just another cheap shot at Libertarians

burserker on December 12, 2012 at 2:13 PM

…because libertarians never take cheap shots against socons?

“Do unto others” and all that jazz.

judgmental idiots

Irritable Pundit on December 12, 2012 at 9:53 AM

There’s your problem: Social conservatives are no more judgmental than anyone else, and certainly less so than the liberals who judge you for failing to bow down at the altar of Gaia or daring to think there might be something to 30,000 years of male-female human pairing. they’re also no stupider than anyone else, including people who really believe that the solution to our economic problems is more spending.

SoCons suffer from the same brand and image problems as the larger party. The stereotypes do not accurately reflect the beliefs and priorities of the average socon. This should not be surprising.

just another cheap shot at Libertarians

burserker on December 12, 2012 at 2:13 PM

That’s what you get with the Establishment bootlickers.

Obvious caveat here: The voters described as “libertarian” didn’t self-identify that way

just another cheap shot at Libertarians

Even though much of the socon stuff Romney got tagged with was a mirage concocted by the liberal media. It was enough to make many low info types go to Obama.

Oh, well, it’s nice to know they’re going to deserve the screwing they’re going to get.

Some conservatives I know think libertarianism is less a serious ideological commitment than an affectation of certain social liberals who relish the idea of political independence.

That is true for a lot of people, but that came out of fashion when Bush left office, so this actually does still surprise me a little. With Obama in the White House, it was no longer cool to be libertarian, so you’d think there’d be more principled libertarians.

But then again, maybe there are. This poll might have been even worse 4 years ago.

Too freaking funny. Constitution!!! Dante?!?! Floating Rock!?!?

Bmore on December 11, 2012 at 10:15 PM

Did you miss the part where the respondents didn’t call themselves libertarian?

Obvious caveat here: The voters described as “libertarian” didn’t self-identify that way. They’re presumptive libertarians based on the fact that they prefer small government and legal weed — not a bad rough gauge of political sympathies, but surely not foolproof.

Fail.

I wouldn’t be surprised if this has more to do with low information voters (pot supporters likely have no idea what Obama’s actually done on the issue – it was Romney who got asked about medical marijuana during the election after all, not Obama) and the fact that Obama’s a celebrity who hangs out with Beyonce and Jay Z. Even not getting leg thrills over Obama makes you stand out in younger circles.

I would have voted for Hillary Clinton before I would have voted for a fake like Romney.

air_up_there on December 11, 2012 at 11:47 PM

Now there’s irony. You would rather have voted for the congenital liar than a fake like Romney.

There are principled civil libertarians out there and we hear a few of them. Yet if libertarianism is to stand on principles, then where is the soul searching amongst the libertarian community for how the things they stood against as policy issues in one election could not play a central role for libertarians in the very next one because the very issues had not changed. Indeed they could claim vindication that all the bailouts of banks and auto industry actually made civil liberties worse for bond holders and contravened the normal course of lawful procedures in bankruptcies. With the expansion of DHS they could also claim vindication that creation of such a mega-agency would lead to increasing encroachment of civil liberties in travel and domestic surveillance and not just under the Patriot Act.

Perhaps the principled civil libertarians saw little reason to vote for either mainstream candidate and that a protest vote would just ‘encourage the system’? I truly do not know. If the libertarians could beat off the big-government ‘social insurance’ attempt to create liberaltarians, then how do you get to any slim majority for Obama amongst libertarians? Or were the libertarians deluding themselves and they now have a Progressive cohort flying the banner of ‘libertarian’ but no want of actually being libertarian outside of marijuana use? If libertarianism is boiled down to just that, then it is a woebegone group. Yet it still has more than just the Pauls, and Cato still serves as a vibrant laboratory of analysis and insight not just for libertarians but how the issues of State and legislation play out in society.

Truly I suspect the methodology of the poll is flawed… otherwise it indicates that the liberaltarians… the Progressives trying to gain inroads in libertarianism… have taken a major portion of libertarians and are trying to turn civil rights into something the State owns, not the individual. If libertarians wish to continue to castigate conservatives for not doing enough introspection on what conservatism is, then perhaps libertarians just might want to do the same with themselves and see just what is going on beneath their banner, as well. Who knows what they might find if they start asking around?

Conservatives found the TR Progressives alive and well in the Republican party, along with the go-along, get-along lesser Progressives after such forced introspection started due to the Tea Party invasion. Surely, if conservatives can start identifying the Progressives within their ranks, then the libertarians should be able to do the same in the name of protecting civil liberty from the State and the basic recognition that all rights flow from the individual, not from the State? Maybe a few libertarian conclaves held locally, in States and regionally just might help to thrash things out a bit. Why there might even be a strongly federalist and limited government strain within libertarianism that can place that down as common ground with a number of conservatives and Tea Partiers… wouldn’t a consensus candidate with general broad agreement be an interesting outcome and one based on the rights of individuals to express themselves, congregate freely and have open discussion, too! Wouldn’t that be a refreshing change from elitist orthodoxy all the way around?

The young make good soldiers but what rational person would say that those deficient in these areas should have a major voice in national affairs.

Nomas on December 12, 2012 at 9:58 AM

Science tells us Global Warming is a consensus too. Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi still haven’t hit 25 years I guess.

arand on December 12, 2012 at 9:57 AM

ignorantarian I think covers the Dems too. I’d say about ooooooooh – 52% of America is ignorantarian

The young make good soldiers but what rational person would say that those deficient in these areas should have a major voice in national affairs.

but it’s the gay issue that makes us despised by the youth.

thuja on December 11, 2012 at 11:31 PM

World’s tiniest violin.

I see what you tried to do there…

Lourdes on December 12, 2012 at 9:13 AM

Make a valid point?

That wasn’t the only issue, but the new voters would rather have corrupt idiots who don’t judge them, than judgmental idiots who do the right thing.

Wrap your head around that. It’s tough, but its real.

I have no respect for anyone proclaiming themselves Libertarian. I don’t know why we bother talking about them – they are as dishonest usually as the liberals.

Monkeytoe on December 12, 2012 at 9:46 AM

Geezus. Can we all generalize any further people?

logic, it’s what’s for dinner

I have no respect for anyone proclaiming themselves Libertarian. I don’t know why we bother talking about them – they are as dishonest usually as the liberals.

Why call them Libertarians? Just call them pot heads, dopers, slackers, whatever is current. They want to be able to smoke and not have the govt funded at a level to be able to do anything about it.

katiejane on December 12, 2012 at 7:56 AM

that’s too dumb to merit a response

*damn it!*

but it’s the gay issue that makes us despised by the youth.

thuja on December 11, 2012 at 11:31 PM

World’s tiniest violin.

I see what you tried to do there…

If you believe everything that is printed is truthful, I have a Benghazi story for you.

Romney WON YOUNG WHITE MILLENNIALS who voted 51-44% (18-29 yrs)
The media doesn’t want you to know this, but unless these “young Libertarians” are predominantly minority and love big government control- this poll is more Pravda propaganda that belongs on CNN.