Big government resources outnumber small government resources by orders of magnitude. Therefore, we must exploit the most cost-effective ways to make government small.
Campaigns top the list of the best and lowest-cost ways to popularize small government and to actually implement measures that move us in the direction of small government.
Small government campaigns get people talking about and considering real small government solutions. They give people the chance to vote for small government, which empowers elected small government candidates to implement their proposals, thereby actually shrinking big government.
Small government campaigns are highly cost-effective because they generate free media, not just of libertarian ideas, but of sellable, bold solutions to shrink government.
The challenge for small government campaigns is getting enough attention to rival that which our big government opponents receive. The mainstream media has a distinct media bias. They often refuse to cover small government ideas or campaigns. They typically exclude small government candidates from debates — while showering free media on our big government opponents.
It’s fair to say that libertarian and other small-government candidates have been getting canceled by mainstream media for decades, long before today’s cancel culture.
But because the mainstream media are in the business of delivering news, they cannot deny that an election is a newsworthy event. Small government candidates usually get at least a modicum of coverage that they otherwise wouldn’t happen.
Here’s the really good news: Podcasts are starting to overcome the mainstream media in popularity and reach, and those podcasts are far more willing to cover small government campaigns.
Small government campaigns produce a lot of bang for the buck. The attention that a campaign can generate, even on a small budget, dwarfs the attention that can be bought with the same level of spending on advertising.
Small government campaigns reach more than just political junkies and activists who already agree with us. They also reach everyday Americans who are open to our ideas and who believe that government is too big. They activate supporters of small government.
By running small government campaigns, voting small government, and convincing others to do the same, we can build a small government field of dreams.