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"Now I think you should nominate me or at least vote for me, and we should win together," Donald Trump pleaded at the Libertarian Convention on Saturday. But with boos and a few expletives, the audience roared in what appeared to be the toughest reception the former president has ever encountered from a campaign crowd.
In usual Trumpian fashion, the former president responded to the booing by saying, "Only [nominate me] if you want to win; if you want to lose, don't do that. Keep getting your 3 percent every four years."
The audience didn't like that (as Lizzo has brilliantly put it, "truth hurts"). And of course, the Libertarians didn't give Trump the nomination. They gave it instead to Chase Oliver, a little known, well-spoken millennial who previously ran for senate in Georgia.
I was at the convention, and before Trump took the stage, I chatted with Oliver. He told me that "this is probably the first time we've had a war criminal on our stage." He added that "The Libertarian Party is ultimately an anti-establishment, anti-authoritarian party."
When I asked him "why you?," Oliver told me: "One of the things that immediately makes me different from the Joe Bidens and Donald Trumps of the world is that I'm actually a millennial. I'm under the age of 40. I actually had to grow up during the War on Terror and financial collapse.... If elected president, I'll see the consequences of whatever I do in the next 20 to 30 years."
Oliver had a point. Next to his competitors, he sounds mellifluous and looks vibrant. If he had a camera following him around all day, he'd become a superstar.
The problem is, he doesn't.
As smart and principled as many of my libertarians friends may be, they are all too often carried away by the intellectual. They lose, not just because of the legal barriers placed by America's two dominant parties, but because they are nerds. While CPAC may not be filled with the most well-adjusted folks either, the conversations I overheard at the Libertarian convention indicated a level of weirdness comparable to that of an anime convention.
No intention to offend here, just being real. Many libertarians will valiantly defend their ideals even when they face ridicule, and this resilience originates not only from vigor but from an inherent eccentricity. Though there's lots of virtue in standing up for one's beliefs, in politics, there is no virtue in losing. And to avoid losing, understanding normal folks is a lot more important than understanding Milton Friedman's theory of money.
Libertarians in swing states, specifically, should understand that with the likes of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and all the other third-partiers in the ballot, sending messages comes at a cost. If you are in Alabama or California, go ahead and send your message. But if you are not, think about it for a second.
If you want your ideas to remain ideas, not policy, do what you've been doing. There may even be an improvement this time around—maybe a three percent increase! But if you want policy change, look at what the likes of Representative Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) have accomplished pushing for your ideas in Republican circles.
Yes, the GOP is full of neocons, Evangelicals, nationalists, crazies, statists, liars, and idiots. Still, if there is any place for your ideas to have an impact, it's there. It's no coincidence that the most prominent libertarians have found a home in the Republican Party.
Disagree with Senator J.D. Vance (R-Ohio) on industrial policy or Senator Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Ukraine aid? Well, that's too bad, but what's the alternative?
For those who care about results, there is none. A vote for the Libertarian Party will broadly translate into a signal of general dissatisfaction. In doing this, your ideas will not advance; you'll only be joining disgruntled communists and environmentalists. Even if the stars were to align and the two-party system were obliterated, have you looked at Europe? A multiparty system does not in in any way translate into the advancement of libertarianism.
If you think Trump is literally Hitler, I guess I get it. But if you are a smart libertarian, one who can draw pros and cons, I think the choice is easy. Maybe you should go for the well-established guy who showed up to this year's convention, promising to tackle some of your priorities. A small win is better than a clear loss. Out of all people, those who talk a big deal about understanding markets should get this.
Juan P. Villasmil is an Intercollegiate Studies Institute editorial fellow at The Spectator World.
The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
