There are some pretty significant differences between the GOP and Libertarians. Abortion is one, and foreign policy is another. The Libertarians support a view that the government has no business in peoples’ lives, but also no obligation to pay for anything like medical services, food stamps, etc. No victimless crimes (drug use, for instance), no war on drugs.
In the foreign policy sphere, no foreign entanglements. No GWOT, no UN, no foreign aid of any kind.
Dr. Ron Paul is probably one of the best known Libertarians. It’s been said that Bill Mahr is a libertarian, but I think he’s just an angry Canadian expat with a penchant for eliciting indignation from large crowds.
I don’t think the GOP would have anything to do with the Libertarians, despite the fact that much of the foundational philosophies are close to one another.
You can find more at www.lp.org
From the website:
“How large is the Libertarian Party?
In terms of political activity (i.e. number of candidates, access to the ballot, and elected office holders), the Libertarian Party is the third-largest political party in America. We’re active in all 50 states and have more than 250,000 registered voters.”
As someone who agrees with the underlying Libertarian philosophy I think they got most of it right with a few exceptions. Abortion is one such issue. Where they view it as government intruding in private lives, I view it strictly as one of civil liberties. My particular twist on it is that the liberties being trampled are that of the unborn child and as such should be prohibited.
The big issue IMO that keeping Republicans and Libertarians from coming to a meeting of the minds is the drug issue. On this one I side with the Lib’s. While I can see the need to protect society at large from the proven social effects of certain drugs, I think Marijuana should be a personal choice.