Monday, May 30, 2011

Libertarian Gamma Males Hate Alpha Males

Control freaks have long pestered the Libertarian Party. They infest the LP from time to time, trying to dictate how everyone should behave "to win elections," or what the party's message should and should not be. The Nevada LP's recent crack down on its county parties is one example. The actions of the Reform/liberventionist/Root faction provide other examples.

Even so, the control freaks always have a hard time because, as it's long been said, trying to manage libertarians is like herding cats.

Now I've come across an interesting term, in an article about Herman Cain, that relates to this phenomenon -- the Gamma Male.

From reading this article, it seems to me that Alpha Males can easily rule Beta Males -- but the LP is mostly composed of Gamma Males. Alpha Males (which is what I consider Bob Barr, Wayne Allyn Root, Aaron Starr, and some others, to be) cannot control Gamma Males. Gamma Males don't want to rule, but they rebel against control.

(Yes, there are some women in the LP, but unfortunately, the party's fate is still largely determined by male power dynamics.)

Here's the relevant excerpt from the article, by Daniel M. Ryan, found at EnterStageRight.com:

"The division of people into Alpha and Beta started, unsurprisingly, with experiments on rats. Studying social dynamics, the scientists found that certain rats struggled to assume leadership of the rat packs and tended to end up as leaders. They were labeled Alphas. Other rats didn't fight for leadership, and were content to follow: they were labeled Betas. The two categories seemed exhaustive, until those rat-watchers discovered a third kind of rodent.

"That rat was labeled the Gamma. Superficially, it appeared to be an Alpha. What differentiated the Gamma from the Alpha was the former's disinclination to either lead or follow. Gammas that got leadership slots grew tired of being the boss and went off on their own. Interestingly, they were confused with Alphas but not Betas. Gammas weren't much for following....

"The Gamma personality has not entered the popular argot, despite the Gamma's correspondence to a definite psychological profile. A Gamma male, or female, is a
dominant loner.

"Like their rat counterparts,
[Gamma humans are] not much for following but show little inclination to lead. In a way, it's surprising that there's not more recognition of the Gamma personality because there's a whole Gamma subculture right in front of our eyes. As dominant loners, whether rough-hewn or refined, they're inclined to be individualists.

"As people, they tend to assume that other people are like themselves. Consequently, they tend to see the leader-follower bond as a little odd or degrading. Some are more sophisticated then others, but their psychological profile inclines them to look on leaders with suspicion and followers with disdain.

"H.L. Mencken, to take a single example, was all Gamma. What other kind of person would see democracy as something akin to a well-run slave plantation, with vote solicitation obliging the master to always wear velvet gloves and keep pampering the slaves? His knack of portraying political leaders as either rascals or buffoons went hand-in-hand with an eternal contempt for their supporters and followers. Clearly, H.L. Mencken's own political prejudices squared tightly with the Gamma profile. So does anyone who despises the "sheeple" for needing the sheepdog."


Read the entire article.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Wayne Allyn Root Uses Libertarian Party for Neocon Stardom

Since 2007, when I first saw him speak at the 2007 Libertarian Party of California state convention, I've said that Wayne Allyn Root is using the LP to promote himself, seeking a new career as a paid political pundit, with all the usual lucrative book deals, and radio & TV gigs.

Why would Root seek a new career? Perhaps because his sports betting business was already tanking in 2007, though I didn't learn about that until later.

Why would Root use the LP to attain the goal of media star/political pundit?

My logic: The world is full of Rush Limbaugh wannabes. An aspiring, right-wing media pundit, one with no serious political creds, must separate himself from the herd.

Winning the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination is one way to rise above the pack.

Plus, the libertarian pond is much smaller than the conservative ocean. It's easier to look like a Big Fish in the LP than in the GOP. Less competition when Fox News needs an "official libertarian spokesperson."

Root only won the LP's VP nomination, but his plan worked. Despite Root's ignorance of both libertarian philosophy and internal party issues, the VP nomination brought Root instant "political spokesperson" creds. Which he immediately began leveraging to pump up his own personal stardom.

Root's supporters derided my analysis of Root's motives and intentions.

Robert Capozzi called me a "mind reader" for presuming to know Root's motives and intentions.

No, not mind reading. One may logically assess a person's motives and intentions based on that person's circumstances, statements, and actions. We all assess other people's motives and intentions, every day.

IPR's "Libertarian Girl" said my analysis was ridiculous, because if Root wanted to use a political party for personal fame, he'd join the GOP rather than the LP.

No, not really. Had Root sought power within, or through, the GOP in 2007, he'd have been a small fish among Big Boys. The GOP wouldn't have nominated Root for vice president. And Root's ego can't abide toiling in the shadows of GOP power brokers, hoping for a chance to maybe run for state assembly in 10 years.

But now I am vindicated. On January 31, 2011, Root sent an email to S. Rowan Wilson, which Wilson released to the public. (Root's email was in relation to yet another Root fiasco, specifically, the Nevada state LP's power grab, disaffiliating its county parties.)

In his email, Root reveals his personal goals. Here's the relevant excerpt (the ellipses are in the original), in which Root writes to Wilson:

"And I'm not interested in local issues- I’m 100% a national guy.

"So only when I’m 70 years old and retired will I be interested in running for Congress or U.S. Senate. At that point it might be fun to move to D.C. and add a new chapter to my life.

"In the meantime my goal is to become very famous as a TV and radio host over the next 6 years...and run for President in 2016 with the name recognition of Rush or Hannity or Glenn Beck or Michael Savage.

"And get Ross Perot-like vote totals...and then become a true national celebrity known and respected by all.

"Then spend 4 more years as the Libertarian-conservative Rush or Beck on radio and TV...

"then actually have a legitimate shot to win the Presidency in 2020...

"And if that doesn't happen...at that point as a household name (like Ross Perot, Al Franken, or Jesse Ventura) become Nevada's U.S. Senator.

"But the only way to 'settle' on U.S. Senate and actually win...is to become Nevada's most famous citizen as talk show host...TV celebrity...and serious Presidential candidate."


You can read the full Root/Rowan email exchange on Independent Political Report.

Are Root's motives relevant to anything?

Yes. If Root seeks a personal success that requires the approval of Fox News and the right-wing punditocracy, then Root will craft his Message to appeal to those who can give him that success -- the pro-war Establishment.

Root will also avoid sensitive, controversial issues (e.g., aid to Israel, open borders, drug legalization, gay marriage), or even take an anti-libertarian position on those issues, should it offend his Fox News customer base.

Which makes Root a damaging spokesperson for the LP.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Libertarian Party Is Too Right-Wing for Republicans

A little over a week ago, I attended a non-political, arts-related social event. A man recognized me from a couple of years ago, and said, “You're a libertarian, right?”

I explained that I was no longer a member of the Libertarian Party.

He replied that while he was a progressive, and usually voted Democratic, he'd liked some things about the LP, but that in recent years, the LP “had turned really right-wing.”

I asked for examples. I wondered if he could cite specific names or incidents that caused him to feel this way.

He didn't have any particular person or incident in mind. He said he knew several Libertarians, and their general impression was that the LP “had turned really right-wing.”

I don't know if these libertarian friends of his are party members, or just philosophical libertarians.

This man's demographic background: a Latino (fully integrated; no accent), in his early 30s, with wife and kids, who works in the arts and lives in California.

But this is even more noteworthy...

Most folks at this event were progressive Democrats, but I also met a man who described himself as “a former Republican,” but now registered as an independent. A white guy, early 40s, who works in the arts.

He too complained that “the Libertarian Party is too right-wing.”

Again, he couldn't cite any specific names or incidents that made him feel this way. It was just his general impression that the LP had become “too neocon.” (His words.)

When I told him that I'd cast a write-in ballot for Ron Paul, he grew excited. He had voted for Paul too.

He liked Ron Paul, but not the LP. Paul was cool; the LP “too right-wing.”

A couple of observations:

1. While the general public may not pay enough attention to LP candidates or leaders to remember any specific names, the message is trickling down that the LP is “right-wing.”

2. The current LP (brought to you by the Reform faction) not only repels libertarian-leaning progressives, it's gotten so that the LP repels libertarian-leaning Republicans.

LP Reformers (and specifically Wayne Allyn Root), say the LP must focus its outreach on Republicans. Well, there's nothing wrong with outreach to libertarian-leaning Republicans -- but the current LP repels them. Instead, the current LP resembles the Neocon GOP which libertarian-leaning Republicans are escaping.

Rather than provide a home for libertarian-leaning Republicans, the current LP resembles the Neocon creeps they just escaped from.

This former Republican is not unique. I was a registered Republican before I quit trying to “work within the GOP” and switched my registration to Libertarian. I left the GOP because of their pro-war/anti-civil liberties policies.

Only to leave the LP for the same reasons.

The Reform/Root faction says the LP should ignore libertarian-leaning progressives, because the real gains are to be had among Republicans. But the LP isn't attracting libertarian-leaning/Ron Paul Republicans. Only Neocons are pleased with today's LP -- and they'll be voting GOP come November.