Unity on the right gets rocky

The Boston Globe ^ | March 7, 2005 | Cathy Young

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A COUPLE of weeks ago, a panel gathered in Washington, D.C., to discuss the state of a troubled marriage: the alliance between libertarians and conservatives.

Generally, the two groups have been united by their distrust of big government and their belief in the value of free markets and political liberty -- even if they have disagreed on social issues such as abortion and gay rights, where conservatives have endorsed a traditionalist approach and libertarians an individualist one. The conservative-libertarian coalition was largely responsible for Ronald Reagan's election in 1980 and the Republican victory in Congress in 1994. Yet, ever since the end of the Cold War, the unity has been fraying.

Most libertarians are troubled by the growing clout of the religious right within the Republican Party, the post-9/11 stampede to endorse security measures that sometimes impinge on individual rights (particularly for people detained on suspicion of terrorist involvement), and the unchecked growth of government under the presidency of George W. Bush. In the past election, these concerns led many libertarians who had usually voted Republican to jump ship and either cast a protest vote for the Libertarian Party candidate or, in some cases, back Democrat John Kerry.

Conservatives, in turn, tend to see libertarians as aggressive secularists who disdain the moral and patriotic beliefs of ordinary Americans and cling to an abstract individual-rights absolutism even in the face of an all-too-real threat to our survival.

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I didn't see this posted yet and thought there'd be some interesting comments about this Op-ed.

[Always Right]

Notice how it is never a story about splits in the Democratic Party.

[54-46 Was My Number]

I didn't see this posted yet and thought there'd be some interesting comments about this Op-ed.

This is a trend whose time is long overdue. It's senseless for conservatives to support the GOP when it acts in a big government manner just because "our people" are the ones with their hands on the controls.

[The Ghost of FReepers Past]

Okay. Let's talk about the factions within the Democrat Party. I know the African-American religious conservative, fiscal liberal group is growing very weary of the lewd, immoral leftists in that party who work tirelessly to corrupt all the children of America. They are also beginning to see that depending on gov't for your needs takes away your freedom and your motivation. I think we can win that group over if we try hard enough.

[drt1]

"In the past election, these concerns led many libertarians who had usually voted Republican to jump ship and either cast a protest vote for the Libertarian Party candidate or, in some cases, back Democrat John Kerry."

I find this (A vote for Kerry) hard to swallow. A true Libertarian is as far away from the Dem approach as is possible and I just can't see any vote, protest or otherwise, for these philosophies. I would agree that the Rep record of performance (As opposed to philosophy) would be off putting to a Libertarian since, IMO, the performance on many matters, especially those dealing with Fiscal and Immigration policies, are not where most Libertarians are and not much different than what Liberals propose.

[Phocion]

I disagree that Bush's stance on immigration is off-putting to libertarians. Conservatives seem to have more of a problem with it than libertarians do.

I think the primary reason some libertarians voted for Kerry was opposition to the war. A lot of libertarians also like to have different parties in charge of Congress and the White House, to force gridlock.

[rhombus]

Notice how it is never a story about splits in the Democratic Party.

Actually I've seen far too many stories about Dean and the hard left controlling the Dems. Expect more "Republican split" stories as every Republican runs for president in about 2 years. I will say that I've seen plenty of thrashing on FreeRepublic on what I would describe as libertarian views versus... um those who are less concerned with individual civil liberties (characterize them however you will). Whether this rises to the level of a rift, I guess we'll see.

[E Rocc]

There's also conservatives who are bothered by some of the "security" measures passed in the wake of 9/11. David Keene, Grover Norquist, and Phyllis Schlafly come to mind. They're foresighted enough to realize what the Dims might do with some of them.

Still, when it's all said and done, libertarians and conservatives have a lot more in common with each other than either does with the leftists.

-Eric

[Doctor Stochastic]

"Now that the Republicans run the government, their enthusiasm for curbing it has oddly abated."

This should not be surprising. Elected officials mostly don't support term limits either.

[rhombus]

Still, when it's all said and done, libertarians and conservatives have a lot more in common with each other than either does with the leftists.

I agree but the nanny Govermnent types of the right are "feeling their oats" lately. If we don't hang together... well let's just say I will never forget the election of 1992.

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Cathy Young is a contributing editor at Reason magazine. Her column appears regularly in the Globe.

Typically libertarian, inventing a fictitious wedge in the President's support to promote their agenda. The l's want us to drop opposition to gay marriage and abortion, but that solid stand on conservative issues is what wins elections. Just ask those who set the strategy for George W. Bush and Ronald Reagan, winners both. When did a libertarian win anything except some obscure congressional district in TX?

[Phocion]

Still, when it's all said and done, libertarians and conservatives have a lot more in common with each other than either does with the leftists.

This second Bush term is really vital in that regard. In the last term, Bush's domestic performance was rather pitiful by fiscal conservative/libertarian standards. Bush got some minor tax cuts through, but also tossed obscene amounts of money at farm subsidies, healthcare, and education. He also slapped tariffs on a number of goods (including steel) and signed "campaign finance reform". And those are in addition to any concerns libertarians might have over the way in which Bush has prosecuted the WOT.

Bush's second term agenda -- SS reform, tort reform, tax reform -- would win him (and by extension, the GOP) a lot of support in those quarters, provided that the reforms pass and actually have teeth. If they don't... well, libertarians are going to start realizing they aren't getting any real results out of supporting the GOP.

[NutCrackerBoy]

I like having Cathy Young at the Glob. The appearance of this decent piece does more good than harm. I know first-hand that the liberals of my state have only the most cartoonish picture of the issues that drive non-leftists.

That said, we see continuance of pattern that non-conservative ideas have disproportionate weight in the media. In pure voting numbers, gaining socially conservative blacks to the GOP easily outweighs losing the thin sliver of committed libertarians, but for their influence.

I suppose people in the world of ideas like Young distrust authority and so distrust faith-based social programs even more than the secular government nanny state. I don't see why they do not calculate faith-based initiative as at least no worse than pure welfare. And there are libertarian-leaning thinkers who see, ala de Tocqueville, the value of a religious culture in preserving liberty.

[conservativecorner]

The left would love to believe this is really the case. IT'S NOT!!

[Phocion]

Many "small l" libertarians are opposed to abortion, and many of those who aren't realize that even with Republicans in charge of everything, there is no big push to stop it. I don't think abortion or gay marriage (which the Right also seems unable or unwilling to stop) are the issues that are most upsetting to libertarians.

[hchutch]

In a way, I think this does make sense. There are tensions pulling at our side of the spectrum, albeit it is to a lesser extent than it is on the Democratic side.

The "leave us alone" types, folks like Grover Norquist, Dick Armey, and Bob Barr are at odds with the hard-core "culture warriors" (folks like Michelle Malkin and Paul Craig Roberts). Eventually, it is going to lead to a split. But I don't think it will tear the GOP asunder. The Dems, on the other hand, are headed rapidly for a northeast/West Coast regional party status.

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Bush's domestic performance was rather pitiful by fiscal conservative/libertarian standards

President Bush's domestic performance saved us from the most severe economic crisis this country ever faced. The dot-com bubble popped, fraud in the board rooms was exposed, 9/11 terrorist attacks hit, and we had two wars. By all normal expectations, the economy would have crashed. Instead, because of the President's leadership through these storms, we have low unemployment, solid growth, low interest rates, and low inflation -- a pretty good economic record if you ask me.

[Celtjew Libertarian]

Another possibility is that the libertarian and conservative parties of the wing will split, because the left-wing Deaniacs drive the Democratic party so far to the left that there is room for two parties to the right of it.

This, IMO, could be a good thing. It would be nice to have two main parties who believe in American greatness, only have different visions of how it should be maintained, rather than one party that believes in American greatness and another that wants to subdue the country to Washington regulators and U.N. bureaucrats.

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The Dems, on the other hand, are headed rapidly for a northeast/West Coast regional party status.

I'd say they've arrived.

[Uncle Fud]

And there are libertarian-leaning thinkers who see, ala de Tocqueville, the value of a religious culture in preserving liberty.

I'm one of them.

Always with the understanding that if you want to change the culture, you have to change the culture.

Attempting to change the culture simply by imposing the desired changes via legislation is doomed to failure and offensive to liberty.