Darksyde at Daily Kos presents 10 clues for spotting fake libertarians (Republicans). Here’s one of the clues–you are a fake libertarian:
[I]f you think government should stay the hell out of people’s private business — except when kidnapping citizens and rendering them to secret overseas torture prisons, snooping around the bedrooms of consenting adults, policing a woman’s uterus, or conducting warrantless wire taps, you are no Libertarian.
Love it. Fake libertarianism became slightly vogue during the Ron Paul campaign, but it still has wisps of popularity among conservative pundits who don't like owning up to their real ideology.
I just wish the more-real libertarian-leaners of the Republican party would finally get wise and see that they are in cahoots with a terrible lot. If one believes in "libertarian" ideology, there is no reason to associate with a party that tramples over the Bill of Rights, favors corporatism and unbalanced budgets, and advocates the frequent and hasty invasion of other countries. If only the Republican Party would just cleave in half, already!
Here's the permalink to the whole article for anyone who wants to read the rest.
Hilarious how fake "libertarians" on the Left, are so quick to tell us real libertarians who is and who is not a libertarian. How about letting us real libertarians decide.
Or, does Obama's approvals dropping now to a low of 42% with 48% dissaprovals have you all worried that maybe your agenda of bashing everything libertarian/limited government may be backfiring; by sending us Liberts right into the welcoming arms of our long-lost Conservative cousins.
It's been a long time coming.
Eric – 25+ Libertarian Party activist
Eric : What IS a real libertarian?
Yes, Eric, about as meaningful as all those "real" libertarians telling us what genuine "Lefties" are really like. Cuts both ways.
I would love to give "genuine" libertarians a section of land large enough to resemble a small country and let them try to run it according to their state principles. It would be fun to see how long it lasted before either economic collapse or the purges of the ideologically suspect began…under the guise, that is, of kicking out freeloaders, of course.
Jay,
Many things comprise the [non]group collectively known as Libertarians. Basically, though, it seems they hold that anything the individual is even remotely able to do on his or her own should NEVER be done by a government or government-like body. That there should be no taxation, no compound interest, no foreign involvement, no standing armies, and no census. There is lip-service given to Jefferson's notion of a nation of yeoman farmers, all self-sufficient and independent, but even in Jefferson's day this was neither feasible nor really much desired.
Yes, I'm being a bit sarcastic, because every time I've asked that question OF a so-called Libertarian, I've got a different answer. Depends on the day of the week, the phase of the moon, and how well-off the person I'm asking is.
Mark : As a matter of fact the libertarians have tried on multiple occasions to form their own countries. Check out Minerva.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Minerva
Despite all the gun toting and posturing, when the libertarian's neighbor initiated force, what was their retaliation? A white flag to one of the smallest militaries in the world.
Mark, if you're serious about your offer of 'giving the libertarians some land', then I'll take it. See
http://www.freestateproject.org/
for a more credible Libertarian project. That deal with Minerva was just a whiskey-fueled tax dodge (not unlike Kentucky and Tennessee before they were admitted to the USofA).
I would agree that many Republican dingbats will espouse "libertarianism" when they are reaching for fiscal conservatism, yet willingly abandon that libertarianism when given the chance to invoke moral righteousness on the population or a shot at taking over some natural resources somewhere on the far side of the planet.
We all want personal liberty. Americans just differ in their preferred methodology to achieve that liberty, the definition of 'liberty', and how much the government should be involved. I'd like to think I was a libertarian– I voted Libertarian whenever given the chance.
I like Rush 2112, but in the end, I think we all shy away from pure Ayn Rand objectivism, and want the govt to help mitigate some risks here and there.
LOL! I did not know about that! Hysterical!
Well, of course they wouldn't fight. They'd have had to raise an army and of course who would have been in charge and, again of course, by what right could the state expect service like that? People would have to submit to an overall authority and then they wouldn't be libertarians anymore.
Dave : I think Mark wants the land given to libertarians to be without ANY government including the US. It would be far more interesting seeing libertarians figuring out who would be the ones to fight and die for property or figure out how to deal with water monopolies without treading on 'liberty'. We all know how every previous attempt has gone.
After all, Marxists have taken over countries, slave traders founded this one and most everything in between has had a shot, yet no libertarians. Why is that?
Mark : My apologies if I wasn't clear with the 'what is a libertarian' question. When someone starts to babble about how they are libertarians the first thing I always ask is what are the 'specifics'. There is so much circular logic with this group that you have to get them to give a solid view first otherwise you can't nail their jello like spine/views to the wall. (Admittedly I do haul out a lot of ad hominem with libertarians)
Even the name is interesting as they have little relation to the 'libertines'. Even more preposterous is the 'Anarcho-Capitalism', but I'll leave that for another time. I don't believe I've ever met a group with such a crisis of identity.
As you once said I believe. 'like kicking puppies' 🙂