January 23, 1998

Libertarianism wins widespread praise in 1997

WASHINGTON, DC -- "Get someone else to blow your horn -- and the sound will carry twice as far," advised Will Rogers many decades ago.

In 1997, the Libertarian Party took the famous humorist's advice. During the year, the party's "horn" was blown loudly by newspapers, magazines, TV journalists, and on-line publications. And that sound -- a chorus of praise about the party's growing influence and political impact -- reverberated throughout the country.

Here are two dozen positive quotes about the party or about libertarian ideas -- all of them said or written during 1997.

"Libertarianism is enjoying a dynamic resurgence in the United States, where tens of millions of Americans have become disenchanted with the tired party orthodoxies of the left and right." -- Barnes & Noble book catalog, April 1997

"Libertarians wield a disproportionate influence, thanks to their positions in academia, high-tech companies and think-tanks. With a confused and demoralized liberalism offering little intellectual resistance...the movement can no longer be dismissed."

--Salon Magazine, January 1997

"The national Libertarian Party...believes as Thomas Jefferson did, that that government which governs least, governs best."

-- The Chattanooga Free Press (Tennessee), April 24, 1997

"America is essentially a Libertarian country; one based on democracy, private property, personal liberty and free markets. We were the first nation ever founded on those ideals. The vast majority of Americans are at least selectively libertarian. But libertarianism is more than a vague, occasional impulse. It's also a coherent and hard-headed political philosophy that offers persuasive answers to a range of problems."

-- Stephen Chapman

The Chicago Tribune (Illinois), January 26, 1997

"The truth of the matter is that this country's founding fathers were on the libertarian scale of the political continuum. And the country is swinging back to those core principles." -- Dan E. Way

Delta Democrat Times (Greenville, Mississippi), June 22, 1997

"Big government/welfare-state liberals and statist/religious-right conservatives mirror each other in supporting the use of government to ensure their own vision of a good society, whether that means demanding adherence to 'traditional' values or mandating multicultural political correctness. Libertarianism offers a third alternative, and one that is more in keeping with the vision of the future that free men and women have always aspired to."

-- Stephen H. Miller

Update, San Diego, California, February 5, 1997

"Libertarianism seems to me to be an honorable approach to life."

-- Minette Marrin

The Daily Telegraph (London, England), March 2, 1997

"Libertarianism has contributed much to defining American political thought in the '90s. Libertarian themes -- such as the relationship between private property and authentic democracy, the unwise reliance on interventionist economic solutions and the importance of personal responsibility as a counterbalance to policies based on unconditional entitlements -- are part of contemporary political discourse."

-- Don Frazen

The Los Angeles Times (California), January 19, 1997

"Libertarians are believers in small government who really mean it -- no excuses, no exceptions. [For Libertarians], the excesses of government are their best recruiters." -- Richard Brookhiser

Sky Magazine, July 1997

"Libertarian ideas -- abolishing the federal income tax, privatizing Social Security and eliminating welfare, for instance -- [are] clearly becoming more popular. Libertarians are more and more driving the political debate in this country."

-- Larry Hicks

The York Dispatch (Pennsylvania), January 24, 1997

"This country is a one-party country. Half of it is called Republican and half is called Democrat. It doesn't make any difference. All the really good ideas belong to the Libertarians."

-- Hugh Downs

Co-host ABC-TV's 20/20, March 31, 1997

"Democrats think government knows how best to spend a third of your income. Republicans think government knows best how folks ought to conduct their personal lives. Libertarians, with influence beyond their numbers, will have none of that. Moving the political debate their way would benefit the nation."

-- Mike McNeill

The Minden Press-Herald (Louisiana), September 4, 1997

"A big part of the Libertarian philosophy involves freedom -- from intrusive government, freedom from burdensome taxes, and freedom to control your own choices. Hmmm, sounds good to me."

-- Jon Paul Potts

The Watertown Tab & Press (Massachusetts), June 26, 1997

"Chalk up a point to Libertarians for injecting [a] dose of common sense into a political dialogue that too often lacks it."

-- The Indianapolis News (Indiana), September 26, 1997

"I am [a] Libertarian. It is the wave of the future. As we head, head-first, into a Police State, the Libertarians are the answer."

-- Eric Muller Talk show host, Rock 103.5 FM (Chicago, Illinois), October 31, 1997

"Libertarian ideas are gaining credibility with a public that has become disillusioned with the promises and performances of centrally planned economies. [Libertarian] ideas are coming to dominate the thinking of governments all over the world."

-- Daniel Polsby The Chicago Tribune (Illinois), March 9, 1997

"For those who think this nation's political discourse has lately grown toxic, libertarianism may be just the kind of soothing antidote they need. If public dissatisfaction with government continues to grow, both major political parties are likely to be weighed in the balance and found wanting."

-- Frank Wilson Philadelphia Inquirer, February 2, 1997

"The Libertarian Party is a political party for free-thinking men and women."

-- Tom Brazaitis The Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio), March 16, 1997

"Poll after poll reveals enormous skepticism about the performance of the federal government, a disposition that should boost Libertarians' fortunes. People repeatedly tell the pollsters that government is too big, too expensive, and too intrusive."

-- Karlyn Bowman Roll Call (Washington, DC), February 6, 1997

"The basic insight of libertarianism is simple: If you treat people like adults, they will tend to act like adults." -- Ronald Bailey

The Washington Times, March 19, 1997

"The vast majority of people who are libertarian don't know it. As we approach the next century, we'll see a lot of people whose disgust with government compels them to the Libertarian Party."

-- Jeff Katz Talk show host, WRKO Radio(Boston, Massachusetts), November 1997

"Libertarian ideas have made their way into the mainstream of American political thought."

-- Nicole LeFavour The Boise Weekly (Idaho), December 29, 1997

"Libertarians greet proposals for government intervention with a refreshing, Why? The question needs asking."

-- The Richmond Times-Dispatch (Virginia), October 20, 1997

"The Libertarian Party provides a principled voice for reducing the size of government -- perhaps the single most important legislative objective these days that U.S. leaders could embrace."

-- Indianapolis News (Indiana), September 26, 1997

The Libertarian Party

http://www.lp.org/

2600 Virginia Ave. NW, Suite 100

202-333-0008

fax: 202-333-0072