Keeping Libertarians Inside the Tent

National Review Online ^ | November 22, 2002 | Randy E. Barnett

[DaveCooper]

bump

[Cyber Liberty]

The author is correct.

[NittanyLion]

Right on the mark.

[winner45]

Bump as well.

[B Knotts]

Stop making snide gratuitous remarks about libertarians. Nothing turns off libertarians more than the sort of wholly gratuitous snide remarks about libertarians in conservative publications. By gratuitous I mean they show up even in articles about policies with which libertarians and conservatives agree. The more libertarians feel unwelcome in the coalition that is the Republican Party, the more they will vote Libertarian.

This bears repeating over and over here. I see people intentionally driving away libertarians for no better apparent reason than their own amusement.

[Fish out of Water]

fyi

[KC Burke]

Interesting find, Dave. The writer, while not speaking for my perspective, does a prudent job of making his point. I think he misses on a point however. Just as the RP is not libertarian, neither is it conservative. If it wants both, it must realize that rather than adding things to its platform, it should actually eliminate them and campaign for a smaller reach for Federal Government in general.

[Roscoe]

Back off Prohibition.

Translation: Legalize crack and smack.

[Nephi]

Amen, brother.

[Austin Willard Wright]

A constructive approach. If even a few of these suggestions were adopted, LP voters like me would line up behind the GOP...and the LP would wither on the vine as a factor in elections. Unfortunately, a continuation of current attempts to smear the "Losertarians" will only widen the wedge between conservatives and libertarians at election time.

[donozark]

RLC.org is trying to address these concerns. Apparently without much success if election results are used as a measure of success.

[CalCoolidge]

Excellent list of issues the GOP could incorporate to get more votes as well as support from freedom-loving Americans. I've attended lectures by Randy Barnett, one of the best scholar professors in the country on how to bring about a constitutional republic, or even a post-constitutional republic that respects the most liberty with the least required government. Highly, highly recommend his book Structure of Liberty.

[Austin Willard Wright]

Crack is a creation of the drug laws...laws which you apparently support.

[steve50]

I can't see libertarians coming back, they have nothing in common with the neocons.

[B Knotts]

Don't let him bait you.

[Tall_Texan]

Until it got to the last point, I was in agreement. There is room to manuever on the WoD, but I doubt that will molify most libertarians who want it dead, period.

I also think, as South Dakota illustrated when the Libertarian dropped out of the race and endorsed Thune but still received 3,000 votes that, had they gone to Thune would have given him victory, many Libertarians do not WANT to vote for the Republican.

Some just want to be little "pox-on-both-your-houses" contrarians who feel that voting for the Libertarian is a vote against everyone else. It's a mistake to think they would be lured to the GOP.

The danger for the GOP does not come from shunning libertarians. Rather the danger is, by shifting to the center and acting against the wishes of their conservative base, they risk having constitutionalists and moral conservatives vacate the party if it doesn't stand for the principles they once assumed Republicans stood for.

[Lysander]

I see your lack of reading comprehension showing again. He said leave it to the states.

[ewing]

That's the only point I disagree about in the whole memo.

Leave it to voter referendum to legalize Medical Majijuana (which was vote down last time)

[Blood of Tyrants]

If you bothered to read the whole paragraph, you would find that it said "At minimum, Republicans should support letting states decide this question of crime and punishment when it concerns the wholly intrastate commerce in drugs whether for medical or recreational purposes".

Just why is giving the states the power to decide this issue for themselves a bad thing?