This. Running a country of this size is complicated. A true Libertarian would eliminate most of the government and expect people to build roads and schools on their own. Everything privatized is just not a practical way to run a country this large and diverse.
It is actually a really good question. I haven't met a Republican in years. I know plenty more self-identifying Libertarians than any other political affiliation. I don't know many people that consider themselves Republicans anymore.
A pandemic like this exposes all of the weaknesses of libertarianism and conservatism for that matter. If we had a society with even fewer safety nets there would be full on revolution going on right now.
As someone living in a very libertarian place, I have noticed: libertarians are crazy to keep The Man's mask off their face, but they don't give a damn about my liberty not to have their breath from their lungs enter my body.
I did some advertising work for a prominent Libertarian, well, 10-15 years ago he was prominent. Nice guy but umm, Fertitta vibes. The group that is ACTIVELY Libertarian is a wild bunch.
There's a lot of problems with the Libertarian Party. The first is leadership. It's never had good leaders that were either capable organizers or very charismatic. Parties are built on movements but defined by leaders. The second is that it's allowed itself to be taken over by various single interest groups. In recent years it's alternated between between gun rights people and those for drug decriminalization with other groups obsessed about ending the Fed and going on the Gold Standard. That's why we saw in the last two presidential elections their top of the ticket was Gary Johnson and Bill Weld. A very moderate former Democrat and very moderate former and current Republican both governors who in no way governed as actual libertarians. Their interest was in legalization of mar1juana. The current Presidential candidate is Jo Jorgensen, a South Carolina academic and tech entrepeneur. That gets to the third and deepest problem of the party. For a party that is based on and claims an ideology in it's name it isn't ideologically consistent and many of its members don't really know or embrace Libertarianism completely. From talking to a lot of self-declared Libertarians their interest primarily seems to be when they believe government is overly regulating their particular issue, such as mar1juana. They don't really care or think about government regulation in other areas and that's why you could have Gary Johnson pushing for more regulations on things like greenhouse gas emissions while heading a party that is for minimalist government. Obviously the two major parties are not ideologically consistent and built up from competing interest groups too. The problem though with the Libertarians then is why should anyone choose to be a Libertarian if they aren't really distinguishing themselves from the two major parties? This is sort of the problem that the UK Liberal Democrats face. How do they differentiate themselves from Labour.
1) Third parties kinda suck at gaining power. How about working towards flipping more small states over? How about working towards making inroads at state and municipal elections? Gain some power, pass some legislation so you actually have a resume. 2) Did you hear Gary Johnson articulate his platform? Hard to take this party seriously.
Libertarian......like Rand Paul? See no virus, hear no virus, speak no virus. Open the schools. Too much government? I love how even now when a strong centralized federal government would have demonstrably altered the course of our Great American Catastrophe, you have your libertarian types clinging by their fingernails to a raft. "Why, if we just think positively, everything will be GLORIOUS, because people always can be counted on to do the right thing." (quotation marks mine)
Most of the "libertarians" I have met or encountered on this board are nuts apparently due to debilitating cognitive dissonance trying to reconcile their incompatible social and economic beliefs. "I want my freedoms and I don't want to pay for them."
Because libertarians sound like anarchists. Most people couldn't accurately tell you the difference in their goals.
Libertarians aren't anarchists because they believe there needs to be a government and laws. Government's primary purpose would be protecting the right to private property and contracts. Government would also provide for national defense.
Libertarian ideas were super cute in college, till you grow up and realize how stupid people are and how much short term thinking they do.
What metrics are you using that says so many people blindly these candidates? Did you not see the Democratic nomination? Do you think most Democrats blindly support Biden? How do you agree a lot with Libertarians but you think Yang should be president?
A friendly reminder of how full of **** libertarians are. https://www.forbes.com/sites/andrew...institute-grover-norquist-group/#723991fe3d53
Obviously there are no metrics when it comes to believing people blindly follow parties, but they definitely do. Not people here. I'm talking people that don't take the time for politics. As far as Yang goes, I believe in a universal basic income over a raising of minimum wage. I think a universal basic income is a great idea for many reasons. I also believe that there should be less regulation in the economy. Not necessarily Libertarian total free market, but less regulation for sure. I think there should be less government regulation in general as well. I believe many regulations are a front for corruption and they enable money to be passed around from the every day man to the rich. I think automation will largely start taking over lower income jobs, and I think hiking minimum wage is only going to price the entry level employee out of a job, which will lead to more unemployment. That's the largest reason I support UBI over a minimum wage hike. I also believe that as a country, we should seriously look into legalizing all drugs. Regulate them. Tax them a bit. Sell them for cheaper than you would on the streets. This will knock violent crime way down. It'll keep some people out of prison. Problem is, you can't turn a blind eye on the drug addicts. You have to have safe use houses, staffed with life saving equipment. Some of the taxes have to go back to recovery programs, etc. Once again, I don't think that anyone's views fall strictly on party lines. That's how you can support one candidate like Yang, but sympathize with the primary principals (and not necessarily the kooks) of another party.
I have argued for years that Goldman Sachs and the 1% could generally care less if the folks who make money for them are black, white, brown, queer or trans. They do not care about abortion or pot smoking if it does not interfere w. money making. Then you have the sort of race liberals only who would be content as long as 14% of the 1% are Latino and 12% are black; or 50% of the 1% are women etc.
Yeah, I know what you're saying. While racial/gender inequality is as real as a heart attack, and is something we should all be focused on improving, we need to also realize it's clearly being used as a tool to divide and distract at the same time amongst the working class, while like always, the ultra-wealthy continue to enact and win class warfare.
Because it is child like in it's overall strategy - it has some great points, but the I will take care of me, you take care of you, doesn't work as an overall construct, when there are so many starting so low on the curve. DD
I guess it would blow your mind if I told you political anarchism actually does want (and advocates for) a government? Bottom up direct democracy and such. Pop culture anarchism of “no government!” is stupid and anyone who talks like that is an idiot and just hates their parents or something. Further, American libertarianism appropriated “anarcho-“ terminology from libertarian socialists and the true founding ideals of the 70’s are sheer lunacy. Basically replacing governments with corporations into which people would “buy in”. That has morphed a bit with the general ideals of the libertarian party but whatever. Nozick and Rothbard are the roots.
