THOUGHT OF THE MOMENT:
Freedom, Prosperity and Peace...
FOREVER.
PETITIONING is a WEAPON
by Mark Augustyn
5/20/06
With the 2006 election year upon us Libertarians, there is no doubt that some of you whose eyes have fallen upon these words, have spent some time trying to get people to sign a petition, in order to get a candidate on the ballot. If you have petitioned yourself, then maybe you have spent some time trying to get other Libertarians to help with the petitioning efforts. And if you have done this, then you know what a bitch it can be.
My friend Dave Flanagan, who is as good and decent as they come, is trying to get on the ballot to run for the Georgia House of Representatives, District 83, here in metro Atlanta. If he gets on the ballot, he will only face an incumbent democrat; no republican registered to run in this predominantly liberal area of town. To get on the ballot, we need over 1,400 verified signatures by the middle of July; ideally we would like to submit over 1,800. We have a lot of work to do and truthfully, it is 50/50 as to whether or not we’ll make it. What is our biggest obstacle? Getting the necessary number of volunteers to come out and petition.
So with that, please consider the rest of this letter a plea, a call to arms for Libertarians everywhere across the country, who have been asked to help, but as of yet, have not.
I am here to tell you that petitioning is not scary. It is not hard. It is not whatever you think it is if you have not done it yet. And it does not take a lot of time. What I have learned about petitioning, and I have done my fair share, is that it should not viewed as the laborious and tedious task, often necessary to get a Libertarian on the ballot. This is wrong and negative and only leads to frustration. As long as we continue to consider it a chore, it will continue to be an effective barricade erected by democrats and republicans.
It is time for all of us to change our perspective about petitioning. The correct and positive way to view petitioning is as a weapon. Let me repeat that:
PETITIONING SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A WEAPON.
Think about it for a moment. You make a ‘preemptive strike’ by knocking on the doors of strangers. With ‘stealth’ you behave maturely and politely, and get to your point as quickly as possible. Finally, with resolve and determination, you get to ‘engage’ person after person in conversations about the Libertarian Party. And finally, when the ‘targeted’ stranger takes hold of your clipboard and agrees to sign the petition, you get to enjoy ‘victory’.