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Losing Libertarians
Washington Times ^ | 11/6/06 | David Boaz

Posted on 11/07/2006 7:01:57 AM PST by libertylovinactivist

Take a look at independent voters. There are more of them than before, especially in the West. More than 25 percent of Arizona voters now register as independent or third-party voters. And according to a Washington Post-ABC News poll, they've shifted sharply toward the Democrats in this fall's elections.

(Excerpt) Read more at washtimes.com ...


TOPICS: Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: 3rdpartylosers; elections; gop; greenpartyrejects; liberaltardation; liberaltarians; libertarians; republicans
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To: CWOJackson
Still insulting libertarians ?

How's that working for you big government, social right nanny staters tonite??
181 posted on 11/07/2006 4:25:35 PM PST by Blackirish
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To: JamesP81
Despite all the negative talk about conservative christians, it looks to me like the libertarian wing of the party is a lot more likely to undo the GOP.

Um, it's the conservative christians that are driving out the libertarian leaning Repubs and independents, causing a rift in the center-right coalition. The christian conservatives are really not conservatives, but are actually christian social engineers (aka Socialists). Libertarians disagree with social engineering, whether from the right or the left. More and more voters are identifying themselves as independents because their tired of all the moral posturing coming from both major parties.

182 posted on 11/07/2006 4:30:07 PM PST by Unknown Pundit (I really do post with a paper bag over my head.)
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To: LadyNavyVet
I flirted with Libertarianism in my early 20's and am quite versed on their platform. Even went to a few party meetings and came tha-a-a-t close to voting for Ed Clark in 1980.

The Libertarian Party Platform has always been a joke. Check out the RLC Platform, --
[http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-rlc/browse] -- for one that conforms to our Constitution.

Libertarianism will never work. It must all be implemented at the same time or none of it will be successful.

Our Constitution can work, and nothing in libertarianism opposes constitutional restoration, an FR goal.

You cannot have open borders with a welfare state, therefore, all forms of welfare must go away first. You cannot have a barebones military without a safe world, so the terrorists and nutjob dictators in North Korea and Iran must go away first. You cannot legalize drugs for all unless emergency rooms are free to ignore destitute people overdosing in the waiting room. And so on.

You're simply chanting the same old anti-big "L"libertarian hype we've all heard a thousand times before. -- Immigration, drugs & big government can all be fixed, - constitutionally.. And libertarians want the document to be honored in doing so.

Libertarianism won't work because our political system operates in a piecemeal fashion--a bill about this, a law about that, a ballot initiative over here, a Supreme Court decision over there, etc. Since the odds of everybody agreeing to implement the Libertarian platform all at once are exactly nil, it's a pie-in-the-sky political party, not a serious movement with a chance of gaining national power.

Paraphrased: -- Since the odds of everybody agreeing to implement the Constitution all at once are exactly nil, it's a pie-in-the-sky FR political dream to demand its restoration, - not a serious movement with a chance of gaining national power.

183 posted on 11/07/2006 4:48:15 PM PST by tpaine
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To: LadyNavyVet
Since nobody's taken your porn away, I'd say it's cost the treasury exactly nothing. And I'm not advocating it be taken away. I wish it to be filtered out of libraries, schools and other public places. That is a nominal cost.

I didn't say you were. Others who also lay claim to the be and speak for "the religious right" do advocate federal bans on pornography, including government controlled firewalling and content filtering of the internet, and consider the Constitution irrelevant when "moral absolutes" are involved.

Maybe attributing that position and attitude to everyone who considers them the "religious right" isn't fair, or at least no more so than attributing the policies of the Libertarian Party to everyone that considers themselves libertarian.

184 posted on 11/07/2006 4:51:29 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: Terpin
This Libertarian voted for Allen in Virginia because he's actually a pretty decent senator

What!?

185 posted on 11/07/2006 5:10:48 PM PST by JTN ("I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I'm all out of bubble gum.")
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To: tpaine

I am speaking of large "L" Libertarianism; that's why I have capitalized it each time I've typed it.

Unlike Libertarianism, social conservatism can be implemented piecemeal quite successfully, as we are seeing with state ballot amendments on Defense of Marriage and legislation to ban partial birth abortion and the funding of embryonic stem cell research. I don't expect the whole loaf immediately, and am content to chip away at what I consider morally untenable, doing what I can and praying for what I cannot do.

Getting back to the Constitution is great. I wholeheartedly support it, as long as the Supreme Court can find the words "right to life" in the Preamble where our Founding Fathers put them, and stop finding penumbras and emanations where there are none.


186 posted on 11/07/2006 5:12:57 PM PST by LadyNavyVet
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To: Blackirish
"Still insulting libertarians?"

How do you insult a Libertarian, call them thoughtful?

187 posted on 11/07/2006 5:20:53 PM PST by CWOJackson
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To: LadyNavyVet
What is the religious right demanding that's going to cost anybody a cent?

Gambling bans, more drug cops and one and a half billion for marriage counseling, are good examples.

188 posted on 11/07/2006 5:24:45 PM PST by JTN ("I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I'm all out of bubble gum.")
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To: eleni121
I never met a libertarian who did not come off as angry and completely self centered.

Projection

189 posted on 11/07/2006 5:29:30 PM PST by JTN ("I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I'm all out of bubble gum.")
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To: tacticalogic

I base my opinions on Libertarians by the Party platform. I know there are individuals who consider themselves little "l" libertarians but I have very little idea what that means.

Social conservatives are, like you said, harder to pigeonhole. I'm a deeply religious person, and I believe the world would be a better place if more people thought like me. It would certainly be cheaper for the government. However, I live in a pluralistic society where there are others who feel quite differently. Since I'm not responsible for the disposition of their souls, only mine, I believe in granting others a great deal of freedom, as long as they are not hurting anyone. I'm also by nature a pragmatist, and know that prohibition doesn't work.


190 posted on 11/07/2006 5:31:33 PM PST by LadyNavyVet
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To: LadyNavyVet
I know there are individuals who consider themselves little "l" libertarians but I have very little idea what that means.

Therein lies their little secret...they can wrap any political ideology or anger they wish under the banner "little l".

191 posted on 11/07/2006 5:36:03 PM PST by CWOJackson
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To: LadyNavyVet
I know there are individuals who consider themselves little "l" libertarians but I have very little idea what that means.

If you want to find out, read and consider what Ronald Reagan had to say about libertarians and libertarianism.

If you don't want to find out, then you don't have to.

I think we're probably about done, so I'll take this opportunity to thank you for your military service. I never served in the military, but my son is a Navy nuke OC. Right now he's finishing college under the STA-21 program, and will be get his commission when he graduates.

192 posted on 11/07/2006 5:44:37 PM PST by tacticalogic ("Oh bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)
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To: CWOJackson
That's what Libertarians often tell us but a quick search of the web shows there are a lot of "Libertarians" who have a lot in common with the Democrats and call themselves Libertarian Democrats.

A lot of those early hits are for DailyKos' version of libertarianism, which is a bit more leftist than typical libertarianism, just as the FR version is often more to the right. Still, you're right that there are a number of libertarians who prefer the Democrats due to their greater distaste for the theocrats who hold such sway in the Republican party.

pedophilia

A Republican specialty these days.

193 posted on 11/07/2006 5:47:18 PM PST by JTN ("I came here to kick ass and chew bubble gum. And I'm all out of bubble gum.")
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To: JTN

I wouldn't mind gambling and legalizing drugs IF I wasn't expected to pony up when other people gamble their life savings away and end up destitute or when addicts decide they want rehab. How much does gambling, drug addiction, and a nation full of dysfunctional families cost the government? What's cheaper, marriage counseling or a bunch of single moms and their kids on welfare? And who pays? The responsible people who haven't screwed their lives up. We'd be a whole lot better off if more people believed they were responsible to the Almighty for their actions.


194 posted on 11/07/2006 5:49:07 PM PST by LadyNavyVet
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To: tacticalogic

You're welcome for my military service. I wish your son the best of luck. Hubby was a nuke. Your son will work hard and learn A LOT. Smart group of guys, those nukes.


195 posted on 11/07/2006 5:56:03 PM PST by LadyNavyVet
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To: Unknown Pundit
It ain't that simple. About half the conservative Christians are more of the big govt types and about half are more like me, and are far more about small govt. However, libertarians are pissed because both types of conservative Christians will not budge on the abortion issue. I agree with libertarians on one thing: govt exists to secure the rights of the individual. This includes the right to not be dismembered by your mother before you're born. It also includes the right to not be starved to death by your unfaithful husband while you're ill so he can get the insurance money.

I'll agree that about half the conservative christians Just Don't Get It when it comes to the role of government. But if the Libertarians bolt the party (as Christians have been accused by libertarians of doing themselves) then the GOP is toast.

If I had my way, the big govt Christians would learn to live with small govt, and the libertarians would have to learn to live with no abortion and no euthanasia. And that situation would please me to no end.

It'd be easy for me to throw up my arms and tell my christian brethren of the nanny state persuasion that I'm done and they can fend for themselves. Unlike the libertarians, who are doing just that, I'm willing to fight a little longer and harder than that.
196 posted on 11/07/2006 6:49:33 PM PST by JamesP81 (Rights must be enforced; rights that you're not allowed to enforce are rights that you don't have.)
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To: CWOJackson

Boy...the social right did a great job tonite stiff arming libertarions and moderates. Good job.


197 posted on 11/07/2006 10:17:22 PM PST by Blackirish
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To: jazzo; Dead Corpse
Hi All-

No changes in my representation on the national level, despite my first vote for the Libertarian candidate for House of Representatives. I still have a far-left liberal 'rat Senator and a RINO congresscritter...both of whom are chomping to support extremist, gungrabbing legislation. I'm glad I voted Libertarian in a General election, it felt good for a change.

~ Blue Jays ~

198 posted on 11/08/2006 1:03:46 AM PST by Blue Jays (Rock Hard, Ride Free)
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To: Hydroshock; MNJohnnie
As I understand it they are making a full court press.
The CON party did a little better than than they usually do but anyone would have basically done as well as they would have received the disenchanted vote which is all the CON did, imo.

RACE NAME PARTY EARLY VOTES PERCENT TOTAL VOTES PERCENT
U. S. Representative District 28

Ron Avery CON 3,940 11.42% 9,275 13.33%
Henry Cuellar - Incumbent DEM 23,121 67.04% 45,644 65.61%
Frank Enriquez DEM 7,427 21.54% 14,645 21.05%
--------------- ---------------
Total Votes Cast 34,488 69,564
Precincts Reported 197 of 236 Precincts 83.47%
--------------------------------------------

199 posted on 11/08/2006 4:50:13 AM PST by deport ( The Governor, Foghorn,Dingaling,Joker, other fellar = Gov Wins)
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To: CWOJackson
If you understood Objectivism and the Non-initiation of Force/Fraud/Theft doctrine, you wouldn't think ANYTHING about libertarianism was "made up", but founded in Principle.

Something both Republicans and Democrats have completely abandoned.

Now, because the GOP jettisoned so much of its conservative base, the Dems have gained more power in Congress.

Thanks for nothing you stupid Bots.

200 posted on 11/08/2006 4:51:21 AM PST by Dead Corpse (Well, my days of not taking your seriously are certainly coming to a middle)
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