For a noble moment it seemed to have some promise. But the last year they just seemed to become liberals again. I can barely read them any more. Seems like they went back to being liberals all the way. The only good stuff these days is the good stuff. Conservatism. There is just nothing else out there right now. You don't attack your country when your country is being attacked. I guess the war destroyed the libertarian movement.
I think the Libertarian party still has promise. But at the current time it is not being fulfilled, it remains a promise. I think its fundamental problem is that it abandoned the philosophy upon which its political philosophy is built. That split allowed it to be dragged into the superficial gutter by interest groups like pot heads and motorcycle helmet laws rather than addressing principles.
I still see the promise of the Libertarian party. But I do not yet see the promise of that promise being fulfilled.
For the record here is what I mean about the philosophy underpinning the political philosophy: Political philsophy deals with the proper role of government and the morality of societal interpersonal interactions. As such, it is an extension of ethics/morality, which is itself an extension of metaphysics and epistemology.
The philosophy underpinning the political philosophy is as follows:
Liberals (Control Democrat Party): Kantian roots, Socialist philosophy
Conservatives (Republican Party): Religious roots, specifically Judeo Christian. Religious conception of morality rather than philosophical (religion and philosophy answer the same questions)
Libertarian (controls nothing): Enlightenment Era philosophy....the same as what this country was founded on.
If you go back further, the philsophy can be seen as a duel between Plato (liberals/socialists) and Aristotle (libertarians).