In this weekend’s Des Moines Register poll, Ron Paul placed second among likely Iowa Republican voters, right behind Newt Gingrich. For many Paul supporters, the poll provides confirmation that libertarianism is on the rise. It’s been a long-standing belief among libertarians that many Americans are fiscally conservative and socially liberal, even if they don’t call themselves libertarians. Recent polling shows that the growing libertarian impulse extends beyond the Paul campaign and even the Republican Party.
Nationally, there doesn’t appear to be much evidence that the number of libertarians is growing. Two separate studies done by David Kirby and David Boaz at the CATO Institute put the number of libertarians at around 14 percent. Their definition was based off questions on big picture ideological issues such as the role of government, broad traditional values, and the free market. But those questions obscure significant movement on a whole series of issues that is pulling America in a libertarian direction. In fact, I would go so far as to say there is now a libertarian consensus in the United States.
Views on government regulation have grown extremely critical. Fifty percent think it’s probably a good idea to repeal or reduce existing regulations on U.S. businesses (October 2011 CBS/NYT poll). Trust in government has also collapsed. Only 10 percent think they can trust the government to do what is right always or most of the time (October 2011 CBS/NYT poll).
On social issues, the libertarian preference against government interference is growing. Gallup reports that record low numbers support banning the possession of handguns. When the question was first asked in 1959, 60 percent favored such a ban. In the latest asking, only 26 percent of Americans favored a ban and 73 percent did not. On marijuana, for the first time since Gallup began polling on the issue, more Americans favor rather than oppose making the use of marijuana legal. Not just medical marijuana, but all marijuana. And in May, also for the first time, Gallup reported that a majority of Americans believe marriages between same-sex couples should be recognized by the law as valid, with the same rights as traditional marriages.
If polls only showed a growth in support for gay marriage and marijuana, it might be tempting to conclude that liberalism is gaining strength. But the combination of guns, pot, gay marriage, and anti-government attitudes is one that can only suggest libertarianism is on the rise.
At the federal level, Libertarianism = Conservatism. That is why Libertarians traditionally vote Republican.
There are 3 levels of government, federal, state and local. Each have different roles. A libertarian is one who would believe in less state power, but a republican could be in favor of more state power. But on the federal level, they are the same.
The ones the Libertarians are at odds with are the big government republicans. Aka, the ones that are not conservative. They were once called Rockefeller Republicans. They are not conservatives at all, or really even republicans since a “republic” is made up of individual powers rather than a group.
It is amazing to me how people can’t understand that each level of government has different roles and the reasons behind them. Federal = foreign policy, infrastructure and ease of commerce and disputes between state issues. Local = domestic issues, things a community deals with. Education, healthcare and so on, and State is a mixture. Each state can decide between state and local powers etc. Maybe California wants a state wide healthcare program, maybe another state doesn’t.
Right, the only problem I have with your statement(or where I disagree respectfully of course) is that the hierarchy of government has changed as such that federal government has taken on an active role in state running. Some (like most Democrats and some Republicans) want bigger government…Libertarianism at its very core is anti big government, if I’m Ron Paul naturally in order to survive I befriend Republican members for the shear fact that I’m in a huge minority in terms of extreme revamp of the U.S. government. Woodrow Wilson, Teddy Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and FDR were 4 of the worst presidencies we have had for whatever good they did they were all about the government running the lives of its citizens via higher taxes and tariffs, BIG unified government, more government programs(which there isn’t a one that does what its supposed to), and universal “common good” for everyone…except that philosophy is all relative to who you are…no one has the right to take money from your income regardless of what they say is “morally right”…constitutionally speaking (the original) the government is to be extremely limited…look where we are now…Ron Paul is an extremist and is very much anti BIG government…he is the only politician who describes and understands the civil war for what it really was…that takes serious guts..that period is where the scales tipped in this nation…to much bigger government.
Thanks for the article.
For info on people using voluntary Libertarian tools on similar and other issues, please see http://www.Libertarian-International.org , the non-partisan Libertarian International Organization
Thanks for the useful article. However, I disagree that the government declaring that a gay couple are “married” is libertarian. A true libertarian position would be that
-the government doesn’t regulate or create marriage. The government can recognize that a contract between two people has occurred, and they are now in a union with various terms, and the government can recognize that the parties to the contract are applying a particular label (e.g. civil union or marriage) to that contract.
-The government doesn’t impose a particular definition of the word “marriage” as official truth, but recognizes people’s right to hold their own views and definitions and understandings of marriage. Imposing a definition of “Marriage” as official is merely an attempt to change a definition of a word, so that those who hold to an opposing understanding of marriage have no words with which they can express their beliefs. It’d be like the government passing a law to say that egg eaters are Vegans, that the definition of Alcohol now includes cocaine, or that the word Charity now includes paying taxes to the Government (which pays for welfare).
It is not surprising that there is a lot of confusion on this issue, when you consider that the government’s educational ciriculum teaches that the terms democracy and republic mean thee same thing and are interchangable. Which of course they are not.
In my youthh I was taught the Libertarian views were fringe and crazy. But I finally actually looked at the philosophy and found that I was a Libertarian, much to my shock and surprise.
There is only one person of character in the running this time around and he is Ron Paul. If you understand that character is far more important than charisma, you will stop believing the false representations of the politicians (who will say anything to get elected) and listen to the voice of reason.