The 2016 Presidential Election saw a third party candidate make an impact on voters. Gary Johnson, the former governor of New Mexico took home a little over three percent of the popular vote. Many Libertarians did not see Johnson as their ideal candidate but supported him to protest the two-party system and the candidates it produced this election cycle. But what is the Libertarian Party and what do they stand for?
Libertarians are neither liberal nor conservative, the party advocates high levels of personal and economic freedom. The party supports economic autonomy and social inclusion. Canadian Libertarian Tim Moen, though not part of the American political system, once described his own libertarian views on his campaign website, stating, "I want gay married couples to be able to protect their marijuana plants with guns." This saying sounds very contradictory to both major parties in America; Republicans would have a problem with gay marriage while Democrats would have a problem with guns. We will see that the Libertarian Party share stances with both major parties (pro-gay marriage and pro-gun, both major parties are coming to the same pro-conclusions about marijuana).
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Individual freedom is one of the main pillars of the Libertarian Party. This allows an individual to pursue their happiness in any way they choose, so long as it does not hurt anyone else and that person does not take another person's property. The party is also socially liberal; this is because of their push for individual freedom. So, the party falls on the left for most major social issues. However, the Libertarian Party is economically conservative. The party values the free market and capitalism. In short the Libertarian Party does not see a need for government regulation in our bedrooms, wallets or our businesses; leaving citizens to make their own decisions in these areas. The only way the government should intervene would be to protect freedoms of citizens.
Abortion is one issue that Libertarians are divided on. Libertarians place emphasis on the right of an individual to choose their own actions so much as it does not infringe on the rights of another. The Pro-Choice view supports women's reproductive rights while also avoiding legislating morality. After all, if morality is legislated then are people really making a moral choice to do the right thing? To this a Pro-Choice libertarian would make the argument that women have reproductive rights that cannot be denied and there should be legislation to preserve their right to make choices about their own bodies. The Pro-Life Libertarian would make an argument saying that life begins at conception and therefore aborting a baby is infringement of another person's rights. Another Libertarian view on abortion would be that taxpayer dollars should not be used to pay for abortions and that cost should rely on the individual, this is a less popular view.
Again, the focus is on maximized individual liberty. So what are some of the party’s other views?
Libertarians affirm, as previously stated, that government should not interfere with personal economics, personal social decisions or business. They also want the U.S. to stop acting as the policeman for the world and put more focus on our own citizens and their liberties. The party calls for an end to the "War on Drugs" as it has failed and only perpetuated America's mass incarceration rate. The party also supports the legalization of cannabis. Though in the 2016 election, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Gary Johnson and Jill Stein all supported some form of the legalization. Libertarians also support small business, entrepreneurism, free markets and capitalism.
The Libertarians agree with the Republicans in the areas of economic freedom and national defense, but not military adventurism. They, like the GOP, value property rights and the Second Amendment. Libertarians place a great value on charity and greatly encourage it. They support personal advancement through individual liberties and not legislation to enable prosperity. Both parties' platforms desire less government spending. Libertarians do not agree with the GOP on legislated morality, marriage, and corporate welfare. They also do not want legislation like the Patriot Act and the National Defense Authorization Act to intrude the privacy of American citizens.
Libertarians and Democrats also agree on several issues. These issues naturally include personal freedom and civil liberties. Both parties want citizens to be tolerant of others' choices that are peaceful. The Democratic Party and the Libertarian Party also strongly support equal opportunity for all. There are disagreements that exist too. The Libertarians do not support a government regulated economy like the Democrats, nor do they support military intervention in Somalia, Haiti and the Balkans. The party does not agree with the Left in that they support special rights for minorities, to a Libertarian this is legislating equality which cannot be done. The libertarian party also does not support the banning of guns as some to the farther left do.
This article just a simple explanation of the party's platform for someone who may not be familiar with what Libertarians stand for. I am confident hardcore Libertarians could take the views described above and debate them heavily, but the object here is only an introduction to Libertarian values.
Rand Paul is generally considered a Libertarian who is currently serving in the U.S. Senate as a Republican representative to the state of Kentucky. Here is a video of him arguing against the latest proposed budget by the Republican majority on the Senate floor:
Rand Paul argues for and knows the Constitution very well. During the Republican Presidential debates he would often use this knowledge and his extensive rhetoric to defeat the arguments of his opponents. He did not use several tactics other candidates used which gained them more media attention.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about America's third major party. For more info please see their website.
