Libertarian Party follows path of Tea Party

[RLukens]

The Libertarian Party is going the way of the Tea Party: co-opted. Look at who is praising the outcome of the convention: the establishment media. The NY Times and Huffington Post for example. Look at who is lamenting the outcome: Tom Woods. Look at who is silent: Ron Paul and right here.

[roarde]

I'm coming back to a regular concern with freedom after a long inattention. Still, I've kept one weak eye on the lp each presidential election cycle.

This is a recurring, cyclical phenomenon. It's understandable, though mistimed and unfortunate, that wider electoral appeal was chosen over articulation of message this go-round. It will come back around, if history is any guide. There's certainly need for concern, but probably not alarm.

Kokesh 2020 needs to be concerned two ways:

• The ground game in front, in order to get truly freedom-minded people to both the 2018 and 2020 conventions as delegates. This includes especially having team members go out of their way to be useful to local and state lp organizations, starting now.
• Multiply the above "ground game" twentyfold in order to be prepared for the possibility that neither Adam, nor any other good spokesman of freedom will be nominated by the national lp. Gaining anything worthwhile from a write-in campaign will require truly massive numbers. Garnering real attention to such an effort will be seen as attention-worthy in its own right by any media outlet.

My personal prediction is that the lp's 2020 presidential nominee, if not Adam, will be someone at least as effective in spreading the good news, if not as electable. But be prepared anyway.

[Magnaniman]

It's been pretty clear to me, for at least the last year, that Hillary Clinton is the next chosen president.  She's receiving more money and more attention than anyone else.  The Republicans, somehow, manage to choose the guy that has the least appeal to the so-called moderates and, as soon as he becomes presumptive nominee, coverage and advertising from him vanish overnight.

The idea that billionaire oligarchs leave anything to chance, or, worse, the will of the common people, is ludicrous.  They're pumping money and legitimacy into the LP in an attempt to divide the conservative vote, to further ensure that Hillary is elected.

Bernie's role in all of this, I believe, is to round up the liberal dissidents and reinvest them into the Democrat party.  We'll see.  If he ends up running independently, or endorsing a third party, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.  If he ends up endorsing Hillary, then he's just another shill for the oligarchy.

The LP might end up being the new "conservative party."  Mainstream conservatism, with its ridiculous, losing battle against gay rights, drug use, and other social liberties is losing traction, so it's desperately overdue for a rebranding.  I think that the real telling issue will be attitudes towards the military-industrial complex and foreign policy.  If so-called Libertarians start supporting military action and trade deals that undermine national sovereignty and consumer awareness, then it's clear that they're enforcing the will of the oligarchs, too.  Again, we'll see what happens.

[FreedomIsOurDestiny]

"It's been pretty clear to me, for at least the last year, that Hillary Clinton is the next chosen president."

I agree 100%, Magnaniman.  Even Google is colluding in this.  Do a Google search and type in Hillary Clinton ind and the results come up as Hillary Clinton Indiana, Hillary Clinton Indiana Campaign, Hillary Clinton Indiana Rally and Hillary Clinton Indiana Campaign Office.  The predictive search from Bing rattles off 7 search items related to Hillary Clinton indictiment and 1 to Indiana.  Yahoo yields 7 for indictment and 2 for Indiana.  If you look at Google trends it is obvious there are almost no searches for Hillary Clinton Indiana and is dwarfed by the number of searches for indictment.

Same thing when you search Hillary Clinton cri.  Google predictive gives you Hillary Clinton crime reform and Hillary Clinton crisis.  Bing and Yahoo return Hillary Clinton criminal, crimes and criticism.

[roarde]

"It's been pretty clear to me, for at least the last year, that Hillary Clinton is the next chosen president."

I agree 100%, Magnaniman.  Even Google is colluding in this.  Do a Google search and type in Hillary Clinton ind and the results come up as Hillary Clinton Indiana, Hillary Clinton Indiana Campaign, Hillary Clinton Indiana Rally and Hillary Clinton Indiana Campaign Office.  The predictive search from Bing rattles off 7 search items related to Hillary Clinton indictiment and 1 to Indiana.  Yahoo yields 7 for indictment and 2 for Indiana.  If you look at Google trends it is obvious there are almost no searches for Hillary Clinton Indiana and is dwarfed by the number of searches for indictment. [ . . . ]

While it's possible that there's some favoritism possible here, it's more likely the result of the "bubbling" and "tracking" (websearch those terms) that Google does, purportedly to give you "more relevant search results". In other words, Google seeks to learn what you search for in general, and uses this to move things it thinks you want to know much higher on the list of returned sites. Obviously this skews the results. It also, famously, leaves Google with much more information than you want them to have about you. While it makes sense to me that Google will exert its considerable pressure in elections, I think the cause of those returns, specifically, is just plain bad practice.

I prefer DuckDuckGo. I'm sure someone will be helpful here and reply with the other search engine that's even more ostensibly dedicated to privacy and sense (please?). I just prefer ddg's output to the one I'll be reminded of. That's all.

[FreedomIsOurDestiny]

I prefer DuckDuckGo. I'm sure someone will be helpful here and reply with the other search engine that's even more ostensibly dedicated to privacy and sense (please?). I just prefer ddg's output to the one I'll be reminded of. That's all.

Pleasure to make your acquaintance, roarde.  I agree regarding DuckDuckGo and it is my preferred search engine.  I brought those up because that information was shared in a video on YouTube on the Anonymous Official channel 3 days ago.  I tested it myself and got the same results they showed.  They did analyze potential negative Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump searches and found no irregularities with either one.

[roarde]

Ah. If you're getting results identical to other users with different histories, then my hypothesis is invalid. While it's possible it's the result of some form of collectivization of bubbling, actual bias for the sake of influence does indeed seem more likely in this case, now that I know the case more fully.