"It (trying to save Terry Schiavo) was one of the worst political miscalculations of the decade."
No hyperbole there. If libertarians think they are better served by Democrats, they have a rude shock coming. Was it really sooooooo terribly hard for libertarians to compromise with the social conservatives to try and save someone, like Terri Schiavo? Is that really asking too much? I hope not. Libertarians and "values voters" have much more in common than libertarians and Democrats. We are, for the most part, on the same team.
The Schiavo incident was a debacle because it was a pre-ordained defeat. It didn't enliven "values voters"; quite to the contrary the message was: "We'll put on a show for you guys because we have to, but let the rest of the world know we find you a tiresome burden." It stank of craven, cynical and incompetent pandering, just like the Senate impeachment trial of Bill Clinton.
I guess the libertarians have no interest in stopping murder. Protecting Schiavo was not supposed to be a political calculation, it was supposed to be stopping a murder - some call that good government, you can call it political if you like. The worst part was how half-a$$ed the republicans acted in the Schiavo matter!
I agree. I am a Libertarian - the 100%, card carrying, stay-off-my-lawn type. I vote a Libertarian/Republican ticket, and likely always will. Democrats have none of my values in common with me. I should know, my sister is a card carrying-Democrat.
But that's because I'm a doctor with experience in literally hundreds, maybe a thousand, end of life scenarios and I understand the relevant distinctions between the common "pull the plug" case and the Schiavo homicide.
Most commenters here didn't, and don't.
Their advocacy for Mrs. Schiavo openly threatened what has become a very important liberty interest to most people - the right to give ICU care a shot, even a long shot, coupled to the freedom to call it quits when the ship is sinking.
Michael Schiavo was very clever to dress killing his wife up in that right, and he succeeded.
But (almost) everyone could see the end result of "Terri's law" and the loons in Congress who passed it. Almost everyone knows, somehow, that there's a reason the founders banned Bills of Attainder.
Hard cases make bad law (WE were the ones who knew that not every social problem has a legislative solution), and the legislative activity around the murder of Terri Schiavio was some of the worst.
I've never made the connection before with the fall of the GOP, but it's a good argument.