Comments on: Poor Libertarians http://www.philipklein.com/2006/01/poor-libertarians/ Just another WordPress weblog Wed, 28 Jun 2006 02:16:13 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Mike http://www.philipklein.com/2006/01/poor-libertarians/comment-page-1/#comment-644 Mike Wed, 08 Feb 2006 00:58:44 +0000 http://www.philipklein.com/?p=887#comment-644 Personally, I think libertarianism is irrelevant for the foreseeable future. As an inflexible ideology it was little more than a luxury of an era of peace and prosperity. It's leadership was never exactly organized in any significant way, and especially now it's become an isolationist party at a time when isolationism is only thriving on the opposite end of the spectrum. Meanwhile, it's impossible for someone who is serious about national defense to associate themselves with the term. The only future I see for libertarians is perhaps as an interest group, focusing on issues like eminent domain, or a network of local (and maybe state) parties. Otherwise, I see a major political realignment coming in the next few years - the most dramatic since the 1850s. The Democratic party is on course to implode and fragment (or, Whig-out, if you will) - if not before '08, definitely in the aftermath of that election. At which point it'll be interesting to see where the various factions land, but regardless, I see a version of the Republican party emerging that will be much more hospitable to all but the most hardwired libertarians. Now, this may happen slowly, as the old religious-right element dies off, and you see a new, more tolerant, generation of Christian conservatives come of age. Personally, I think libertarianism is irrelevant for the foreseeable future. As an inflexible ideology it was little more than a luxury of an era of peace and prosperity. It’s leadership was never exactly organized in any significant way, and especially now it’s become an isolationist party at a time when isolationism is only thriving on the opposite end of the spectrum. Meanwhile, it’s impossible for someone who is serious about national defense to associate themselves with the term.

The only future I see for libertarians is perhaps as an interest group, focusing on issues like eminent domain, or a network of local (and maybe state) parties.

Otherwise, I see a major political realignment coming in the next few years – the most dramatic since the 1850s. The Democratic party is on course to implode and fragment (or, Whig-out, if you will) – if not before ’08, definitely in the aftermath of that election.

At which point it’ll be interesting to see where the various factions land, but regardless, I see a version of the Republican party emerging that will be much more hospitable to all but the most hardwired libertarians. Now, this may happen slowly, as the old religious-right element dies off, and you see a new, more tolerant, generation of Christian conservatives come of age.

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