Quote:
Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=20040913&s=risen091304
Though the author seems to have a bias towards labeling Libertarians and Cato as a more solid block towards the GOP, this article does good pointing out how Bush's policies have affected some Libertarian perceptions of him.
(especially posted for Brother Warshay)
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Libertarians are sort of backed into a corner. I don't think Bush really can lose the Libertarian vote. An intelligent Libertarian knows that if they do not vote for Bush, that is essentially a vote for Kerry. While Bush has grown the government in certain areas, most of us of the libertarian persuasion realize that much of that was necessary in order to face unique challenges. Privitization of social security was put on the back-burner primarily due to the fact that the Dems would never let it happen and would use it to scare seniors into voting their way.
Why fight a battle that you can't win just so you can lose votes? By continuing with privitization at this time (until there's a real crisis in Social Secruity), Republicans have nothing to gain.
It's a generally held principle that Democrats favor the expansion of government controlled entities to provide services for people. Libertarians believe that if there is a need in a place like America, entepreuners will fill it. While there are services that really only the government can provide such as defense -- which is one reason the expansion of the department of Homeland Security makes sense to many libertarians.
While Bush is not a libertarian candidate, you could almost put Kerry's picture in the dictionary next to "Not a Libertarian Candidate". And unfortunately, we haven't had a libertarian candidate worth a crap in a long time, even in state elections that I know of -- that's why Libertarians usually vote for the candidate that most fits their ideology and against those that least fit it.
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