This is related to something I saw while researching this thread of mine, but it’s such a different topic that I thought it needed its own thread.
When reading the Slashdot article commentary linked in the above thread, it struck me how much faith the libertarian readership had in Ron Paul. They absolutely and positively believe in his integrity and campaign promises. I don’t think anyone but the most ardent Democrats and Republicans think the same about THEIR presidential candidates, if even THEM.
That got me wondering about the source of this. Could it be that libertarians, Greens, and other such “fringe” parties are immune (or resistant) to corruption, constituent disconnect, and other such factors, possibly because their platforms require a lot of fervency or faith? If so, is it BECAUSE of their “fringeness” that this is true? Would this immunity, if it exists, collapse if they gained real power, either short term or long? Do they only look good in this respect by comparison to the two major parties?
I was interested by this because it runs counter to so much of the cynicism about politics and power. So I was wondering if there was anything to this. Thoughts?