Thursday, August 12, 2010

Why the Libertarians Should Divorce Themselves from the Republicans

Courtesy of Izgad (a true Libertarian), here is an interesting article on why Libertarians should distance themselves from the Republicans as fast as possible:
A clear-eyed look at conservatism as a whole reveals a political movement with no realistic potential for advancing individual freedom. The contemporary right is so deeply under the sway of its most illiberal impulses that they now define what it means to be a conservative.

What are those impulses?
First and foremost, a raving, anti-intellectual populism, as expressed by (among many, many others) Sarah Palin and Glenn Beck. Next, a brutish nationalism, as expressed in anti-immigrant xenophobia (most recently on display in Arizona) and it’s-always-1938-somewhere jingoism. And, less obvious now but always lurking in the background, a dogmatic religiosity, as expressed in homophobia, creationism, and extremism on beginning- and end-of-life issues. The combined result is a right-wing identity politics that feeds on the red meat of us versus them, “Real America” versus the liberal-dominated coasts, faith and gut instinct versus pointy-headed elitism.
This noxious stew of reaction and ressentiment is the antithesis of libertarianism. The spirit of freedom is cosmopolitan. It is committed to secularism in political discourse, whatever religious views people might hold privately. And it coolly upholds reason against the swirl of interests and passions. History is full of ironies and surprises, but there is no rational basis for expecting an outlook as benighted as the contemporary right’s to produce policy results that libertarians can cheer about.
I couldn't agree more with everything said here. I'm glad to see that there are Libertarians who are clear-headed enough to see that the Tea Party movement does not offer any hope for the advancement of their convictions. This is a bunch of religious fanatics whose talk about their opposition to "Big Government" is code for their hatred of a black president. They are very much in favor of a very strong government when it bans abortion, contraception and gay marriage, invades Iraq, and hands out billions to corporate moochers.

5 comments:

David Gendron said...

Excellent post!

David Gendron said...

The other problem with libertarians and anarcho-capitalists is their tendency of "vulgar libertarianism"

http://anarchopragmatisme.wordpress.com/libertarianisme-vulgaire/

http://perbylund.com/blog/2008/04/vulgar-libertarianism/

Clarissa said...

"The choices made are made out of a monstrously restricted set of alternatives, where the restriction consists of state regulation, force, and privilege rather than possibly causing other people harm."

-This summarizes neatly and precisely the central problem of "vulgar libertarianism."

Thanks for the great links!

David Gendron said...

You're welcome! This is a pleasure!

Maybe you should look more about mutualism and Kevin Carson (François Tremblay is more in left than him):

http://www.mutualist.org/

Anne Archet, the best anarchist in Québec:

http://annearchet.wordpress.com/

http://archet.net/

eric said...

Libertarians have always had an uneasy relationship with the GOP. Though I agree with Libertarians on their social positions, their general unquestioning belief in "markets" (which are, ironically, state creations), anti-environmentalism, and naive belief in progress are too much for me. Just because we should be pro-gay rights, pro-choice, etc. means that we should also let corporations or economically powerful individuals do what they want? Methinks not.