911: How to Talk About Freedom Without Being Weird

Brian Nichols  0:00  
Welcome to Brian's briefing part of the Brian Nichols show. I'm Brian Nichols, and in these focused episodes, I dive into key issues, ideas and principles that shape our world. No frills, no fluff, just straight talk on matters that count. Now, let's get started today. We're diving into a topic that's been gnawing at me for a while now. Why weird? Isn't a good target market for libertarians. Now, I know this might well will ruffle some feathers, but stick with me, because we're going to take a sales approach to politics that I think could be a game changer. So let's kick things off by talking about something near and dear to my heart. Okay, maybe not near and dear to my heart, but definitely relevant in our world, in both business and politics, ideal customer personas or ICPs. So in the business world, understanding your ICP is crucial. It's all about knowing what makes your perfect customer, what makes them tick, and how to reach them effectively. Now I want to introduce a concept I've been working on here on the Brian Nichols show for a little bit, and it's called our ideal voter persona, or IVP. It's the same principle, but applied to politics. And why is this important? Because just like in business, if we don't know who we're trying to reach, in politics, we're just shouting into the void. And let's face it, libertarians have been doing that for generations at this point. So who should libertarians be focusing on as their IVP, well, I've given this a lot of thought. You can go back and listen to a lot of past episodes, but in essence, I believe we need to focus on what I call the disaffected normies. Now, what do I mean by that? I'm talking about normal people from 2030, years ago. I mean, think of your average Joe and Jane from the early 90s and early 2000s these are the folks who have moderate views on hot button issues like abortion. They might see it as you know, not a good thing, but they also recognize that there could be very rare circumstances where it might be necessary remember the old democratic stance of safe, legal and rare. That's the ballpark we're playing in. But here's where we can differentiate ourselves. Instead of getting bogged down in the legality debate, we should instead be focusing on making abortion unthinkable. How? By offering better solutions that make abortion not even an option people would want to consider that's the goal, and it's one that resonates with these disaffected normies. Hey, everyone, let's talk about the elephant in everybody's room, insurance does all that insurance jargon make your head spin? If so, you're not alone. It's tough to make smart decisions about your family's protection when it all sounds like gobbledygook. Well, I recently discovered a company that's changing the insurance game, and that company is called policy engineer. These folks are on a mission to make insurance understandable for everyone, they offer free, educational webinars, personalized consultations and easy to digest resources to help you become an insurance Pro. Here's their approach. They explain you decide. They'll walk you through your options, answer all of your questions and empower you to make confident choices about your family's future, because when you understand your coverage, you can rest easy knowing you made the right decision all along. Ready to take control of your insurance, head over to policyengineer.com and start your journey to becoming an informed, empowered policyholder. And of course, don't forget to tell them. The Brian Nichols show sent you policy engineer redefining insurance one member at a time. And now let's get back to the show. They recognize that others might have different values, but they can still disagree civilly. They understand that there are fundamental reasons why government shouldn't be doing certain things. Now, traditionally, these people might have been business owners, independents or even moderate Republicans and Democrats. I mean, remember back in the 90s, the mainstream of both parties weren't that different. But here's the thing, and this is the main point of today's episode, weirdos are not our ICP or our IVP. They shouldn't be our target market. Going after weirdos is the exact opposite of what we should be doing if we want to reach normal people. There's been this belief among some libertarians, especially those who are using the Libertarian Party as a political tool. Before the recent takeover, that weird was a value proposition. They saw the normal people as being in the Republican or Democratic Parties, but that's a fundamental misunderstanding of the political landscape. I mean, yes, sure, there are some normal folks in the major parties, but the vast majority of people out there who are against the status. Whoa, are politically centrist, independent or homeless. They have values and principles they believe in, but as individuals, they're usually pretty normal. And here's the key, they're disaffected, not just by the two major parties, but by the unseriousness of third parties, especially when those third parties are made up of weirdos, and let's look at a recent example, RFK Jr's campaign. Now I know he's not a libertarian, and that's not what we're talking about here, but what's important is how he was able to court normal voters, and that's what any political party needs to do. In order to be successful, we need to inspire and activate these normal voters. Why? Because a lot of normal voters out there aren't voting. They've checked out of the political process. They feel like their vote doesn't matter, and we need to give them a reason to believe that not only does their voice matter, but they can be a leading voice in America. When you look at the data, it's staggering. Over half of Americans right now are politically unaffiliated or independent. That's a huge number of potential voters who could make things happen if we can reach them and mobilize them effectively. So this is the question, how do we court these normal voters? Well, first and foremost, we need to stop being weird. We need to stop thinking that weird is some kind of value prop. Weird is what has kept people away from the LP and libertarians of all stripes. I'm talking about the Libertarians of yesteryear who lead with Austrian economics. Sorry, guys, and try to throw this ginormous book at you. I'm also talking about the Libertarians of today who are in party leadership and still think that that's the way to grow the to go. We need to understand that this approach is in itself weird to a large number of Americans. I've talked to people from all political backgrounds who have libertarian, libertarian leanings, but they aren't capital L libertarians. When I asked them why, the answer is pretty consistent, and this has been the same answer for decades, they see libertarians as weird, as unserious, and more focused on being in a social club than actually governing through public policy. Now that last part is actually a flaw in libertarian thinking, because a lot of our solutions are presented as anti government, and while we might be correct in our assessments, we have to get better at selling it. So how do we do that? Well, we sell it by showing the solutions we can bring to the table to solve the problems that government is currently trying and often failing to solve. Take welfare, for example, we know that government welfare doesn't actually help make people better off in the long run, but there's a widespread belief that welfare is not only important, but that we need government to provide it. So what do we do as libertarians? What do we offer instead? See, we need to start offering solutions that replace the role of government welfare and make it irrelevant. That's where we'll win, not by being weird and focusing on autistically, you know, on the isms, but by offering real, practical solutions to people's problems. We have to stop embracing weird lifestyles just because they're not the norm. Instead, we need to double down on supporting entrepreneurs who are seeing the problems we see and are building solutions to solve these problems, because only then will people actually take libertarianism seriously. All right, Liberty lovers, buckle up. Liberty tonight is crashing onto your screens, october 17, from nine to 11pm Central. It's a live podcast party with Brian Piotr and the king libertarian himself. They've got fake celebs, real celebs, no celebs. Who

knows it's as mysterious as government spending. Get ready for a show more entertaining than watching politicians try to balance a budget. Follow them or don't. It's a free country, after all, catch the freedom fever at four libertynetworks.com. That's the number four. Libertynetwork.com Liberty tonight, where the jokes are free, but the principles are priceless. One more time, the number four, libertynetwork.com and now back to the show. See when people see that we are serious about solving problems, and then they see that our solutions actually work. It piques their curiosity about other areas where libertarian approaches might be effective. So what we need to do as libertarians is stop trying to sell libertarianism as an ism. Instead, we need to focus on selling solutions to problems that your average, normal person identifies in their real world. Now I know this might be a tough pill to swallow for some libertarians out there, because we've gotten used to being the outsiders, the ones with radical ideas, but if we want to actually make a difference, if we want to see our ideas implemented in the real world, we need to change our approach. Think about it this way, when. Was the last time you bought something just because it was weird. I mean, there's a few of you sure you probably did, but for most of you probably never, right? You buy things because they solve a problem for you, because they make your life better in some way. That's how we need to start presenting libertarian ideas. I mean, let's take the issue of education, for example. We could go on and on and on about how government shouldn't be involved in education at all. We could quote Rothbard and Mises until we're blue in the face. Or we could talk about how school choice and educational freedom can give parents more options, improve educational outcomes and reduce costs. Which do you think is going to resonate more with your average voter? Oh, I have an idea. Let's just go ask our good buddy, Corey DeAngelis, who's going out and having resounding success across the country, state capital after state capital implementing school choice solutions. Or how about health care? We could rail against Medicaid and Medicare as socialist programs that need to be abolished immediately. Or we could talk about how free market solutions are removing regulatory barriers, and how that can lead to more innovation, lower costs and better care for everyone I know again. Which approach do you think will get more traction with normal people. The key here is to start by meeting people where they're at, not where we want them to be. See, most people aren't ready to jump straight into anarcho capitalism land, but they might be ready to consider some more freedom and less government intervention in specific areas in their lives. And here's the thing, once people see the libertarian solutions work in one area, they're more more likely to open up in other areas to libertarian solutions. I mean, pardon the expression, but it's like a gateway drug. But to freedom onward. We start with school choice. We move on to healthcare freedom, and before you know it, people are questioning the need for the Federal Reserve, but we have to start small and prove ourselves. Now I want to address something that I know some of you listening are saying, and it's Brian, you're just saying, we need to water down our principles. Aren't you compromising our values if we don't present the full libertarian philosophy, and I get where you're coming from, I get it, I do. But here's the thing, we're not compromising on principles at all. We're just changing how we present them. We're still working towards the same goals of more freedom and less government, and we're just doing it in a way that's more palatable to your average person. I mean, think about like this. If you're trying to get a kid to eat vegetables, this is an area that's near and dear to my heart as a new dad. You don't start by throwing a whole head of broccoli at them, unless you're my daughter, because she actually likes the whole head of broccoli. But instead, you might start by hiding some pureed carrots in their mac and cheese, and then you move to, you know, like lightly seasoned green beans, and before you know it, they're chomping down on Brussels sprouts like their candy, or, again, like my daughter eating a whole head of broccoli. But it's the same thing with libertarian ideas. We start with the easy stuff, the things that are obvious, the things that you can instantly see, boom improvement over the status quo. Then we gradually introduce more and more libertarian concepts as people become more and more receptive to them, and this approach also helps us avoid one of the biggest pitfalls in libertarian outreach, which is the tendency to talk down to people. I mean, we've all seen it, the Libertarian who acts like they're the smartest person in the room, they sneer at anyone who doesn't immediately grasp the non Aggression Principle or the intricacies of Austrian economics. And let me tell you, that approach doesn't win converts. It just makes people think we're arrogant jerks, and let's be honest, sometimes we are. We need to cut that out if we want to be taken seriously. Instead, we need to approach people with empathy and understanding. We need to listen to their concerns and show how libertarian solutions can address those concerns. We need to speak their language, not expecting to speak ours. And this brings me to another important point. We need to stop being so negative all the time. This is an area I gotta get better. I mean, yes, government is is, yes, very inefficient, it's very corrupt, it's very harmful, but constantly harping on how bad things are, doesn't inspire people. It just makes them feel hopeless. And we I need to start presenting a positive vision of what a more libertarian society could look like. I mean, we need to paint a picture of a world with more opportunity, more innovation, more prosperity. And we need to show people how libertarian ideas improve their lives in tangible ways. See this. This is where supporting entrepreneurs become so important. If you think you're supporting small farms with your coffee choices, think again. Many brands hide behind fancy packaging while sourcing cheap coffee beans. So you need to stop compromising on quality and. On ethics. Klam Kraft coffee was born from a desire for both transparency and excellence in the coffee game. They personally select every bean, ensuring top quality and fair practices. So experience coffee the way it's supposed to be honest, delicious and roasted with care plus an exclusive offer for Brian Nichols Show fans, use code BNS 10 for 10% off at clock. Dot coffee. Link in the show notes, and now let's get back to the show, because these are the folks who are actually out there solving problems. They're creating value. They're improving people's lives, and by highlighting their work and showing how it aligns with libertarian principles, we can demonstrate the practical benefits of our ideas. I mean, take Uber Uber, for example, right here's a company that came in and disrupted a heavily regulated industry in taxis, providing a better service at a lower cost, and that's a perfect example of how reducing government intervention and allowing free market innovation can benefit consumers and producers alike. See, we should we should be shouting about examples like Uber from the rooftops or cryptocurrencies. I mean, here's a technology that's literally right now challenging the government's monopoly on money providing financial services to the unbanked and giving people more control over their wealth than when in history, ever. That's libertarianism of an action, and it's something that normal people, normal people, can actually get excited about. Like these are the kinds of examples that we need to be focusing on, not abstract philosophical arguments, but real world applications of libertarian principles that are making people's lives better today. Now I want to be clear about something. I'm not saying we should abandon principles again or water down our message. What I am saying is we need to be smarter about how we present that message. We need to meet people where they're at and guide them towards libertarian ideas, not expect them to leap all at once. And this approach requires patience. It requires understanding, and yes, it requires compromise sometimes, but if we're serious about advancing liberty, if we really want to see our ideas implemented in the real world, then this is what we need to do. Because here's the hard truth, again, being weird, it ain't working, preaching to the choir, it ain't working, throwing Rothbard quotes at people, it ain't working. Because if it was, we'd be a lot further along than we are. We need to face the facts that the Libertarian Party has been around for over 50 years, and we've made very little progress in terms of actually implementing libertarian policies as a big L Libertarian Party. I mean, sure won some battles here and there, but overall, the government has only gotten bigger, smaller and more intrusive. I got you there, didn't I? If we keep doing what we've always done, we will keep getting what we've always gotten. It's time for a change. It's time to start appealing to normal people, to the disaffected normies who are fed up with the status quo, but who don't see libertarianism as a viable alternative. These are the people who believe in personal responsibility, who value hard work and ingenuity, who are skeptical of big government, but aren't ready to go out and just abolish it entirely. These are the people we just need to learn how to talk to them.

And here's the exciting part, if we can figure this out, if we can start reaching these disaffected normies, effectively, we have the potential to fundamentally reshape the political landscape. Remember, over half Americans don't strongly identify with even a major party, so that's a huge untapped market for ideas. But to tap into that market, we need to stop being the weird kid in the corner of the political cafeteria. We need to start being the cool kid who has solutions to everyone's problems. We need to be the one that people turn to when they're fed up with the same old political BS. And this isn't about selling out or compromising our principles. It's about being smart, strategic and effective in how we promote these principles. It's about actually winning for a change, instead of just feeling morally superior while we lose. So here's my challenge to you by fellow libertarians, the next time you're out talking to someone about politics, Please resist the urge to go full Rothbard on them. Instead, listen to their concerns and try to understand where they're coming from, and then show them how libertarian solutions could address those concerns. Don't talk about the non Aggression Principle. Talk about how ending the drug war could reduce violence in their community. Don't rant about the Federal Reserve to. Talk about how sound money policies could help their savings retain value. Don't preach about the evils of taxation, though it is evil. Show them how lower taxes and less regulation can help small businesses in their area thrive. In other words, make it real for them, make it personal, make it relevant to their lives and their concerns. And that is how we start to win people over and remember, it's okay to start small. We don't need to convert everyone to anarcho capitalism overnight. If we can just get people to start questioning the status quo, to start considering alternatives to Big Government Solutions, that's a win. We can build on that over time, and the key is to be patient, to be persistent, and above all, be normal. Be normal, please. We need to show people that libertarians aren't all weird, that we're just regular folks who have some good ideas about how to solve society's problems. So let's stop trying to be the weirdest kid on the political block, and let's start being the smartest, the most practical, the most solutions oriented, because let's be the people people want to turn to when they're tired of the same old game, because at the end of the day, that's what libertarianism is all about, finding better solutions to society's problems, solutions that solve or involve rather more freedom, more choice, more personal responsibility, solutions that empower individuals and communities, not centralized bureaucracies. That's the message that can resonate with normal people. That's a message that can win, and it's a message we need to learn how to deliver effectively. With that being said, that's our Brian's briefing. Go out there, educate, enlighten and inform, and until next time, we'll see you later.

Disembodied Voice of Matt Ultan, Vocal Artist Extraordinaire  21:39  
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