David Koch

[FatAndFaithless]

I'm caught in that bizarre limbo of political affiliations where I agree with about 25% of a few different parties, but then disagree vehemently with another 25% of those parties' ideas as well.

[The Grand Nudger]

...in solidarity with nature because thanks to corporate sociopaths like the Kochs she is fucking dying.

Serves her right, bitch tried to kill us man....

[Heywood]

Libertarians in the USA strike me as an attempt by the GOP to expand without alienating an important core constituency (the religious right). They're really just Republicans who take a slightly more liberal stand on social issues... sometimes. I think that the GOP is understandably concerned with getting them back into the fold, since a split could be devastating for them in future elections. An honest-to-goodness libertarian party would be more liberal than conservative, IMO. Therefore, if the migration goes in that direction (ie, GOP towards libertarianism) it's probably better for the country in the long run.

Democrats in the USA strike me as an attempt by socialist to expand without alienating an important core constituency.......blah...blah...blah.

Libertarians are Libertarians and Republicans are Republicans and Democrats are Democrats. Trying to pigeon hole Libertarians as republicans is about as effective as trying to pigeon hole socialists as democrats.

[The Grand Nudger]

You only need to pigeonhole someone when said someones aren't beating the doors down themselves Heywood. "Libertarians" have been working hard to erase any defining line between themselves and republicans - no one is forcing their hand. Even "libertarians" have been complaining about this.

[Nope]

Libertarians in the USA strike me as an attempt by the GOP to expand without alienating an important core constituency (the religious right). They're really just Republicans who take a slightly more liberal stand on social issues... sometimes. I think that the GOP is understandably concerned with getting them back into the fold, since a split could be devastating for them in future elections. An honest-to-goodness libertarian party would be more liberal than conservative, IMO. Therefore, if the migration goes in that direction (ie, GOP towards libertarianism) it's probably better for the country in the long run.

Democrats in the USA strike me as an attempt by socialist to expand without alienating an important core constituency.......blah...blah...blah.

Libertarians are Libertarians and Republicans are Republicans and Democrats are Democrats. Trying to pigeon hole Libertarians as republicans is about as effective as trying to pigeon hole socialists as democrats.

Modern Democrats are more like moderate Republicans from the sixties and are not socialist.

[Heywood]

You only need to pigeonhole someone when said someones aren't beating the doors down themselves Heywood. "Libertarians" have been working hard to erase any defining line between themselves and republicans - no one is forcing their hand. Even "libertarians" have been complaining about this.

Well if were just making stuff up now, How about this: Socialist and democrats have been working hard to erase any defining line between them as well.

[The Grand Nudger]

The main gripe from that side of the aisle (an example of which you've just seen) is that they've -also- been erasing any defining line between themselves and republicans. Call it a dive to the center.

But yeah...since we're just making shit up....we can roll with what you said.

[Nope]

You only need to pigeonhole someone when said someones aren't beating the doors down themselves Heywood. "Libertarians" have been working hard to erase any defining line between themselves and republicans - no one is forcing their hand. Even "libertarians" have been complaining about this.

Well if were just making stuff up now, How about this: Socialist and democrats have been working hard to erase any defining line between them as well.

Except your statement is not true. Democrats are not socialists and I don't see any evidence that the party is advancing socialist views.

Right wing Republicans, for whatever reason, have taken on the worst traits of both Christianity and Libertarianism and combined them. If I was either a Libertarian or a Christian, that would piss me off.

[Heywood]

The main gripe from that side of the aisle (an example of which you've just seen) is that they've -also- been erasing any defining line between themselves and republicans. Call it a dive to the center.

But yeah...since we're just making shit up....we can roll with what you said.

Its fun making stuff up. Did you know Obama is a communist born in Kenya?

[Thumpalumpacus]

I have met libertarians who are pro-choice and pro-same sex marriage. They hold right wing views on everything else but believe that adults should be able to do what they want with their own bodies. Some of them are also open borders but their view on the borders has nothing to do with their love for their fellow man. They believe that business would somehow do better if people could freely and easily move from one place to the other.

Libertarians in the USA strike me as an attempt by the GOP to expand without alienating an important core constituency (the religious right). They're really just Republicans who take a slightly more liberal stand on social issues... sometimes. I think that the GOP is understandably concerned with getting them back into the fold, since a split could be devastating for them in future elections. An honest-to-goodness libertarian party would be more liberal than conservative, IMO. Therefore, if the migration goes in that direction (ie, GOP towards libertarianism) it's probably better for the country in the long run.

Libertarianism has a long history in this country. I was a registered Libertarian for about two decades, and still have strong leanings towards it. I stopped registering as such around 2002, because I came to understand that some elements of social harmony and weal require a little more activism on the part of the government.

I have never voted Republican in my life at the Presidential level, and particularly after Dubya's misrule, I never will. That was when many libertarians left the vote-Republican fold, precisely because they saw that the Republican extolling of the virtues of small government was a dog & pony show. After shit like the Patriot Act, as well as the continued, dogged resistance to gay rights, it was made clear to many libertarians that the Republicans wanted just as big a government as Democrats. The latter want into your wallet, the former want into your bedroom.