... To make them a more viable alternative?

See, here's the deal: I *want* to vote Libertarian. But I'm tired of feeling like if I divert my vote from the Big Two, I basically throw my vote away. I want the Libertarians to become a legitimate contender...

I love their stances on many things: Gun control, CCW, personal responsibility, and the general "live and let live" philosophy. However the big drawback for me is the foreign policy. It's kind of a "live and let live" policy as well-- and that just won't work in this day and age. While I've advocated cutting the world off for 5-10 years (OK, curtailing our outgoing money by, say, 80%) and using the money to fix what's wrong with America... Infrastructure and cutting taxes.

Please correct me if I'm wrong. I'm only talking about things that would improve the party's stance in the eyes of Joe America. If some of this stuff were addressed, I'd throw myself into it and probably even volunteer time and money to the party. (this is big for me; I've never done that before for any party).

ETH: That's done, and done. I *generally* trend toward Republican.

I just identify more with what the Libertarian party's platform is (with the exceptions I noted above).

Probably a good call to try to "Libertarian-ize" the Republican party... but that's not something easily done. In fact I think it would be easier to "Republican-ize" a Libertarian than vice versa. The Libertarian would have to make fewer changes to their philosophy than the Republican would IMHO.

You have two choices.
1)Try to make the GOP more libertarian from within, as Eric said.
or
2)start from the grass roots.  Elect Libertarian state representatives, then a Lib governor.  Once you do this in at least three states, start trying for Libertarian Congressmen and Senators.  Once you have at least a 30% Libertarian presence in the House and Senate, THEN you can think about a serious Lib run at the White House.

Speaking as an ex-Libertarian here. . . .

Simply put, the LP asylum has been taken over by the inmates.  Libertarian ideals are often popular, but the party itself is run by complete fruitcakes.  People who are totally inexperienced but who want power, people who are completely incompetent but want power, people who are single-issue nutcases but who want power.  Then there are the drugged-out hippies who only joined because the LP is pro-legalization, who contribute nothing useful and who hate every ideal of the LP except for drug legalization.

I watched the LP sabotage itself internally for over a decade, and gave up in disgust after September 11th, when pretty much the whole LP -- at least everyone whom I knew -- went into blame-America-first mode like something out of a Nader rally.  I heard comments about how "all the hijackers died in the attacks, so why are we invading Afghanistan?" -- and that's a nearly direct quote, not a hypothetical example.

In my opinion the LP is beyond reform, and beyond hope of viability.  I have been pro-Bush in this election, but I am not a Republican, and I doubt I ever will be one;  the whole religious-wacko orientation creeps me out, not to mention the anti-freedom stances on so many issues and the sellouts of gun rights whenever they find it convenient to do so.  But I can't in good conscience support the fruitcakes of the LP, so I am "politically homeless" once again.

Merge with the Republican Liberty Caucus.