Mr. Haley Barbour, Chairman
Republican National Committee
Dear Mr. Barbour:
We in the Libertarian Party owe you and Senator Robert Dole our thanks for your generous help in giving our Party a chance in the sun for this coming presidential and vice presidential race. When you appointed the two strongly pro-gun-control politicians Christine Whitman and Henry Hyde to positions of prominence in the Republican campaign, and when Senator Dole waffles on his support of bringing the assault weapon ban repeal up to a vote in the Senate, then you offer us Libertarians an optimal shot at wooing from the Republican ranks at least three million gun-owner votes. Three million votes may not mean much to the GOP, but to us Libertarians those three million votes mean our getting for the first time in history a real chance at a double-digit percentage of the popular vote in a national election. With all of those enraged gun owners having nowhere to go in either of the “major” parties, we are the obvious best choice—far better than to “sit out the election” as so many gun owners now threaten to do. You give us Libertarians a perfect opening to ask for those gun-owner votes.
With massive gun-owner backing, it is difficult to say just how far our sun might ascend. For one thing, we would be a shoo-in for the national debates. It is clear that a straight-talking articulate Libertarian candidate, with an honest chance to address one hundred million Americans over nationwide television, could cull an enormous number of presently disaffected stay-at-homes to swell our support.
I foresee a snowball phenomenon: The more American citizens begin to view the Libertarian Party as a contender in the race ahead, the more will they flock to us as the only alternative to tired and meaningless bipartisan politics-as-usual. Ross Perot, with essentially nothing of meaningful and consistent sense to say besides the touting of his own alleged managerial skills, made a very significant showing against both your party and the Democrats. Imagine what, say, Harry Browne would be able to garner in the way of a popular vote total after he quite handily demolishes both Senator Dole and President Clinton in the debates! I’m not saying we are likely to win the Oval Office this coming November, but if we can manage even 15% of the popular vote this coming November then we will be a tidal force during the millenial election. The next Century will be a Libertarian century.
You must know that the gun owners of this country have organized themselves into a formidible and active political force since they have been frightened and therefore mobilized by the radical policies of President Clinton. Relatively few of them voted before, when they did not feel threatened. But they all know that they are gravely threatened now, and the voting percentage they can muster will be twice what it was before the 1994 election.
May I make a suggestion, sir. The Republican Party may already have alienated the pro-gun vote. Your strategy therefore perhaps should be to try to take the anti-gun vote away from the Democrats. After all, Ms. Sarah Brady is a Republican, isn’t she? You could ask her to address the Republican National Convention, just as Patrick J. Buchanan addressed the GOP Convention in 1992. Why not go for broke?
My personal best wishes to you, sir. May be best Party win! All’s fair in love and war.
Sincerely,
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