As of writing this column, the news has broke that Independent presidential candidate, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., suspended his campaign within the 2024 Presidential Race to endorse Republican candidate and former President Donald Trump. There are those of us who are not surprised of this as hints were given out throughout the week.
This same candidate who was originally a Democrat and wanted people to "declare their independence" from the two party system went back to supporting one of the two major evils in this race. No matter who supported him during his campaign (either they identify as Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, or independent), they have been duped in supporting a candidate who they believed would be the "best third party option."
This moment has become as predictable as watching a last minute alliance form in an episode of Survivor, and with this being the 7th presidential election I get to see and remember in my lifetime, this has to be the most frustrating one so far. (Side note: This is the 9th presidential election in my lifetime, and I was very young during the '92 and '96 elections).
It's so frustrating that four members of the Libertarian Party National Executive Committee (one of them being National LP Chair Angela McArdle) joined in a joint funding partnership with the Kennedy campaign over Libertarian Party presidential nominee Chase Oliver to the point where (as of writing this) 13 state affiliates of the LP including the Lone Star State itself has officially denounced said partnership and censured the four executive members responsible for violating national bylaws, which the LP's Judicial Committee didn't see as a problem.
With McArdle pushing this deal as well as "endorsing" Oliver in blue states in hopes to get Trump to win just because he "promised" to put a Libertarian in his cabinet is outright asinine for a leader to the largest third party to even do! This does not make any sense whatsoever! And with the recent party financial reports being released, it shows the national funds in the negative. With a mass exodus and leaks of in-party controversy by McArdle's leadership, I really wonder how that happened.
Those who have read my more political columns know that I am a staunch Libertarian. I've been a member of the party since 2013, and became fully involved in the party during the 2016 election. I became a Lifetime Member of the Libertarian Party in 2021 as well as a Lifetime Member of the Libertarian Party of Texas in 2023. I ran for County Judge in my home county of Guadalupe County, Texas in 2022 where I was able to receive almost 27% of the vote, and currently running for County Commissioner in Precinct 1 of the same county.
I do my part of endorsing the Liberty movement within both Guadalupe County and in Texas, but I am absolutely ashamed with the direction of the party on the national level! I did not join the party for its national leadership to bow down to an opposing candidate, either it be Kennedy or Trump! I strongly don't believe that David Nolan and the other co-founders of the Libertarian Party would've wanted the leadership of their very creation to stoop down to support the duopoly!
For my fellow Libertarians who have not fallen for the mess that has come down upon us, I ask that you support the candidate who was fairly nominated in Washington D.C. months ago! I know that there are those who don't agree with a few of his stances, but I ask you this, was there a Libertarian candidate that you truly agreed 100% on. There were things I disagreed on with Gary Johnson and Jo Jorgensen, but I still voted for them because they supported the values of economic and social liberty! I'm going to do the very same for Chase Oliver this November despite any disagreement that I have with him!
I'm not going to waste my vote on anyone else in that race! To even think of not voting for him would be a violation on my own staunch Libertarian principles! I supported Chase since his announcement, and I'm going to make sure that I finish this election year off by casting my vote for him.
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