A Case for the Small
Business Owner as the LP’s Core Constituency
They should mirror
who we are:
The small business owner is a very good fit with who we
are. They are principled, independent,
and self-reliant. Many of our best
activists are small business owners.
They should be well
liked and respected and have no negatives:
Small business is America.
Norman Rockwell has turned the small business into an American
icon. They contrast sharply to big
business when it comes to being liked.
As a group, they
should be large enough and important enough, to be meaningful:
There are millions of small business owners in America and
they account for over half of all jobs in America. The NFIB, a lobbyist organization, alone
represents 600,000 small business people.
They should not have
a champion in the political arena:
The small businessperson feels politically homeless. Even lobbyist like the Chamber of Commerce
has abandoned them. The Republicans have
chosen big business; the Democrats have chosen labor, leaving the small
businessperson without a champion.
They should have an
inherent understanding that our success is beneficial to them:
Free markets are the battle cry of small business and the
LP. Less regulations, freedom to choose
how they run their business is inherently Libertarian and pro small business.
They should bring
credibility to the LP:
Small business is inherently credible. No one survives for long as a small business
without having successfully served a core constituency of their own.
They should afford us
an opportunity to address “our” issues on their behalf, or from “their” point
of view, or ideally both without alienating non-constituencies.
Our positions on; taxes, regulations, individual liberty,
social engineering, free trade, immigration, social security, foreign policy,
drug prohibition, healthcare, environmental regulations, and gun rights are all
easily presented as a benefit to small business.
We also, can cast our messages from the point of view of:
men, women, gays, immigrants, ethnic minorities, and the poor. All these sub constituencies have validated
that owning your own small business can have profound positive benefits to the
individual and to their community.
They should bring a
base level of support in the form of money, talent and influence to our party
and its candidates:
Our best activists and supporters are often small business
owners. They have the money, influence,
and the other intangibles necessary to enhance our candidates and ensure
victory’s on Election Day.
Research Stats: Research
conducted in the summer of 2002.
All current members.
Issue Said Issue is Very Important % of Agreement on Issue
1. Taxes &
Spending* 82.9 % 63.3
%
2. Drug Prohibition 65.3 85.0
3. Gun Rights 65.3 66.2
4. Social Security* 61.5 93.1
5. Education 60.1 69.3
6. Foreign Policy 55.2 43.9
7. Healthcare 52.5 84.0
8. Foreign Trade 37.7 69.6
9. Environmental 33.4 78.7
10. Immigration 30.9 46.7
11. Abortion 28.8 72.2
The % of agreement on issue column reflects the maximum
number of people who chose the same answer that best expressed their views on
the issue.
Lapsed Members
Issue Said Issue is Very
Important % of Agreement on
Issue
1. Taxes 79.5% 55.5%
2. Gun Rights 68.2 65.4
3. Social Security 62.4 65.4
4. Education 60.9 57.7
5. Foreign Policy 56.3 44.3
6. Drug Prohibition 58.9 78.6
7. Healthcare 49.3 77.6
8. Foreign Trade 42.4 63.2
9. Immigration 40.4 43.5
10. Environment 40.1 75.2
11. Abortion 38.0 69.4
Reason Cited for
Leaving the LP. Open ended.
Reason* %
LP Scandal 36.9
LP Not Effective 23.9
I’m not a Libertarian after all 17.4
LP’s Handling of 9/11 10.9
LP is to Anarchist, Negative 8.7
LP’s Drug War Position 2.2
100%
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