New Hampshire's excuse

[zactidwell]

Anybody, especially Free Staters, want to offer up an explanation on the statist voting appeal of the "Live Free or Die" state? Gary Johnson has only, at the moment (88% reported), accrued 1.2% of the vote (Obama 52%). Are the motto and the creation of a "libertopia" really only examples of false hope?

http://www.google.com/elections/ed/us/results

[helmuth_hubener]

Over 1% is pretty good.

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

If you judge a State only on the basis of how they vote in a rigged two party oligarchal-system, then I'm afraid no State will ever be good enough. No one has said NH is perfect (after-all it is a State...), merely it is the best of the worst, by a wide-margin. Any more Nirvana-Fallacy mud-slinging?

[The Goat]

Georgia got 1.2 percent. thats a lot more libertarians than NH. lol

[zactidwell]

Exactly, many hard red states not only voted down Obama (voters that can be flipped/educated) but also matched NH's Libertarian Party percentage. I just have always been skeptical of a place that is a tax haven for the surrounding purple states (ie my uncle works outside Boston, lives in NH for lower taxes yet votes hard statist).

[RonPaulFanInGA]

Georgia got 1.2 percent. thats a lot more libertarians than NH. lol

Georgia: 1.2% for Johnson (44,398 votes)
New Hampshire: 1.2% for Johnson (7,347 votes)

:D

[zactidwell]

Maine showed them up as well, which I found surprising.

[Anti Federalist]

Exactly, many hard red states not only voted down Obama (voters that can be flipped/educated) but also matched NH's Libertarian Party percentage. I just have always been skeptical of a place that is a tax haven for the surrounding purple states (ie my uncle works outside Boston, lives in NH for lower taxes yet votes hard statist).

You answered your own question.

[nobody's_hero]

Exactly, many hard red states not only voted down Obama (voters that can be flipped/educated) but also matched NH's Libertarian Party percentage. I just have always been skeptical of a place that is a tax haven for the surrounding purple states (ie my uncle works outside Boston, lives in NH for lower taxes yet votes hard statist).

Yeah. I was giving the FSP a hard time but it isn't really their fault. The influx of 'purples' into their state isn't their fault, anyway.

This happens every place there is a contrast in governing philosophies. Here in GA, I saw a small-scale example of the 'masshole' syndrome even within a state.

When I was on the vol. fire department, we'd see people move out of ATL and come out here to the countryside and buy huge houses ('cause the cost of living is much cheaper). Sometimes those houses caught on fire, and these ATL refugees would recoil in horror and disbelief when the firetruck pulled up and one guy got off, followed a few minutes later by a volunteer in a personal vehicle. They somehow expected a 4-man crew and multiple pumpers.

What goes through their minds?

"If you all would just raise taxes you could have a fully staffed full-time department."

——The hell we will. We make-do with our low taxes and vol. fire department, and no one asked you to move here. Go back to ATL until you can figure out the connection between 'lower cost of living' and 'smaller government'.

[WarAnonymous]

Alot of states had a bigger turnout for GJ

[GunnyFreedom]

Honestly, if FSP had gone with Wyoming, I'd already be living there. Much smaller population to overcome.

[ShaneEnochs]

Honestly, if FSP had gone with Wyoming, I'd already be living there. Much smaller population to overcome.

This.

[dskalkowski]

NH was a swing state, with a lot of attention. Many voters were being pressured into voting for one of the two.

[wgadget]

I hear NH got a new Indy into the Congress. Any RP influence? What about Maine? I think the RP effect was seen in Maine as well. Legalized MJ in CO, too.

We ARE making a difference. :)

[GraniteHills]

I hear NH got a new Indy into the Congress. Any RP influence? What about Maine? I think the RP effect was seen in Maine as well. Legalized MJ in CO, too.

We ARE making a difference. :)

Uh...two pretty hard-left statists won both House seats here. The incumbents were far from perfect, but on local issues of import they were far better than the winners.

Just a disgusting result overall in this state. Sad to look at neighbors/co-workers/etc. as enemies of liberty and lovers of the state, but...

[Tod]

Curiously enough, in ONE county in Ohio, Johnson got over 7% of the vote. No other county came anywhere near that figure, mostly less than 1% with a few slightly more.

[Tod]

Honestly, if FSP had gone with Wyoming, I'd already be living there. Much smaller population to overcome.

Why not start a second FSP in Wyoming, for those who like that environment better than N.H.'s? Then there can be a competition between the two states to see which can become the most free first...

[pochy1776]

Why not start a second FSP in Wyoming, for those who like that environment better than N.H.'s? Then there can be a competition between the two states to see which can become the most free first...

Lets make a FREE STATE MOVEMENT IN ALL STATES!

[angelatc]

Honestly, if FSP had gone with Wyoming, I'd already be living there. Much smaller population to overcome.

I don't know if I could commit to that. It's hard to move with 2 kids, and no job. But if I were young and single, I would have certainly been on board. I know a guy who planned on moving to NH to join the FSP, but seeing the results of the 2008 election changed his mind, and he ended up moving to Louisiana.

[youngbuck]

ie my uncle works outside Boston, lives in NH for lower taxes yet votes hard statist That there pisses me off.

[GunnyFreedom]

Why not start a second FSP in Wyoming, for those who like that environment better than N.H.'s? Then there can be a competition between the two states to see which can become the most free first...

There already is a second FSP in Wyoming, but it's emaciated, with all the people going to NH based on the decision of the primary group. Just like NH is treading uphill vs Massholes, Wyoming is treading uphill vs the NH-firsters. No way the Wyo FSP will gain the population to challenge Wyo gov as things currently stand.

[youngbuck]

I'd prefer WY over NH anyway, and I think continuing a FSP there is a great idea. One huge advantage is not being surrounded by or in close proximity to statist cesspools (which essentially composes the entire northeast). Other advantages include the large land area, natural resources, and comparable rugged individualist mindset you'll find up there.

[donnay]

Honestly, if FSP had gone with Wyoming, I'd already be living there. Much smaller population to overcome.

More than 48% of the land in Wyoming is owned by the U.S. Government, leading Wyoming to rank sixth in the U.S. in total acres and fifth in percentage of a state's land owned by the Federal government.[8] This amounts to about 30,099,430 acres (121,808.1 km2) owned and managed by the U.S. Government. The state government owns an additional 6% of all Wyoming lands, or another 3,864,800 acres (15,640 km2).[8]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wyoming



New Hampshire had 4,824,000 acres (1,952,000 hectares) of forestland in 2004, of which 4,503,000 acres (1,822,000 hectares) were considered suitable for commercial use. Of that total, 83% was privately owned. Forests cover about 84% of New Hampshire. Lumber production in 2004 was 232 million board feet, 72% softwood.
http://www.encyclopedia.com/topic/New_Hampshire.aspx