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Ted Cruz Speech Nods to Increasing Libertarian Views within Republican Party
Cato Institute ^ | 9/26/13 | David Kirby

Posted on 09/30/2013 9:24:47 AM PDT by shego

During his Ironman 21-hour speech, Sen. Ted Cruz read excerpts from Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged, name-dropped "libertarians" at least six times, and yielded to Sen. Rand Paul, who invoked Frederic Bastiat's "What is Seen and Unseen," a favorite among libertarians.

Ted Cruz, who retained remarkable composure over the long night, seems in all things deliberate. Political leaders seem to have become more comfortable talking about libertarians, even identifying themselves as such. Libertarians may have reached a tipping point within the Republican Party.

Last week, a FreedomWorks study on public opinion found that libertarian views within the Republican Party are at the highest point in a decade, today representing 41 percent of Republican voters....

We define libertarians as those who favor "smaller government" and think government should not promote "traditional values." Using this method, FreedomWorks data show that 41 percent of Republicans and Republican leaning independents are libertarian today.

Two separate data sources, Gallup and ANES, show the same trend: that libertarian views are at the highest point in a decade....

Of course, as I've have noted previously, not all these libertarians self-identify as such and many don't know the word. But even that seems to be changing, and it's not just Ted Cruz.

Sen. Rand Paul calls himself a "libertarian-leaning Republican." Glenn Beck now considers himself libertarian, saying "I'm a lot closer to Penn Jillette than I am to Chuck Hagel." Matt Drudge recently tweeted his frustration with Republicans on Syria, saying it's now "authoritarian vs. libertarian." According to FreedomWorks' poll, only 10 percent of Republicans "don't know" the word libertarian, compared to 27 percent nationally.

The data confirm that libertarian views may well have reached a tipping point in the Republican Party.

(Excerpt) Read more at cato.org ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; Editorial; Front Page News; Government; Politics/Elections; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: 113th; bigbrother; cruz; freedom; influence; libertarian; libertarians; liberty
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To: caww

Little ‘l’ libertarian is akin to conservatism, whereas the Big ‘L’ Libertarian Party is a more left wing based progressive organization. The two do not have all that much in common. Like any political movement, there are wide gaps in beliefs and ideas. Make no mistake, the conservative movement is deeply rooted in small l libertarianism. Reagan considered it a core of his beliefs as did most of our other movement patriarchs.


21 posted on 09/30/2013 9:56:01 AM PDT by ilgipper (Obama is proving that very bad ideas can be wrapped up in pretty words)
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To: Graewoulf

“I believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism” -Ronald Reagan


22 posted on 09/30/2013 9:56:27 AM PDT by BarnacleCenturion
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To: Orangedog

I have never heard of an argument that linked drugs and welfare.

First, drug users now get welfare.

Second, legal drugs should have the price go down since most costs are associated with reacting to law enforcement.

Third, legal drugs should kill many illegal drug users, decreasing welfare costs.


23 posted on 09/30/2013 9:56:54 AM PDT by donmeaker (Youth is wasted on the young.)
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To: Don Corleone
<......“Borders, Language, Culture and I might add CONSTITUTION!!!!”.....>

Where?... Not the USA....Borders are open...Culture is no longer “American”.....Constitution is not used but abused and not inforced any longer.

Sovereignty of this nation is fast moving into the hands, and is, of the Globalists and their agenda.

24 posted on 09/30/2013 9:57:02 AM PDT by caww
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To: caww

Um, no.

Unless one considers “anti-statist” capitalist to be progressive.


25 posted on 09/30/2013 9:58:41 AM PDT by MeanWestTexan (Beware Obama's Reichstag Fire.)
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To: ilgipper
It remains divisive on the issues...like a box of chocolates you never know what you’re going to get from them....and they like it that way.... Libertarianism remains divisive.

Mention a third party and you see clearly where they rest.

26 posted on 09/30/2013 10:01:17 AM PDT by caww
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To: shego; Jim Robinson

Interesting.

All I know is Libertarians and conservative Republicans are lined up rock solid, whether we like cream or sugar, to stave off Marxists.

To fan infighting between purist conservatives and other Republican conservative activists, and now add a food fight against Libertarians, seems to me, thins out our troops for the taking of that hill up there, that together we are ALL for taking.

You have to wonder how long some of us are going to be willing to stick with Cruz when he has to take the curves, in order to grow the base, the party and most of all, grow the voters. We haven’t had to come to terms with that question, but we’re going to sooner or later.

Kissing babies along the way is not necessarily a bead on how you govern, but you gotta’ kiss those babies.


27 posted on 09/30/2013 10:01:25 AM PDT by RitaOK ( VIVA CHRISTO REY / Public education is the farm team for more Marxists coming.)
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To: caww; shego

Shego has an agenda here. He has promoted Robert Sarvis, the Libertarian candidate for governor of Virginia. Sarvis is pro-abortion, loves queers, is anti-gun, and is a racebaiter.


28 posted on 09/30/2013 10:03:02 AM PDT by CatherineofAragon (Support Christian white males----the architects of the jewel known as Western Civilization.)
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To: donmeaker

If you haven’t had the welfare rag waved at you here on drug legalization then you haven’t been in some of the scraps I’ve been in. And I’ve pointed that if Target and Walmart were competing to deliver the highest quality meth for the lowest cost, the meth problem would fix itself toot-sweet from all the over doses. That argument seems to work since they have a hard time being against dead drug abusers.


29 posted on 09/30/2013 10:04:26 AM PDT by Orangedog (An optimist is someone who tells you to 'cheer up' when things are going his way)
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To: caww
It's all about the choom, and it is a veritable Pavlonian response. You can see it right here on this thread. Neither the article nor the polls nor the original poster mentioned drugs, yet the thread is rapidly devolving into a WoD thread.

Libertatian = legalization. If a few other freedoms flourish as a side effect they probabaly wouldn't argue, but in the end it is all about the choom. At the end of the day if all they got was the choom I suspect that they would be entirely content.

30 posted on 09/30/2013 10:05:38 AM PDT by jboot (It can happen here because it IS happening here.)
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To: shego
Sen. Rand Paul, who invoked Frederic Bastiat's "What is Seen and Unseen," a favorite among libertarians

There's nothing particularly libertarian about Bastiat's essay. It's just good economics.

31 posted on 09/30/2013 10:06:10 AM PDT by BfloGuy (Workers and consumers are, of course, identical.)
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To: shego
None of this shi! matters. America is finished and will never get back to the land of the free. We are controlled by the communists Democrats with the hard core communists leader King Obama. We have been defeated.
32 posted on 09/30/2013 10:06:46 AM PDT by Logical me
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To: KeyLargo

Of course they caved on Obamacare....are you surprised?

We went down this road with the very passage of Obamacare and saw first hand what they will do....this is on the same track ....because it is NOT about the American people...it’s about what every representative stands to gain or loose for themselves...but it’s always twisted to say something else altogether that the people will drink down.

Look at this mess now...what the heck are they doing even considering delays or anything of that nature....they are folding still...they didn’t hold the line and they never will... history shows us that time and again.


33 posted on 09/30/2013 10:07:46 AM PDT by caww
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To: ChildOfThe60s

No matter how the picture is painted and the colors blurred...’the House’ has been the deciders and controllers of this...and they folded and continue to do so...that’s the bottom line...they didn’t hold the line..period!


34 posted on 09/30/2013 10:10:25 AM PDT by caww
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To: caww
Are you for real RKBA?

Are you for a Federal government strictly limited to it's Art 1 Sec 8 powers?

Are you for the freedom OF religion instead of some made up freedom "from" religion?

Do you believe people have a right to say what they want, but that freedom of association means you don't have to allow them in your business/organization?

Do you think the government spends/regulates too much and that this hurts the entire economy?

Do you believe you own your own property?

Congrats... You just may be a libertarian yourself.

35 posted on 09/30/2013 10:11:10 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
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To: jboot

Only because you idiots keep bringing it up.

There are more important issues here.

Grow up.


36 posted on 09/30/2013 10:12:14 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (I will not comply.)
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To: Dead Corpse

Again...Libertarianism has always been divisive when facing the big decisions.

You can throw out there all you want of where you think they stand...but it makes no difference to me....they are remain divisive to what could otherwise be slam dunks.


37 posted on 09/30/2013 10:15:04 AM PDT by caww
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To: Logical me

<...”None of this shi! matters. America is finished and will never get back to the land of the free”....>

Sad to say but you are pretty much right...we won’t see the American we’ve once known again...remember ol’ Michelle said she and Obama would bring us “kicking and screaming”....and that’s exactly why they will not bend...they were already prepared for it to be real messy...they and all those who supported his election.

Didn’t we say ourselves to hang on for the ride? We knew it would be so...and these bums have years yet to continue to drive this country..and will work fast now for they have nothing whatsoever to loose.

While we are still bent out of shape over Obamacare..they are already prepared to drive Immigration through just as they did Obamacare....once this passes. They are not finished wrecking this country yet...be sure of that!


38 posted on 09/30/2013 10:20:56 AM PDT by caww
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To: shego

??????????


39 posted on 09/30/2013 10:21:28 AM PDT by freekitty (Give me back my conservative vote; then find me a real conservative to vote for)
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To: Dead Corpse
There are more important issues here.

Indeed. But when the chips are down and the Republic is in a shambles, Libertarians still rush to argue for drugs.

I don't think I am the one that needs to grow up.

40 posted on 09/30/2013 10:25:23 AM PDT by jboot (It can happen here because it IS happening here.)
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