And yet despite all their bellicose angst and relentless self promotion, they STILL have yet to elect even ONE person to ANY office ANY where.
But I think the point of the article was that they are stealing away votes from Republicans. Voting Libertarian is seen by some as a protest vote.
I just returned from a monetary conference at Hillsdale with a lot of Libertarians, and they really are angry people. I don't even want to read "Reason" mag any more. They are completely detached from reality when it comes to national security because . . . SURPRISE . . . they don't approve of nations!
If you don't want 'em, let 'em go.
And the big-spending, internationalist, pro-illegal immigrant Republican party, in conjunction with the big spending, internationalist, pro-illegal immigrant Democrat party seem to working together to change that
Do your homework.
I think they've gotten dog catcher and sewer inspector in a couple of out of the way places.
Bill Masters, sheriff of Telluride County, Colorado.
Liberty-lovers who stormed the polls in 1994 to elect Republicans are now indifferent to the fate of the Republican majority. That's a fact.
Why it's so is controversial. My 2c is that the constant Rovian emphasis on "the base" has marginalized this segment of the coalition.
The GOP base is too small to reliably win elections. Neither party now stands for liberty.
You can satirize liberdopians all you want (and they richly deserve it).
But the concept that a government which is big enough to give you what you want is big enough to take it all away IS the unity message that can deliver relaible majorities for whoever champions it.
THIS is what the Bush-Rove axis has singularly failed to do.
And they are about to get their asses kicked as a result.
Isn't Ron Paul a Libertarian?
Johnnie, if you really feel that much "bellicose angst and relentless" denigration of the libertarian philosophy, and are so convinced that the GOP is doing everything right, why worry about their votes. If they agree with the GOP positions and actions, then they'll have no position to run on and they'll vote for you; if not, who cares because you obviously don't need their input.
The truth of the matter is that the GOP wants the votes of the people who support concepts like smaller government, protection of property rights, equal protection under the law, lower taxes, a balanced budget, paying off the national debt, and individual liberty and responsibility, but the GOP doesn't want to actually implement those ideas when they get elected.
If we don't need or want those libertarian votes, then we can do whatever we want if and when we're elected. But if we want those people to vote for us, then we'd better be prepared to embrace and support their values.
We had an "unbeatable majority" when we were "talking the talk," but the voters have a way of holding us accountable when we don't "walk the walk."
"And yet despite all their bellicose angst and relentless self promotion, they STILL have yet to elect even ONE person to ANY office ANY where."
True, but neither did the Republican party win the presidency until Lincoln. I'm not a libertarian, but their views have more similarity to Reagan's than we're seeing from our national Republican leaders.
What about Thomas Jefferson and more recently Ron Paul? Both libertarian.
BTW - if the GOP wanted libertarian votes - why didn't they try to earn them with their actions over the last 12 years?
Really why?
In all the years the Democrats were in power they always "took care" of their factions. Not every faction got all that they wanted - but they all got something.
The Liberty voter's interests have a vanishingly small place in the Rove "base".
This is an error, and will hopefully be reversed soon.