One bite at a time...
Edward Coleman, a member of the Indianapolis City-County Council, has decided to leave the Republican Party and join the Libertarian Party. Good for you Edward, and welcome aboard.
Mr. Coleman gave his some of his reasons for his actions in this press release:
"This is not a decision I take lightly, nor did I come to it without deep reflection. I have found that the direction of the Republican Party has changed, and it is not the same party I joined many years ago. Nor do I believe its current leaders truly represent the ideals that the party markets and advertises to voters.
Both of the old two parties have forgotten their ties to the common man, and instead focus on power and control as elitists. I am a common man, I campaigned for the common people, and I still represent the common people; the voters and taxpayers.
I have come to find that my politics are actually more aligned with the Libertarian Party than any other; a party that still allows free thought, a party where dissent is not necessarily a dirty word.
Both of the old parties endeavor to silence dissent. During the Council’s previous period of Democrat control, the majority’s powers were used to silence Republicans. Now, under Republican control, the Council majority abuses their power to weaken Democrat influence. Over the past year I have been criticized for votes I made in response to the concerns I heard from my constituents. As a leader I have spoken out again the secretive and expensive affairs of the Capital Improvement Board; but the two old parties want obedient followers, not leaders."
I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Coleman yet. I don't know the extent of his conversion. I don't know if it was the result of an epiphany, or a gradual realization, like mine, that the two party system is actually closer to a one party system than most voters will admit.
I'm pretty sure he has a tough road ahead, at least for now being the only Libertarian on the Council. As much as Republicans and Democrats pretend to dislike each other, apparently they dislike someone rocking their boat even more. They go to great lengths with their election and campaign finance laws to make sure their incumbents are protected from outside challenges.
You might consider a lone Libertarian among all those Republicans and Democrats to be much like the orphan boy at a picnic. But hopefully he's bringing something to the gathering that his old party has abandoned. A sense of direction, and the fiscal sanity that has been lost on both parties for years.
Mr. Coleman gave his some of his reasons for his actions in this press release:
"This is not a decision I take lightly, nor did I come to it without deep reflection. I have found that the direction of the Republican Party has changed, and it is not the same party I joined many years ago. Nor do I believe its current leaders truly represent the ideals that the party markets and advertises to voters.
Both of the old two parties have forgotten their ties to the common man, and instead focus on power and control as elitists. I am a common man, I campaigned for the common people, and I still represent the common people; the voters and taxpayers.
I have come to find that my politics are actually more aligned with the Libertarian Party than any other; a party that still allows free thought, a party where dissent is not necessarily a dirty word.
Both of the old parties endeavor to silence dissent. During the Council’s previous period of Democrat control, the majority’s powers were used to silence Republicans. Now, under Republican control, the Council majority abuses their power to weaken Democrat influence. Over the past year I have been criticized for votes I made in response to the concerns I heard from my constituents. As a leader I have spoken out again the secretive and expensive affairs of the Capital Improvement Board; but the two old parties want obedient followers, not leaders."
I haven't had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Coleman yet. I don't know the extent of his conversion. I don't know if it was the result of an epiphany, or a gradual realization, like mine, that the two party system is actually closer to a one party system than most voters will admit.
I'm pretty sure he has a tough road ahead, at least for now being the only Libertarian on the Council. As much as Republicans and Democrats pretend to dislike each other, apparently they dislike someone rocking their boat even more. They go to great lengths with their election and campaign finance laws to make sure their incumbents are protected from outside challenges.
You might consider a lone Libertarian among all those Republicans and Democrats to be much like the orphan boy at a picnic. But hopefully he's bringing something to the gathering that his old party has abandoned. A sense of direction, and the fiscal sanity that has been lost on both parties for years.
Labels: Edward Coleman, Libertarian
posted by Rex Bell at 8:50 PM
1 Comments:
Rex,
It is time we started judging politicians on their *achievements* instead of on their *intentions*. Personally, I judge politicians' votes on whether they will result in bigger government or in smaller government.
Any libertarian in office , IMHO, ought to *achieve* a history of *smaller government* votes.
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