whole is, and over stuff that isn't important, how is this possible?
Maybe it's because we're in the baby stages of a new campaign and everyone wants to feel important and have their voice heard so it all needs to be hashed out, organized, and level out, but some of the memes I'm seeing are laughable in that they seem to be making a joke or a mockery of this candidacy and we're certainly going to be taken seriously with those aren't we? And then there's all the inhouse bitching about Cohen as her running mate.
She left it up to the delegates and will honor their choice, so why can't you? Is he rough around the edges? In your face weird? Sure. But if y'all are so desperate to make her over and so-called polish her up, then jump on the same bandwagon for him too and stop complaining about him! You are stuck with him now and are you truly Lib if you're ready to jump ship because he's on the ticket now. Someone said it perfectly in a comment..."Obama got elected with Biden..."
I don't regret joining this party and registering as a Lib, but I'm beginning to see why many see us a joke and never taken seriously when on the ballots. I'm not ready to jump ship on the party itself, or this candidate, but dang y'all, it's disheartening as a newbie to see what I've been seeing on this page all day!