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In Defense of Libertarians (being libertarian and being Republican are not mutually exclusive)
American Thinker ^ | 01/12/2012 | Rachael Williams

Posted on 01/12/2012 4:55:31 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Throughout the primary election season there's been a group unfairly villainized by the rest of the Republicans. Not the establishment (they can't be villainized enough for giving us McCain and trying to keep folks like Rand Paul from getting elected in 2010) -- I mean libertarians.

Republicans like to villainize libertarians for infiltrating their party -- but refuse to acknowledge that being libertarian and being Republican are not mutually exclusive. I wish someone had told me, but apparently all self-identified libertarians are the same caricature of Ron Paul supporters who refuses to debate and instead just shouts "Neo-con! Neo-con!" at everyone with whom he disagrees.

I'm not what you'd call a "Ron Paul libertarian"; I don't think he's the end-all, be-all personification of what a libertarian is or what libertarians must believe to fit the title. Love him or hate him -- which seem to be the only two options -- I'd like to believe that everyone on the right can admit that Ron Paul has brought the mainstream of the far right a little closer to libertarian beliefs. Without Ron Paul, you wouldn't have candidates like Rick Perry and Rick Santorum pushing for trillions of dollars in spending cuts, nor would they be promising to outright eliminate regulatory agencies. When I "came out" as a black conservative, I had to explain ad nauseam how the two were not mutually exclusive. I'm finding myself having to make the same point over and over with regards to libertarianism -- that the most vocal members of a given group do not speak for the whole. There is as much diversity of thought between fellow libertarians as there is in the Republican Party. While I self-identify as a conservative libertarian, many people react to that label as though I cannot be both simultaneously.

(Excerpt) Read more at americanthinker.com ...


TOPICS: Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: anarchists; libertarian; libertarianism; spotthelooney
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To: ansel12
It was you that called our biggest, conservative voting block “liberal”.

78 posted on Thursday, January 12, 2012 8:07:58 PM by ansel12

Where did I say that?

81 posted on 01/12/2012 6:57:47 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tacticalogic

In post 52 when you took up the defense of the statement which I had found fault with.

You quoted it “Calling social conservatives liberals that don’t like abortion, no difference, is absurd.” and then proceeded to defend the bizarre and ridiculous claim, you have been defending it ever since.

Social conservatives are our most conservative voters,it is a rare social conservative that would vote Democrat, and pretty much never Libertarian, whereas social liberals are drawn to both of those..


82 posted on 01/12/2012 7:06:48 PM PST by ansel12 (Romney is unquestionably the weakest party front-runner in contemporary political history.)
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To: ansel12
I did not defend that post, I disagreed with someone else's counter claim about libertarians, finding both of them absurd.

I have consistently addressed my criticism to arguments, and tried to refrained from attacking people (per forum guidelines). I have not lied about or misrepresented what someone else has said.

Where did I call anyone "liberal"?

Show me where I did that.

83 posted on 01/12/2012 7:26:26 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tacticalogic

It looks like we are starting all over.

Except it is true about social liberals (Libertarians).

You don’t know that social liberals are the back bone of liberalism, of the voters for the Democrat party and it’s agenda?

You don’t know that social conservatives are the back bone of conservatism, and the right?


84 posted on 01/12/2012 7:34:26 PM PST by ansel12 (Romney is unquestionably the weakest party front-runner in contemporary political history.)
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To: ansel12
You are starting all over again, I'm not.

Do you think it's clever to lie about what I've said, then change the subject when you get called on it?

85 posted on 01/12/2012 7:36:25 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tacticalogic

This just weirder and weirder, suddenly now it is as though we have not been posting to each other at all.

Just go back through the hours of postings and read them again, the entire subject was about your post 52.


86 posted on 01/12/2012 7:42:58 PM PST by ansel12 (Romney is unquestionably the weakest party front-runner in contemporary political history.)
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To: ansel12
Nothing weird about having somebody lie about what you've said.

It's disgusting, but it's not really weird.

87 posted on 01/12/2012 7:44:45 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tacticalogic
You claimed that this was not absurd, and you want to "call out" social conservatives.

"Calling social conservatives liberals that don’t like abortion, no difference, is absurd."

Calling social conservatives liberal is absurd. Yet you have been arguing that point for hours.

88 posted on 01/12/2012 7:56:49 PM PST by ansel12 (Romney is unquestionably the weakest party front-runner in contemporary political history.)
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To: ansel12
Calling social conservatives liberal is absurd. Yet you have been arguing that point for hours.

Did they teach you to lie like that where you go to church?

89 posted on 01/13/2012 3:34:31 AM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: tacticalogic

Social conservatives have variations, just as fiscal conservatives do. Broaden your apparently narrow horizons just a bit and you might realize that.

Your stating that social conservatives are liberals who don’t like abortion is about as accurate a generalization as saying that fiscal conservatives are libertines who don’t like paying taxes.

Neither are true across the board or even apply to a majority, and attempting to generalize in such a manner betrays a fundamental dishonesty on your part.


90 posted on 01/13/2012 3:50:56 AM PST by RegulatorCountry
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To: RegulatorCountry
Your stating that social conservatives are liberals who don’t like abortion is about as accurate a generalization as saying that fiscal conservatives are libertines who don’t like paying taxes.

The problem is I never said that. Someone else on the thread did, but it wasn't me.

91 posted on 01/13/2012 4:02:04 AM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: ansel12

“Calling social conservatives liberals that don’t like abortion, no difference, is absurd.”

That was the first part of the point I was making, which was saying that “libertarian = liberal that likes guns, but doesn’t want to pay taxes” is equally absurd.

Before you go on to produce anecdotal evidence, I can provide plenty of anecdotal evidence to “prove” either of these statements are true (or false). Reality is far more complex.


92 posted on 01/13/2012 7:24:39 AM PST by cizinec ("Brother, your best friend ain't your Momma, it's the Field Artillery.")
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To: cizinec

I could care less about your anecdotes, the facts are that social conservatives are the most right wing voters in America.

This is what Libertarianism is according to the party itself, and it is the positions of the far left, which is why libertarians are here at freerepublic always trying to move us left on many of the most profound portions of the conservative agenda.

Here is the leftists agenda hidden behind the Libertarian Party curtain.

Libertarian Party Platform:

Throw open the borders completely; only a rare individual (terrorist, disease carrier etc.) can be kept from freedom of movement through “political boundaries”.

Homosexuals; total freedom in the military, gay marriage, adoption, child custody and everything else.

Abortion; zero restrictions or impediments.

Pornography; no restraint, no restrictions.

Drugs; Meth, Heroin, Crack, and anything new that science can come up with, zero restrictions.

Advertising those drugs, prostitution, and pornography; zero restrictions.

Military Strength; minimal capabilities.


93 posted on 01/13/2012 11:29:51 AM PST by ansel12 (Romney is unquestionably the weakest party front-runner in contemporary political history.)
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To: ansel12
I could care less about your anecdotes,

You could? This means you obviously have some measurable level of caring. Well, let me know how I can make you care less . . . or do you mean you couldn't care less.

Once again, your "logic" in your prose is about as sensible as your "logic" in concluding traditional, conservative libertarians in the Republican Party should be judged by the positions of the non-traditional, liberal ideals of the very separate Libertarian Party.

94 posted on 01/16/2012 7:51:33 AM PST by cizinec ("Brother, your best friend ain't your Momma, it's the Field Artillery.")
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To: cizinec

Post 93 says it all about the Liberatians.


95 posted on 01/16/2012 8:34:37 AM PST by ansel12 (Romney is unquestionably the weakest party front-runner in contemporary political history.)
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To: cizinec

Post 93 says it all about the Libertarians.


96 posted on 01/16/2012 8:35:00 AM PST by ansel12 (Romney is unquestionably the weakest party front-runner in contemporary political history.)
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