I am not a libertarian -- I have too many hopes for what government can do for the people. But I respect a lot of libertarian people and their insights: Bonnie, for one, but also writers (and friends) like Rick Henderson and Steve Greenhut. (Radley Balko is not a friend, but he's another libertarian who was doing the hard work on police militarization long before it was popular.) We don't always agree on stuff (especially when Democrats are running things) but I appreciate their insights that what government can do for the people can also be stuff that government does to the people. They're also better attuned to the law of unintended consequences -- "do something" is not always the right answer when problems arise, though it almost always feels like it is. And beyond that, they aid me in seeing through my own bullshit.
I miss the days of liberaltarian possibility
Anyway, Bonnie's right: The folks in the Trumpist coalition who describe themselves as libertarians either want the big tax cuts that come with Republican governance and maybe don't care about the other stuff (like a willingness to use troops against Americans) that seem to count as unlibertarian. Or they're white folks who subscribe for a "libertarianism for me, but not for thee" approach to, well, everybody else. They see freedom in zero sum terms, and they want theirs.
So no libertarians are not properly part of the GOP coalition. I doubt they're ever properly part of any party coalition, at least not on a long-term basis. At their best, though, they're like prophets -- in society, yet apart from it, crying out warnings of what we're doing to ourselves.
So no libertarians are not properly part of the GOP coalition. I doubt they're ever properly part of any party coalition, at least not on a long-term basis. At their best, though, they're like prophets -- in society, yet apart from it, crying out warnings of what we're doing to ourselves.
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