Op-Ed

With A Solid Game Plan, Libertarians Can Win Elections in 2018

libertarian image via Creative Commons license courtesy of Nickolas Wildstar for governor

Nickolas Wildstar Libertarian candidate for governor in California
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Shortly after the Arab Spring uprising in 2010, America’s own revolution got kicked into high gear by way of the Occupy Movement. Hundreds of thousands of people, fed up with government’s shenanigans, hit the streets to get involved in public sit in demonstrations, highway blockades, and other coordinated protests throughout the entire country. This response came about because of many reasons, but mainly it was due to the government’s choice to use taxpayers’ money to bail out the failing Wall Street businesses, rather than helping homeowners who fell victim to the mortgage crisis, students struggling to pay tuition, or the millions of families and citizens in need in this country. Of course, police force was used to disperse these groups of occupants. This worked, for a time, until those activists that got chased away regrouped and returned. The Million Mask March, fueled by Anonymous, brought out a new wave of revolutionaries, and I was one of them.

Being a black man, I have plenty of my own experiences with discrimination and prejudice. Seeing the lack of justice exhibited by authorities, along with having knowledge of how a constitutional republic is supposed to behave, emboldened me to always challenge the establishment. These epiphanies that sparked my political activism were charged by hearing former Texas Rep. Ron Paul speak about the principle of liberty, and how government has lost its way because it doesn’t respect it anymore. Being able to voluntarily pay taxes, choosing your own medicinal or recreational substances for yourself, and marrying the person or people you love, just seemed like common sense ideas to me. However, once he broke down fiat currency and the devastation it has caused to our economy, doing anything less than auditing the Federal Reserve was just plain illogical. He magically found a way to simplify the complexities of government just by explaining the proper application of the United States Constitution.

As I protested and rallied alongside demonstrators, I heralded these discoveries and encouraged people to use the energy of revolt to make the changes we all were seeking through political reform. On the stairs of City Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, with hundreds around me, I announced that I was running for governor of California in 2014 in an attempt to reinstate a government that is reflective of the people that it is supposed to represent. Maybe it was the Guy Fawkes mask I was wearing, or the fact that I was there among them instead of on television making my declaration, but they didn’t seem to really take me seriously. After showing up at more and more rallies, all the while making exclamations of my candidacy, I quickly became known as ‘Governor Wildstar‘, and soon a great many people were expressing excitement about my campaign. Despite all the enthusiasm I was receiving, after qualifying as a write-in candidate, not much of it turned into the support that I needed to actually compete in the election.

My loss quickly made me realize that people’s belief that any positive changes that would ever come about thanks to government was next to none. Younger people seemed to echo this sentiment the most which added to their frustration and feelings of helplessness, especially since their futures seemed so despotic. Flash forward nearly 10 years, where those that were maybe 20 to 30 years of age at the time, have now grown more into their adulthood with careers, debts and families of their own. Burnt out on protesting, they’ve now figured out that another peaceful way to unravel the constraints of government control is to get politically involved. Whether it’s attending city hall meetings, voting, or running for office themselves, they’re making attempts to change the face of government for once and for all. Couple this factor in with the 2016 presidential race leaving many voters stuck in the middle and the scene has been set for a third party to steal the show.

In some states, success for a Libertarian is just getting onto the ballot, but the challenge here in California is getting past the “Top 2” primary which is already being dominated by Democrats. This system has also resulted in low voter turnouts, and this year’s gubernatorial race is expected to be historically low. Returning from the drawing board, I learned that I would only need a million votes to win my primary, which is possible, since there are over 20 million registered voters in the state. Libertarianism has tremendous appeal, but it needs a great salesman such as myself. Over the last few months, I’ve been meeting one on one with residents throughout the state. I have sold them on cutting taxes, since California is notorious for them; ending state licensing, whether it be to run a business or go fishing; and allow free market solutions for public transportation, social services, and even welfare. I’ve done phone banking, and I have asked the many people that I have spoken with to donate to my campaign, volunteer, or just research me. Almost all of them are pleased to hear from the actual candidates. Winning over the people of the community should always be looked at as a tremendous achievement when fighting to gain more ground for liberty.

America is a place where dreams come true as long as you have the fortitude to make them a reality. It will remain that way, but it takes courage to defend the principle of liberty in every way, shape and form. There will be those that may call us unreasonable or delusional, but being radical is what started this country. We need to tap into that energy around us by channeling it into making sure that the next generations of Libertarians are prepared to take over the front lines. The 99 percent await your influence, so be the leaders they need, and let’s Bring Back Liberty for once and for all of the world to see.

Nickolas Wildstar is a human rights activist, rapper, and 2018 Libertarian Candidate for California Governor


The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.