You make a good point, but I will say this. Going back to
1972, the Democrat party ventured out onto it’s new Liberal
path.
Now I get your classically liberal intention here, but who
is this guy polling? Anyone in his stride in 1972, is now
in his 90s.
Is he going to nursing homes and finding classically liberal
people worth their salt, to poll?
At some point the reference to “classically liberal” loses
its validity.
It seems to me that it’s likely he’s actually polling
Liberals, and not the classic variety.
He didn’t reference Libertarians. If he had I wouldn’t
have responded to his comments as I did.
Did I miss a reference to Libertarians?
Well, certainly not big-L Libertarians. As I mentioned, big-L Libertarians (i.e. the Libertarian Party) aren't classical liberals. By and large, they're loons.
And the reference to small-l libertarians was indirect, not explicit. So I'll grant you a pass on that, too.
With regard to age:
> Now I get your classically liberal intention here, but who is this guy polling? Anyone in his stride in 1972, is now in his 90s. Is he going to nursing homes and finding classically liberal people worth their salt, to poll? At some point the reference to “classically liberal” loses its validity.
Depends on what you call "stride". In 1972 I was 20 years old, and arguably getting ready to "hit my stride". I'm 71 now, work full-time in Engineering, play in three rock bands, and don't look a day over 60. :-) "Stride" is where you find it.
But you're (unfortunately) correct that we "classical liberals" -- small-l libertarians -- are a diminishing breed. The extreme polarization of modern politics and social viewpoints has all but eliminated any reasonable, sensible, dare I say moderate, position. We are ignored by both the Right and the Left for insufficient ideological purity. *sigh*
A small point of correction, if I may. In 1972 I was 27 years old. I am now 77 and my husband and I just had our 50th wedding anniversary.
We are far from our 90’s!