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To: Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus
Back in the olden days, conservative Lepublicans WERE the Libertarian Republicans. Reagan's interview w/ Reason magazine helped to point out the close relationship that Republicans once has w/ Libertarians.

This article, In the Reagan Library, Only Ron Paul Carries the Reagan Mantle, is an interesting one also.

12 posted on 04/04/2010 2:30:47 PM PDT by ChrisInAR (Alright, tighten your shorts, Pilgrim, & sing like the Duke!)
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To: ChrisInAR; All
Back in the olden days, conservative Lepublicans WERE the Libertarian Republicans. Reagan's interview w/ Reason magazine helped to point out the close relationship that Republicans once has w/ Libertarians.

Problem is, it seems that every single time that a libertarian cites this Reagan interview, they completely pull it out of context. Sorry, I hate to tell you this, but Reagan was quite obviously not cool with the libertarian social platform. Reagan was against abortion, Reagan was the one who intensified the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy in the military, Reagan was the one who greatly expanded the federal War on Drugs (which I disagree with, btw), and Reagan was the one who greatly expanded the efforts to stamp out pornography - the last two being things that are especially out of touch with the Pot and Porn Party.

Trying to point to Reagan's interview, and use it to suggest that Reagan was just hunky dory with libertarianism as a blanket statement is simply dishonest.

To the extent that Reagan's statement qualifies, it is as support for fiscal libertarianism, which is simply fiscal conservatism or the type you can get just as easily from someone like Jim DeMint. By this standard, even Ron Paul doesn't measure up, since his schtick is to tack on billions in earmarks for his district, and then vote against the bill as a whole, knowing that the bill, his earmarks included, will pass, so he gets the pork for his district while still being able to claim to have "voted against big spending." Quite a dishonest tactic.

19 posted on 04/04/2010 5:00:29 PM PDT by Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus (We bury Democrats face down so that when they scratch, they get closer to home.)
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