Stearns: A Libertarian Call for Civility
By Guest Post | Thursday, February 17th, 2011 | PoliticsGuest post by J. Christopher Stearns, Virginia Campaign for Liberty, State Coordinator
A few days after the CPAC buzz has fizzled, I believe the libertarian movement departed the conference stronger – but not as strong as it could have been.
Libertarian hero Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) was a star throughout the conference. His presence was the largest in volume, both in chatter and proportion – and it was obvious. However, much of the positive influence Paul could’ve had was diminished by various supporters who consistently jeered speakers throughout the conference – a conference other attendees who may not be as impassioned by libertarianism had also paid to attend.
Some booed Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) as he answered a serious question while participating on a panel regarding “voter trust” (Hatch supported the bank bailout). At times, it was loud enough to prevent him from speaking to the audience. Others took it upon themselves to heckle former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Vice President Dick Cheney; some members of the audience went as far as shouting “war criminal.” Unfortunately, these outbursts overshadowed a silent walkout by many supporters that could have sent a much more powerful, positive statement.
While I’m not a fan of the Bush-era policies, the past conduct of Rumsfeld or Cheney, or the voting record of Hatch, but this has gone a bit too far.
Over the years, Ron Paul’s political philosophy has been dismissed and his message has been marginalized by Democratic and Republican Party leadership. As his support base has grown, his advocates have become increasingly frustrated with the consistent rejection of the libertarian ideology. As a libertarian and staunch supporter of Paul, I personally have experienced being dismissed by the party “establishment”. Regardless of my annoyances though, I do my best to hold my tongue and maintain civility with my political colleagues.
The fact that we libertarians dissent on issues with neoconservatives shouldn’t merit the disrespect we witnessed at CPAC. The jeers were counter-productive and made Paul’s presence less significant than it could have been.
Strangely enough, I believe there is a connection between political etiquette and libertarian philosophy.
We libertarians promote a noninterventionist foreign policy and are unwavering in our defense of individual freedoms. All of us believe in the concept of promoting liberty by example and neither forcing our ideals through the barrel of a gun nor the rule of an iron fist. Heckling is not respectful and not a libertarian way to protest competing ideologies.
Paul sent out a special e-mail to all of his supporters who purchased tickets to CPAC through his advocacy group, Campaign for Liberty, prior to the event:
“I wanted to take a minute to send this note of thanks to you for investing your time and resources to help make our showing at the Conference the best possible.
“I also wanted to convey a personal request to you as you get ready for CPAC. I ask that you please remain respectful of all speakers and presenters as you attend the numerous events throughout the weekend. Though you may have opposing views with some, it is vital we act in a professional manner which builds up our movement.
“C4L has been welcomed by CPAC as a sponsor and looks to build upon the success we had last year. I believe how we conduct ourselves at this Conference will help set the tone for how the liberty movement is viewed going forward.
“It is precisely because I know you are a dedicated activist that I am asking for your help with this. We must remember that we serve as a continual example of the liberty message.”
It is apparent that some didn’t get the message.
It is incumbent upon libertarians to exhibit humble behavior with our political adversaries – even amidst the arguments between neo-conservatives, progressives, statists and the like. We should treat others with respect, regardless of how they may treat us.
The recent rise of the libertarian movement will continue to pervade throughout the political establishment if we can respectfully and effectively communicate our message with the electorate. As the good doctor famously says, “Freedom is popular.”
A little bit of civility can make an unconventional discussion go a long way.
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Comments
16 Responses to "Stearns: A Libertarian Call for Civility"
Chris, I appreciate what you’re trying to do here but honestly I think the whole “booing” thing is getting blown out of proportion by those who want to discredit libertarians.
personally I view CPAC as way for conservatives to craft, prioritize and debate the issues of the day. With 10,000 folks in attendance, there is no way for everyone to get their 2 cents in on every issue. Just like a rock concert, if the band sucks, the crowd is going to boo, and if they are good the crowd will cheer.
Orrin Hatch was standing in front of hundreds of conservatives defending TARP! Do you not think he should get booed? What if he defended Obamacare? Should we cheer or boo him?
and even SNL couldn’t come up with a more ridiculous skit than Dick Cheney giving Rumsfield a “Defender of the Constitution” award. Perhaps instead of yelling “war criminal”, the crowd should have started laughing.
what’s the point of going to CPAC, if we’re all going to be sheep?
Great post, as a fellow C4L member I agree 100%.
Amit, Hatch didn’t defend TARP. he explained his vote and expressed repeatedly his regret for the vote, saying ‘I am sorry for voting for it’ The issue is someone asked Hatch then the rude and boorish crowd tried preventing him from answering with jeerin and booing. Don’t ask the question if you aren’t going to allow an answer, that’s just contemptible. It’s impossible to have a discussion if a) you don’t allow an answer and b) treat your opponent with rude, mob-like behavior. It’s one thing to disagree, but rather than show their asses, the morons screaming, booing and jeering should have walked out in mass. It would have been reported, done far more for their movement and displayed professional disagreement.
Instead, they chose to do their movement severe disservice.
DJ, Hatch did get booed but he was still able to spend several minutes explaining his regretful decision. In his explanation, he never said it was a bad decision because it was philosophically flawed and should never be considered again, but basically said that since the Treasury Secretary was Republican and recommended it, that’s what he did. So despite the booing, Hatch demonstrated why he should have been booed.
Chris I didn’t go to CPAC but several of my good friends did and some of them are libertarians. Quite frankly I don’t understand why Paul attracts the people who he has to send a special email to for them to behave and have manners. Then they still don’t have manners after the email. (I am sure my personal libertarian friends were not part of the booing group).
Manners are an interpretation of behavior based upon the times, culture and upbringing I suppose. Andrew Jackson our 7th President comes to mind after hearing about the ruckus. He still became President.
Ron Paul needs to find out how to attract the crowd that will listen and not be rude to others. It will help him get more support.
Amit, Hatch said ‘that knowing what we know now, it was a mistake’ and ‘if you’re asking me if I’m sorry, yes, I’m sorry I voted for it.’ That’s pretty clearly saying it was a bad decision. Andrew Breitbart was next to me remarking how astonishing it was to hear Hatch admitting his mistake.
Regardless, attempting to prevent him from answering, which is what they were doing, was wrong. Don’t ask the question if you don’t want to listen to the answer. You can disagree, but be respectful. They weren’t, and it was appalling. This sentiment goes a lot higher than you might think. The movement was damaged.
When libertarians start acting like leftist agitators something is very wrong. I also think Ron Paul should have admonished the miscreants unless I missed him doing so.
Fantastic guest post by Chris Stearns! Absolutely agree. This willingness to put forth constructive criticism of your own side when mistakes are made, is an example of leadership.
Nice to see also, the well thought responses of Mr. Spiker.
There is a lot of work to be done. There is no need to divide and burn bridges when all involved can agree on many important issues (dumping Obamacare, preventing Cap & Trade, fixing the budget, dealing with debt, ending bail outs etc. etc.)
Compliments to Mr. Stearns on a very fine post.
given that the panel Hatch was on was on stage about 45 minutes before Ron Paul was coming on, there was no way libertarians were going to walk out the Marriott Ballroom and miss Ron Paul speak to make a statement that Faux News would have ignored.
I agree that Hatch was apologetic about his decision but he did not express why it was the wrong decision. From a libertarian perspective, the decision had predictable consequences that he failed to acknowledge. bottom line, if another “too big to fail” bailout came up for a vote, I’m not convinced that Hatch would vote against it.
but we’re talking about 2 different things. I’m annoyed that your standard issue Republican has only learned the political lesson and not the Austrian economic lesson. You’re annoyed because a bunch of college kids acted like they were in college.
oh and by the way, this is just another repeated example of how the Republican establishment/Faux News consistently treats Ron Paul:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_thecutline/20110217/ts_yblog_thecutline/fox-airs-misleading-footage-before-ron-paul-interview
My wife owns horses and run a full service barn. Everything from womb to tomb takes place on our grounds. A lot can be learned about dealing with some human instincts by interacting with equines. Read the following by fellow conservative equestrian and author David Selman. Understand the herd. Fix this problem. Understand and influence the instincts of the rude and boisterous Ron Paul supporters and help them teach each other how to positively direct their energy by becoming more self aware the power of their own body language.
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Introducing New Horses to Your Herd
By David Selman
People change horses as often as they buy new cars these days. “New” horses are always coming and going. There are people who have had 5-7 horses in as many years. Many of these “new” horses already know how to behave in the herd. They know how to yield to the dominant horse, how to read posture, how to get out of the way, when to back down, and how to be a horse. Unfortunately, many of our pampered pets don’t know a whole lot about being a horse and this can get them into trouble when they most need it.Since you can’t ask the horse, it can be difficult to determine how your new horse is going to act with an established herd. So it’s better to be safe and control this introduction a bit than to deal with veterinary bills and frustration.
It’s always best to quarantine or keep a new horse separate from your established herd until you are sure that the new horse is free of disease or any other malady. When the horse is determined to be in good health, then it’s fine to begin the process of introducing him to the herd.
Many people that won’t let their horses be with another horse because they are afraid they’ll get hurt or that they are too valuable. Sure, getting hurt is always a risk –horses are some of the most “accident prone” animals on the planet. But, like our kids, we can’t always protect them from everything. No doubt they do cost a lot of money, but horses are herd animals and they value the companionship of another horse more than just about anything else.
There are numerous ways to introduce a new horse to the herd. Many people just throw the new guy out into the pasture and let him work it out with the established herd. This can work, horses have been doing this on their own for years before we ever got involved. This method works best if you have a lot of room for the horses to utilize their inherent herding traits just like they would in the wild. But, if you have a confined area where territory has been established, pecking order, friendships, etc. then you may want to intervene in order to control the success of the new horse in establishing himself in the herd.
If you just have one horse and you are bringing in another one, you’ll probably have two very relieved horses and your job won’t be too big. Horses are herd animals and it takes more than one to be a herd — it’s really not a fair deal to keep a solitary horse. Many times you’ll be surprised that if you throw the new guy out with the others that he’ll go stand by himself and wait until he is invited in by the dominant horse.
However, if you have one horse to integrate with many others (which is more likely) then you may have some issues. It’s likely that the resident horses are going to set the tone for behavior. Horses can quickly determine where they fit into the dominance “food chain” on their own. They know their station in life, but they are also always trying to improve their status. Horses have nothing but time out in the pasture — they do this all day with other horses; flicking their heads, displaying dominant posture, and even kicking and biting when they feel like it’s necessary to reinforce their position in the herd. Leaders get used to leading. Expect that a horse who was dominant in a herd that he last came from is going to try to regain this status with the new herd.
Spoiled horses or horses that haven’t had much horse to horse interaction but have had a lot of horse to human interaction may not know how to behave in the herd environment. It’s not your job to teach them, but it is your responsibility to have a horse that knows how to yield to another. By having them in the herd, they are forced to play by horse rules ? they have to yield to the dominant horse or risk the consequences. This is one of the best ways that I know of to teach a spoiled horse who is pushy with people how to be a horse.
The Common Problem Technique
Before attempting these techniques you should be able to interpret a horse’s attitude, posture, and have the skills to work in a round pen.
My favorite method of introducing a new horse to the herd is by giving all of the horses a common problem to work out. I usually put 3-4 horses into a round pen or arena and work them all at once with the new horse. If you only have one horse this is still a good exercise to introduce one horse to another.
The common problem that we are talking about is you. You need to ask them to do things that focus on you as the leader. Ask them to change directions, get them to draw in to you, hook on, move their feet like you want, etc. Make them all work. This gets their mind off their horse games that they play with each other and on to you. Look for signs that that herd is accepting the new horse. If you see any inappropriate behavior (i.e. kicking, biting, etc.) ask them all to work some more. If the behavior is good, reward them by letting them stand still.
It can take 2-3 sessions or it may take many more before your horse is fully integrated with the other horses. Don’t rush the introduction, it may appear that the horses get along pretty well after the first time but it’s probably a mistake to do this once and throw them all out together. Your time is well spent to do this right and not rush the introduction. Once you can see that the horses openly accept one another without any stress or pressure from you, it’s probably ok to put them out together.
Don’t get too involved. Let the horses determine what their herd standing will be. You may be able to do this for a few minutes while you have the focus of the herd, but you’re just wasting your time. The minute you leave, the horses are going to work this out on their own. Obviously, if a horse is getting the tar beat out of him by another you should get them working.
Remember to stay safe. Don’t insert yourself in the middle of the action. If you have to get “big” to keep the horses from running over you then do it.
This is where you are establishing your leadership role with the herd. If the horses are moving you out of the way, you probably shouldn’t be the one doing this exercise. And just in case, I always carry a rope or progress string that I can use to send energy to a horse that isn’t playing by the rules.
You may have more than one horse to integrate and that can be done with these techniques. After a while the “new guy” will be integrated into the herd because he’s been working with the other horses to problem solve.
You may have too many horses to do this in a round pen. It’s important to know that the more horses you work with the harder this is to do. It’s not a good idea to work more than 5-6 at a time with this technique in a confined area. Any more than that and it’s hard to keep up with all the action.
You can use an arena, small fenced area, and even a small pasture. A round pen is not important, what’s important is that you control the interaction of the horses.
The Buddy System — The Slow and Easy Technique
Assuming that you have separately fenced areas to keep horses safely separated, another technique that you can use is to put the new horse into a stall or paddock within site of the others. This way he can visit from a distance and watch the interaction of the other horses. The new horse will study the others behaviors and learn what the herd hierarchy is from a distance before he gets into the mix and the herd gets a chance to check him out too.
Pick one horse to introduce to the new guy to and concentrate on building a relationship between the two of them. Start by walking the new horse by the other horse just so that they can see each other. Stop and allow them to smell each other, but don’t let them interact at first. This is easier if you do the introduction on neutral territory. Go on a trail ride, take them to a friend’s house, work cattle, go to another barn/arena to ride, etc. There is nothing like working together to bring two horses together in a common bond.
Eventually, you are going to put the two of them together in a fenced area. For the sake of safety and the ability to control the situation, you may still want to use some form of the “common problem” technique in order to freely introduce the two horses.
The Wide Open Spaces Technique
Provided you have a lot of unhindered space, you may be able to throw the new horse in with the established horse(s) and let him work it out with the established herd on his own.
Nothing new here — horses have been doing this on their own for years. A good rule of thumb would be 1 horse per acre of land. You need more space to allow for the horses to move, send horses out, invite horses in, etc.
You risk more kicks, bites, and other injuries with this method. But, your personal safety is less at risk.
Even if you decide that this is the way you want to go, it’s still a good idea to work the horses in order to get their mind off of the horse games with each other. If you can initially get the horses to focus on you, they will be more likely to quickly accept the new horse because of his cooperation with the others.
Many horses don’t know how to be horses. We have a group of mares that we use to institute herd behavior with our new horses. There’s nothing better than an established band of mares who will not tolerate spoiled behavior to teach a young horse how to behave. They learn about posture, yielding, respect, patience ? all of the things that you want the horse to understand with you as their leader. It doesn’t matter where they learn it. What’s important is that the horse does understand herd behavior and how to be a horse.
Your job is then easy? All you have to do is learn how to communicate with the horses to become their leader.
Set yourself up for success
Use common sense. With any of these techniques, you will have better results if you set yourself up for success:
When you feed, scatter the food around so that the horses don’t have to eat on top of each other. You’ll avoid a lot of accidents by spending just a little more time.
Make sure that you have shelter for all of your animals. If you don’t have enough protection then you’ll have some of them attempting to push others out into the weather.
Establish a good quarantine program so that you don’t introduce any disesase/sickness to your other horse(s). Stallions should not be introduced into a herd under any circumstances unless you know what you are doing. Young horses shouldn’t be introduced into a new herd until they are strong enough to fend for themselves. Sick, injured and/or old horses may be better off doing their own thing rather than making them have to deal with the fine points of herd behavior. You can introduce horses across a fence line, between stalls, on the trail, or working. There’s a lot to be gained in these particular cases by making sure that these horses have the ability to see the other horses and can visit from a distance without causing any harm or being hurt. A horse doesn’t necessarily have to be in the same fenced area as the others to be part of that herd.
Of course your message is a just one, but in that way I suppose that you think the entire tea-party movement has been impolite and boorish. People who feel compelled nowadays to personally involve themselves in the political process are a unique breed. Make no mistake, if people’s ire had not been raised, they would still be on the couch, at the bar, etc.. The US governess, through the two major parties, has been on autopilot for decades. I agree that Trump shouldn’t have had to pause and respond to Ron Paul, but Hatch SHOULD feel uncomfortable for the positions he’s taken- esp. if he contends to be a limited govt Republican!
If you are informed on the fundamental corruption of our political class, you’re going to be angry. And if you aren’t- you won’t be involved (unless you’re somehow on the take). We must be mindful of our behavior, but for men like Orrin Hatch who have been in DC for decades (and got our country into this mess) to call for patience and civility to the generation who has to fit their bill- I say shove it! This is about tyranny, and I apologize if a future of tyranny gets me a bit upset!
If you are hung up on manners today, you have absolutely no idea what kind of tyranny is coming down the line, and the debt burden that the youth will be expected to pay. I was at CPAC, I got a bit riled up, and I don’t feel bad about it. At some point, it appears the political establishment, taking away the rights and liberties of the people are trying to take the moral high-ground by demanding civility from the youth who see the burden they will carry! I winced a bit when whoever called Cheney a war criminal, but think about it- HE IS A WAR CRIMINAL.
“I suppose that you think the entire tea-party movement has been impolite and boorish.” No JT, I think the Tea Party MOVEMENT is and has been quite effective.. Can they hear us now? Yes.
“If you are informed on the fundamental corruption of our political class, you’re going to be angry.” Have some po’d, but, certainly not all, impolite Ron Paul supporters guaranteed with near 100% certainty that he will lose? You decide. Do I think they can redirect their energy and conservative organizers who favor Ron Paul have to step up asap? You decide.
“I winced a bit when whoever called Cheney a war criminal..” Thank the fringe groups who could not figure out what the intent of having the cpac speakers for certain victory for anyone but Ron Paul. If he did not have so many overzealous clowns unable to direct their energy to affect a positive outcome by proactively supporting Ron Paul he could have a real shot at winning an election but no, the fringe are running his campaign bus off a cliff.. Hope someone throws the nitwits under the bus before they take a fatal ride.
It is sad really, Trump was right, we have become the laughing stock of the world.. and Ron Paul, who understands just how badly our currency has been manipulated, cannot win with the help of the side show freaks ruining his bid for office.
Chris, thank you writing a good libertarian article for BD. We’d be remiss if we did not address the presence of Gov. Gary Johnson at CPAC, as well as the RLC national convention that occured in Arlington on Feb. 12.
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