cawacko
Well-known member
Libertarians are about individual freedom and identity which attracts certain people, but makes it harder to build a coalition needed for political success. That tension was on display at the party convention.
Live free or die, but would it kill you to wear a tie?
That was the essence of Ben Weir’s plea ahead of the biennial Libertarian National Convention in Grand Rapids, Mich.
In a May 15 post on X, Weir, 36, declared that he’d had it with the wacky costumes, which have long been a staple of political party conventions but seem particularly popular among do-what-thou-wilt libertarians.
No more using a boot for headwear, as one convention mainstay named Vermin Supreme did. No more see-through clothing to promote government transparency.
Weir, who is running for Merrimack County sheriff in New Hampshire and couldn’t attend the convention, wrote that he was calling on the party’s national committee to establish “a baseline professional dress standard for participation in official proceedings.” His proposal called for business casual attire, neat facial hair and closed-toe shoes.
“Biological males shall not wear dresses, skirts, or attire traditionally recognized as women’s wear,” Weir wrote in the message, which was also sent to the party’s governing board as a proposed policy amendment. Clothes that were “overtly theatrical, fetish-oriented, or materially inconsistent” wouldn’t fly.
“You hate freedom of speech my dude,” wrote Ray Walden, a libertarian official from Illinois, on X. Some called Weir’s proposed injunctions anathema to libertarianism, which is, after all, against telling people what to do.
“Oh dear God,” Matt Welch, a libertarian who co-hosts the “Fifth Column” podcast, wrote in a text message. “I predict…failure,” he said, describing party conventions in general as “sartorial freak shows.”
Held every four years to select presidential nominees, the Democratic and Republican conventions are gatherings of the party faithful. If it’s not exactly democracy at work (the candidate usually having been settled on months before), then at least it’s democracy on vivid display, a chance for delegates from Tulsa and Worcester to make themselves heard.
And seen. After all, unless you’re photographed dressed as a chicken or a wall, were you even there? At the very least, you need a rhinestone-studded cowboy hat. Otherwise, you may as well stay at home.
Perhaps the two major parties can allow their members to deviate from business casual, since they control the overwhelming majority of elected offices. A Republican or Democrat in a Dr. Seuss costume isn’t going to inadvertently hand the White House to the U.S. Pirate Party (which, yes, is real).
Third parties don’t have that luxury. “We’ve been a party for over 50 years and we’ve never gotten a single federal candidate elected,” said Weir, who describes himself as a “punk/alternative guy” with tattoos and a nose ring. He isn’t against personal style, in other words. But when the biggest news out of your convention is a very big guy in a very small thong, your base probably won’t grow much.
“I think a lot of libertarians are only libertarians because it gives them the mental freedom pass to break rules and be as crazy as they want to be,” Weir said. He’d rather the party focus on ideas that could appeal to swaths of Americans, such as abolishing taxation and expanding personal liberties.
“We cannot expect to get over 0.5% of the vote for our candidates if we don’t get better on our messaging to normies,” Weir said. To drive that point home, he posted an image of several prominent libertarians, including economists Murray N. Rothbard and Milton Friedman and former congressman Justin Amash, in suits and ties.
An account affiliated with the Libertarian Party on X appeared to tacitly support Weir’s proposal, posting a palette of button-down shirts, quarter zips, khakis and loafers to guide the choices of convention attendees.
Backlash was so fierce that the account deleted its post, which had become “an unnecessary distraction,” Libertarian National Committee spokesman Brian McWilliams said. Meanwhile, party officials said they couldn’t even consider Weir’s proposal on procedural grounds.
“One thing about libertarians is if you tell them what to do, they’re probably going to do the opposite,” said Steven Nekhaila, the current chairman of the Libertarian National Committee. A photo on his X profile page shows Nekhaila in a crisp white shirt, black tie and fashionable leather jacket. That look, though, isn’t for everyone.
“Libertarian conventions are an opportunity for some people to do a little bit of peacocking,” Nekhaila said.
Weir’s proposal seemed to focus only on men. “Gender politics are impossible to ignore here,” said Summer Anne Lee, a fashion historian. “The proposal imagines the problem of professional dress largely through male bodies.”
Last week, Weir submitted the amendment again, this time with more gender-neutral language. The reference to “biological males” was gone. The proposal went before the party board, which deadlocked in a 5-5 vote. Nekhaila, who would have been the tiebreaking vote, abstained.
As the convention began in earnest on Friday, the issue of how to dress seemed no more resolved than substantive questions of policy. On the convention floor, things seemed to be proceeding as usual.
“It’s a mix,” reported Walden, the Illinois official. “The ‘worst’ one is someone was wearing a one piece swimsuit. Now, I wouldn’t think that is a ‘good move’ to sit in a convention hall for many hours. But I wasn’t the one wearing it, so."
How Business Casual Blew Up the Libertarian National Convention
A proposal to mandate professional attire, neat facial hair and closed-toe shoes at this weekend’s convention sparked fierce debate
Live free or die, but would it kill you to wear a tie?
That was the essence of Ben Weir’s plea ahead of the biennial Libertarian National Convention in Grand Rapids, Mich.
In a May 15 post on X, Weir, 36, declared that he’d had it with the wacky costumes, which have long been a staple of political party conventions but seem particularly popular among do-what-thou-wilt libertarians.
No more using a boot for headwear, as one convention mainstay named Vermin Supreme did. No more see-through clothing to promote government transparency.
Weir, who is running for Merrimack County sheriff in New Hampshire and couldn’t attend the convention, wrote that he was calling on the party’s national committee to establish “a baseline professional dress standard for participation in official proceedings.” His proposal called for business casual attire, neat facial hair and closed-toe shoes.
“Biological males shall not wear dresses, skirts, or attire traditionally recognized as women’s wear,” Weir wrote in the message, which was also sent to the party’s governing board as a proposed policy amendment. Clothes that were “overtly theatrical, fetish-oriented, or materially inconsistent” wouldn’t fly.
“You hate freedom of speech my dude,” wrote Ray Walden, a libertarian official from Illinois, on X. Some called Weir’s proposed injunctions anathema to libertarianism, which is, after all, against telling people what to do.
“Oh dear God,” Matt Welch, a libertarian who co-hosts the “Fifth Column” podcast, wrote in a text message. “I predict…failure,” he said, describing party conventions in general as “sartorial freak shows.”
Held every four years to select presidential nominees, the Democratic and Republican conventions are gatherings of the party faithful. If it’s not exactly democracy at work (the candidate usually having been settled on months before), then at least it’s democracy on vivid display, a chance for delegates from Tulsa and Worcester to make themselves heard.
And seen. After all, unless you’re photographed dressed as a chicken or a wall, were you even there? At the very least, you need a rhinestone-studded cowboy hat. Otherwise, you may as well stay at home.
Perhaps the two major parties can allow their members to deviate from business casual, since they control the overwhelming majority of elected offices. A Republican or Democrat in a Dr. Seuss costume isn’t going to inadvertently hand the White House to the U.S. Pirate Party (which, yes, is real).
Third parties don’t have that luxury. “We’ve been a party for over 50 years and we’ve never gotten a single federal candidate elected,” said Weir, who describes himself as a “punk/alternative guy” with tattoos and a nose ring. He isn’t against personal style, in other words. But when the biggest news out of your convention is a very big guy in a very small thong, your base probably won’t grow much.
“I think a lot of libertarians are only libertarians because it gives them the mental freedom pass to break rules and be as crazy as they want to be,” Weir said. He’d rather the party focus on ideas that could appeal to swaths of Americans, such as abolishing taxation and expanding personal liberties.
“We cannot expect to get over 0.5% of the vote for our candidates if we don’t get better on our messaging to normies,” Weir said. To drive that point home, he posted an image of several prominent libertarians, including economists Murray N. Rothbard and Milton Friedman and former congressman Justin Amash, in suits and ties.
An account affiliated with the Libertarian Party on X appeared to tacitly support Weir’s proposal, posting a palette of button-down shirts, quarter zips, khakis and loafers to guide the choices of convention attendees.
Backlash was so fierce that the account deleted its post, which had become “an unnecessary distraction,” Libertarian National Committee spokesman Brian McWilliams said. Meanwhile, party officials said they couldn’t even consider Weir’s proposal on procedural grounds.
“One thing about libertarians is if you tell them what to do, they’re probably going to do the opposite,” said Steven Nekhaila, the current chairman of the Libertarian National Committee. A photo on his X profile page shows Nekhaila in a crisp white shirt, black tie and fashionable leather jacket. That look, though, isn’t for everyone.
“Libertarian conventions are an opportunity for some people to do a little bit of peacocking,” Nekhaila said.
Weir’s proposal seemed to focus only on men. “Gender politics are impossible to ignore here,” said Summer Anne Lee, a fashion historian. “The proposal imagines the problem of professional dress largely through male bodies.”
Last week, Weir submitted the amendment again, this time with more gender-neutral language. The reference to “biological males” was gone. The proposal went before the party board, which deadlocked in a 5-5 vote. Nekhaila, who would have been the tiebreaking vote, abstained.
As the convention began in earnest on Friday, the issue of how to dress seemed no more resolved than substantive questions of policy. On the convention floor, things seemed to be proceeding as usual.
“It’s a mix,” reported Walden, the Illinois official. “The ‘worst’ one is someone was wearing a one piece swimsuit. Now, I wouldn’t think that is a ‘good move’ to sit in a convention hall for many hours. But I wasn’t the one wearing it, so."