David Boaz discusses the Libertarian Vote

[theBradlands]

Hey Gov't.....Out of our bedrooms and out of our pockets!

[AroundSun]

I think ron paul has seriously racked up a lot more masses since the last election

[Roddyoneeye]

Regarding the doctrine of secrets, there are secrets dating back to "The Great Un-pleasantness" of 1861-1878 that the Federals are Terrified of making Public !

[Paulsur]

I am a registered libertarian who will be supporting republican Debra Medina for Texas Governor. Thank you Glenn Beck for your slanderous attack on Ms. Medina, you have created a ground swell army for her to take her and her constitutionist ideals to victory!

[Roddyoneeye]

I'll not vote Republican; they've sold out to the Leftists too often! As I won't vote Democrat, why vote for their lackeys?

[TheProgressistViewer]

@Roddyoneeye Well its like having to choose between pepsi and coca cola, there both terrible, but coke has better taste. So u vote republican and spend the 4 years criticizing them. Better than not voting.

[a4finger]

good video

[Codad]

diapasonify is one trick troll, don't waste your time on him. He's throwing a tissy fit because supposedly Alex Jones said something bad about Micheal Jackson.

[jo232409]

Why does Cato spend time talking to jackasses like this?

[diapasonify]

You market fundamentalists make me sick.

[JonasSalk]

@diapasonify You government fundamentalists make the world bad.

[rawelch69]

The world would be a better place if Libertarians governed it :)

[HBSchool]

I love the Judge but Libertarians don't swing, at least not in the voting booth.

[chevydriver1123]

Problem is both parties are full of nothing but statists. The current crop of 2012 Reps is nothing to be happy about with Gary Johnson being the exception.

[throwntomato]

2010?

[oli1233]

Has anyone read Politics of Freedom ? Is it worth reading if you've alreaday read Libertarianism: A Primer or is just a rehash ?

[XCritonX]

Libertarians tend to vote based on ideals, not party loyalty.

However, Libertarians are not all exactly the same. Some believe abortion is a right, others value human life. Some are pro gay marriage, others believe that the government should leave marriage alone.

Instead of dividing on social issues it would make sense to focus on economic issues. We cant be in forced poverty and also free. Starve the government and then we can deal with it better.

[caltrop69]

Isn't wanting government to leave marriage alone the same as being pro gay marriage?

Marriage is a religious institution. Government needs to butt out.

[MagnusIan]

"Marriage is a religious institution."

Religion peed all over marriage to mark its territory. One can and should always still be able to get a non-religious marriage.

[hoppinglark]

would that be like a non-religious first communion?

[FrickinLaserBeam]

Gov't does need to butt out. What two consenting adults do on their own is their business. Be that marriage, gay sex, drugs, etc. If they aren't hurting anyone else, why should we care?

[restlys]

according to his 3 questions, libertarians are = to conservatives.

[Federalist306]

I would be totally into libertarianism, provided that we first abolish all federal and state entitlements, and outlaw the practice of wealth transfers by force of government. I believe that you should be free in almost any matter, provided that you can't demand other people's money to cover your own failures and bad decisions....

[AshillaBeige]

That's kinda at the root of libertarianism.

[FrickinLaserBeam]

There is a benefit to a very minimal safety net, as explained by Hayek. It permits people to take a little more risk, and invent the MRI for example. If they win, we all get the MRI, if they loose at least they aren't homeless and destitute. And we are all humans.

You are correct in your general critique of farm-aid, SS, medicare, etc.

[Wormtail81]

Mr. Boraz, I'd like to point out that 9/11 deeply conditioned President Bush's foreign policy, indeed, beyond invading Afghanistan. His campaign promises rendered worthless as much by circumstance as anything else. Not that I am defending interventionism---clearly there are many unintended consequences. Just look at 9/11.

[Wormtail81]

Who is the gentleman in the blue shirt at the very beginning of the introduction?

[FlailingJunk]

The use of government force is wrong even for the purposes that YOU like.

[maddingo12]

When people like Glenn Beck call themselves Libertarians, well, I think we have a problem. I'd be interested in seeing how many people who claim to be libertarians actually fit the bill ideologically. If a neo-con like Glenn Beck can get mixed up, then we have a problem.

[whoo689]

Think about it for a sec: Liberal Republicans tend to be liberal on social issues, conservative on economics, sometimes liberal on war, and are socially tolerant and aren't big proponents of "family values" in elections. If liberal Republicans were conservative enough on economics and tolerant enough on social issues, they'd practically be libertarians. I think those are the people that Boaz found most in his study that he claimed were "libertarians."

[whoo689]

Conservative on economics, liberal/noninterventionist on war and foreign policy, liberal and conservative positions on social issues. They tend to be liberal on immigration.

If we found people whose views corresponded heavily with hte above, and it was 14% of the electorate, THEN I think we could say with confidence that such a good chunk of Americans are libs. 3 very broad questions about liberty and traditional values could just as easily get yes answers from liberal Republicans.

[whoo689]

If 14% of Americans are actually libertarians, that's a start, but I'm not so sure Boaz and his friends collected the data efficiently. I mean, only three questions?? Massive surveys like ANES have I think at least ONE HUNDRED questions for voters.

Those 3 questions are a start, but you have to do a lot more with a survey of libertarians. What we should do is first survey the people who claim to be moderate because libertarianism is quite moderate in a way.

[Thorbie]

Great analysis by David Boaz. I have to point out though that Bush was planning on closing Gitmo anyway. Just another reason Obama's pledge wasn't groundbreaking in the slightest. I think after seeing the Democratic response to the Citizens United v. FEC decision, we can safely say that Democrats don't care about freedom of speech anymore either. Obstructing legislation and creating mixed government is probably the most libertarian thing to do right now.

[mrx0066600]

Yeah, screw the Republicians and Dems both parties can kiss my ass.

I want progressives.

[Spartan69139]

OH, but the dems ARE the progressives! Even though progressives were republicans.

[mrx0066600]

haha not by the way these Dems are acting. No sir.

And yeah in a way Reps were, when they wanted to do something Republicians just went and did it(no matter how wrong it was).

Dems... trying to find a middle ground area with Republicians, is absolutely futile.

They should just forget the republicians already and just go forward. But they don't so they are useless.

Both parties are useless in their own ways. I'm sick of both of them.

and I'm sick of big business running the show.

[EsotericThrone]

@mrx0066600 If there is a "show", that is, if there is a massive pile of taxpayer money and the state has the power to appropriate it, big business will always run the show. The only way to remove their power is to shrink government power in the first place. If there's no taxpayer money to lobby for, controlling the government is a lot less appealing to them.

[cozyfoxstudio]

What exactly did they just go ahead and do.? What was so wrong? Also why should anyone especially an American give a shit about what a devil worshipping Marxist traitor thinks. MRX 666. I'm am sick of pathetically derranged and emotionally broken people like you speaking lies and stupidity. Move to China and promote Marx and satan there. Leave the big thinking to adults as your ability to do so is absolutely futile. Haha yes sir. You useless,brainwashed, servant of hell.

[mrx0066600]

First off I don't believe in your fairy tail devil, that's just a username.

second where to start with the wrong...

Destroyed constitutional law by invading privacy, Started a war because they felt like it in Iraq, raised the deficit(and don't seem to care). lowered progress with scientific research. Letting big business run a muck unrestricted. etc etc. I could go on.

[restlys]

@mrx0066600 im so happy that someone else than me is pointing these things out :)

[cozyfoxstudio]

Even if you think its a fairy tail you're still a loser for using it. The rest of your arguement is that of a child. All of that is Marxist propaganda. Patriot act arguement is null and void. The guy's not Pres anymore and nothing happend. Defict also void since the new guy you love has done so much more. Lowering progress? Please. Business run amuck? Liberals @ Fannie and Freddie ran a muck. You are the dumbest asshole alive. I could go on but you'll just babble more Marxist brainwashing.

[mrx0066600]

Man you fucks sure do like to void things, "We never got attack by terrorist except on 9/11 and that one doesn't count. Bull shit. and now you're saying the deficit isn't your fault because the next guy is having a lot of trouble cleaning your mess up. Wow, you've got balls, saggy retarded balls.

What part of Dems and Republicians being bad did you not get anyway?

Also if you want Marxist statements try this one out

"If you see something say something". Sound familiar? all Bush baby.

FU

[cozyfoxstudio]

The entire war on terror is Republicans trying to clean up the appeasing failures of Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton. Obama is not cleaning up anything. He's making it worse. If you understood 1st grade math

you would know that. He's also a racical Marxist which is undeniable at this point. 9/11 doesn't count? How about the attack on the Cole or embassies or hundreds of attacks across the world. How about the attempts that failed this year alone. The deficit? You are a really really dumb guy

[mrx0066600]

Do yourself a favor and search up David Walker "Come back America" he gives both Republicians and Dems a serious talk about what needs to be done to improve this situation. He's spot on correct with his ideas and goals for reform.

I'm sure you'll get a boner out of it because he's very much less government, and in what he states it's very true.

[cozyfoxstudio]

Sound interesting. The title alone gave me a chubby.

[Spartan69139]

lol, why was my comment downvoted? either the posters don't get sarcasm or they don't know basic history. Republicans were the ones with the progressives. Teddy Roosevelt was a progressive. I was just pointing out how Dems call themselves liberal and progressive, despite obviously not being either in the true sense of the word, which isn't socialism.

[return135]

@mrx006, screw the progressives too.