Friday, July 4, 2008

Libertarian Democrat Eric Fine

Longtime LP member Eric Fine -- who's held numerous LP officer titles -- has a new plan for spreading libertarianism -- he joined the Democratic Party!


"I'm still a libertarian," said Fine. "Only now I spread liberty through the Democratic Party rather than the Libertarian Party."


Fine explained his logic at Los Angeles's libertarian Karl Hess Club on May 19, 2008. Armed with a Power Point presentation of recent local election results, Fine observed that most electoral districts -- congressional, assembly, or whatever -- are safely Democratic or Republican. The real contest is the primary election preceding the general.


Fine advises libertarians who want to win elective office to join the dominant party in their area, and work from within. In most of Los Angeles, that means the Democrats. So in 1999, Fine began re-registering "back and forth" from Libertarian to Democratic.


"I ran for State Assembly in the 42nd District as a Libertarian in 1994 and 1996, and in the 47th District in 1998," said Fine. His highest vote percentage was in 1994, at 5% (5,441 votes). He got fewer votes in 1996 due to a Natural Law candidate on the ballot. In 1998, he only got 2.72% (2,596 votes), despite an endorsement from the Gun Owners of California.


In 2006, Fine ran for State Assembly in the Democratic primary and got 6% of the primary votes (2,317 votes).


For his ballot job title, Fine put Marijuana Legalization Coordinator. "I wrote a 250-word ballot statement on why marijuana should be legalized. I finished third out of five candidates." Marijuana legalization is Fine's main issue whenever campaigning among Democrats. This issue causes many Democrats to listen, and open their minds to other libertarian positions.


Fine not only runs Democratic, he's active in the party. He joined the Culver City Democratic Club in 2005. They elected him treasurer -- unanimously!


"They know I'm a libertarian," said Fine. "They don't care."


Indeed, Culver City Democrats were so pleased with Fine's work as treasurer, they gave him an award -- and begged him to stay when he suggested he'd like to quit.

Longtime LP member Eric Fine -- who's held numerous LP officer titles -- has a new plan for spreading libertarianism -- he joined the Democratic Party!

Fine had previously served as LPC treasurer from 1997 to 1999. A resident of Beverly Hills, he's also variously served as the L.A./Westside LP Chair and Vice Chair. He joined the LP in 1984, and was tasked with finding speakers for the L.A./Westside LP as early as 1985.

1 comment:

___ said...

Pragmatism is no vice.