Libertarians: Friends or Foes?

Question

I am not concerned about criticizing particular libertarian candidates, but I am curious of your political affiliation and how you view libertarian/classical liberalism ideology.

Could you please state your political affiliation and whether you think libertarians are friends, foes, misguided souls, or other.

Answer 1

I think it would be terrific if we had a legitimate third party. Many countries have multiple-party systems, and there is a constant shifting of alliances.  Efforts to create a third party in America have been sporadic, and have never come very close to success.

Answer 2

there are two separate scales, an economic scale (left or right) and a social scale (authoritarian or libertarian). so a libertarian is on a different set of axes than the common democratic or republican ideology. i see myself as very conservative, but not a republican... i see myself as a libertarian. there are people out there who just claim to be libertarian because they're in favor of doing away with drug laws. some of them are misguided souls. i am not one of them because i am informed at what results that might theoretically produce. but what it gets down to is smaller government. libertarians are friends, whereas the government (or big government supporters, such as liberals) should be seen as foes. we should be able to do what we want without having the government interfere in every aspect of our life.

Answer 3

I call myself a Libertarian, and, if Ron Paul were still running for president, he would have my vote.

I'll be honest, though. Sometimes, I can be a "misguided soul" (I'm only 18).

However, I think libertarianism is a terrific ideology -- many Libertarians believe in more civil rights than Republicans do, and are more free market oriented than Democrats are. Of those 2 standard parties, Libertarianism calls for the LEAST amount of government intervention (I believe a government's only obligation is to protect its citizens from anyone who wish to infringe on their human rights).

I'll most likely stay a Libertarian throughout my life. They seem to be the most honest party and are in line with many of my beliefs, which I share with the right on some and the with the left on others. (I grew up  with a conservative mother and a fairly liberal father).

BLEAK: Dissolving of the government is not communism -- it's actually the total opposite. Communism is where every aspect of the country is run by the state. Those who wish to dissolve the government completely are Anarchists.

Answer 4

Libertarians have never had a complete philsophy. It starts off good- defend liberties and shrink government... but then it kind of tails off into a bunch of wishy washy confusion. Some libertarians support a closed border- which makes no sense. Others want to dissolve the government completely- which starts to sound like communism...

As a whole I think the Libertarian part yis an important part of the American political landscape because it reminds that ultimately less government is better and people should be self-reliant. However implementing a "true" libertarian philosophy may have dire consequences (especially as no one really knows what it would look like.)  

Answer 5

I would say "libertarianism" fits perfectly in the middle of the political spectrum. They want a minimized/limited/transparent government, which means a government shall be weak so it cannot expand to become a big, secretive, and corrupted government we have now. They are real Americans who care about the Constitution, our rights, and personal liberty. Now, don't confuse anarchists with Libertarians. Anarchists want no government, whereas libertarians advocate smaller government to keep the society free and strong from ruthless federal power. I am a Republican, but with heavy libertarian leanings. I wish we had more candidates like Ron Paul running, again. Take care.