They came. They tried hard to win office. They lost. They were three Buncombe County, NC Libertarians in their first run for elective office. Some calculated that "swinging" Asheville, "freak capital of the USA" was as simpatico an electoral environment anywhere this side of San Francisco.
They erred, but did so instructively.

Libertarians also pounded on hundreds of doors in Asheville, went into and
canvassed in black neighborhoods which Democrats take for granted and
Republicans often regard as a lost cause. They are David Goree (for mayor)
Kevin Rollins and Bernard Carman (for city council). Where should and
might they go from here?

There are only two large, permanent, national parties in the USA:
Republicans and Democrats. Both abound in "libertarian" adherents.

A principal Democratic thrust is for equality and economic justice for
all--which many Democrats think requires a strong, engaged, proactive
government as the enforcing economic equalizer. Democrats are less
enthusiastic about invading people's bedrooms and private lives. 

Republicans generally want government out of as many economic
entanglements as possible. Issue  the currency, yes. Mount strong national
defense, yes. Anything else is an exception, something government should not take on  without very good reason. But Republicans know that good behavior is not always voluntary behavior. Government is therefore also needed as a reluctant enforcer of behavior. Republicans believe that government has a duty to make life more bearable for citizens who try hard to be good than for those who opt to be bad.

Libertarians of Asheville, NC have just learned that their message of economic liberty draws more votes than their equally passionate belief in non-regulation of private morals. It is, therefore, easier right now for most Asheville and Buncombe County Libertarians either to become Republicans or to work out alliances with Republicans. Democrats are considered the greater threat to liberty--short term and long-term. Therefore, Libertarians should cooperate with Republicans until Democrats are no longer a national force. In that distant future Libertarians will be  happy to polish off Republicans as well in a great political armageddon.

Meanwhile, what are the realistic options? Here is one proposal now being
chewed over

--(1) Up to three Libertarian activists leave their party and register as
Republicans.

--(2) For party primaries those Libertarian-Republicans run as
Republicans. They both support and receive report from the regular GOP
county apparatus.

--(3) The bulk, however, of present Libertarians remain registered
Libertarians. They either run their own party candidates or formally
endorse the Libertarian-Republican candidates--or both.

4) County Libertarians begin creating three person leadership teams precinct by precinct.

--Libertarian energy and youth take hitherto timid Republicans by the
hand and together knock on doors in black neighborhoods. Republicans once freed four million black slaves. It may be time to reawaken the reasons
why they did so. Both pure Libertarians and the Libertarian caucus within the county GOP make a practice of showing up at gun shows, weddings and funerals and, generally, where their constitutents like to hang out: carp fishing, little league games and on and on. Libertarians and Republicans who want to win elections leave the ivory towers to others.

--Conservative Republicans attend fund raisers for candidates of the GOP Libertarian caucus. The old and the young first sharpen and then perhaps mute their differences while finding more and more common ground. Dynamic tension reigns.

--Like political parties in Germany, the GOP in Buncombe County, NC may
elect to try coalition politics. Admittedly, no strong party forms alliances if it
can win elections all by itself. But in Asheville and Buncombe County, the
only people who can count on winning most of the time all by themselves are the Democrats. For Republicans the good news is that they will win more often in coalition with Libertarians. The bad news  is that the junior party always gets more power than its  numbers justify. A price worth paying for more GOP victories?

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