The left has a decent control of the language and ideas. The word Libertarian has always meant a Classic Liberal in the sense of Jefferson, Henry, etc. But last year while running for office in Massachusetts (Republican), I figured it would be a good idea to court the Libertarian party as I figured conservatism and libertarianism to be nearly synonymous. I attended their monthly meeting and much to my surprise found most to be less than receptive and upon investigation found them to be closer to collectivists of the FDR genre.
I was shocked at the abuse of the word and the movement.