# What is the libertarian plan for political success? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [January 15, 2009, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-libertarian-plan-for-political-success/481451 "2009-01-15T17:36:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-libertarian-plan-for-political-success/481451/21 "2009-01-19T15:50:24Z")
A third party is perfectly viable and possible in a first-past-the-post system. What you need is a strong regionlal base. Look at the Dixiecrats. If a group could control the state legislatures of a half dozen states, throw in four governors and maybe three or four senators, voila you have a party. ---
**Author:** ![haymarketmartyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/35a633/32.png) [@haymarketmartyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/haymarketmartyr)\ **Post date:** [January 19, 2009, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-libertarian-plan-for-political-success/481451/22 "2009-01-19T16:18:21Z")
from Bobthebuilder — great handle by the way .. i do like it… > [@](#): > > Any government, by its nature, uses violence or the threat of violence to enforce its social and economic policies. Could it be possible that some libertarians want to minimize this violence and the threat thereof thus desire less government? I am such a libertarian, I believe in helping others. I do not believe that using the force of arms to threaten others into helping others is correct. Thus I am a libertarian because I desire to minimize violence not out of an selfish ambition. I get your point. I guess what you are terming as VIOLENCE I would term as necessary coercion. Its pretty much the same thing… six of one, half a dozen of the other. I guess I accept such necessary coercion - or even violence - and accept that every single organized government in the world needs it to operate. Of course, I would agree that such powers need carefully crafted limits and citizen protections. I think we have that here - with obvious flaws that pop up in certain cases from time to time. Again, nothing is perfect when it is the work of humans. So I accept that. Truthfully, I do not see what that understanding has to do with getting rid of national parks, or Social Security, or Medicare, or the FDA, or a laundry list of other government programs that many libertarians seem to rail against. I am willing to listen. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-the-libertarian-plan-for-political-success/481451.md?page=1)