A little fun for a change … When I saw this headline, I immediately chuckled. It is obvious from the title that neither the author of the article or the person in charge of the survey knows what a libertarian is. If they did, they would never have wasted time on this survey in the first place. I will preface the rest of my comments by saying that there is no similarity in a Libertarian Party member and a real (small l) libertarian.
I will admit that many people believe themselves to be “libertarian,” but most of them actually just have some of what are called “libertarian leanings.” Libertarian leanings do not libertarians make.
Some of my writer friends don’t like it when I call myself a libertarian, and would rather I call myself an anarchist. They are right that I am a peaceful anarchist, but I am also a purest libertarian and a voluntaryist. There is little difference in my opinion.
Tea Party advocates are simply Republicans who think they want less government than other mainstream Republicans. But they are still Republicans through and through. When the time to vote comes about, a most disgusting habit I might add, they will almost to a man vote for the red state candidate. They think that a change to more liberty will come about by voting for what they believe is the lesser of evils. In other words, all good must come from the very flawed and corrupt political process. That has never happened before, and will not work in the future.
The author of the article in question made a fatal mistake when she used a spokesman from the CATO Institute as an expert source concerning libertarianism. She called CATO “a libertarian think tank in Washington.” It is no such thing!
To be a real libertarian, one must be anti-state, anti-war and pro free markets, all markets. That leaves little room for compromise as is the proper approach to identifying a real libertarian. A Tea party member is not anti-state, is not anti-war and is not an advocate for 100% free markets. Need I say more?
If these Libertarian comparison surveys catch on, I may have to take the advice of my friends, and quit calling myself a libertarian. I certainly don’t ever want to be confused as a member or supporter of the Tea Party! What an insult that would be!