Dems and Indys respond better to "libertarian" than does GOP

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Einzige
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Dems and Indys respond better to "libertarian" than does GOP

Post by Einzige »

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/1583/politi ... tes-rights
More than four-in-ten independents (44%) react positively to the word "libertarian," while 32% have a negative reaction. Democrats are nearly evenly divided (39% positive, 37% negative). However, Republicans on balance have a negative impression of this term (44% negative, 31% positive).
Pretty strong confirmation of what I've been arguing for the past few months here: Republicans really aren't altogether fond of libertarianism, because it demands philosophical consistency, something which makes the typical Republican's prehensile brain hurt.
When the histories are written, I'll bet that the Old Right and the New Left are put down as having a lot in common and that the people in the middle will be the enemy.
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Re: Dems and Indys respond better to "libertarian" than does

Post by General Zod »

Einzige wrote: Pretty strong confirmation of what I've been arguing for the past few months here: Republicans really aren't altogether fond of libertarianism, because it demands philosophical consistency, something which makes the typical Republican's prehensile brain hurt.
How many Republicans even know what Libertarianism consists of? I wouldn't be surprised if most of them thought it sounded similar to "liberal", so they went with their kneejerk response given how often liberal is thrown around as a dirty word.
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Einzige
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Re: Dems and Indys respond better to "libertarian" than does

Post by Einzige »

General Zod wrote:
Einzige wrote: Pretty strong confirmation of what I've been arguing for the past few months here: Republicans really aren't altogether fond of libertarianism, because it demands philosophical consistency, something which makes the typical Republican's prehensile brain hurt.
How many Republicans even know what Libertarianism consists of? I wouldn't be surprised if most of them thought it sounded similar to "liberal", so they went with their kneejerk response given how often liberal is thrown around as a dirty word.
Quite a few, probably. Reagan ran as one when he swept the Western primaries in 1976 before throwing us under the bus in '80. The division between the libertarians and the fundies/militarists got pretty heavy coverage in the conservative press between 2006 and 2008. The division is real and is open knowledge to anyone with any sort of understanding as to the inner workings of the Republican Party. But there is no will whatsoever on the other side to exploit it in anything constituting an intelligent manner.
When the histories are written, I'll bet that the Old Right and the New Left are put down as having a lot in common and that the people in the middle will be the enemy.
- Barry Goldwater

Americans see the Establishment center as an empty, decaying void that commands neither their confidence nor their love. It was not the American worker who designed the war or our military machine. It was the establishment wise men, the academicians of the center.
- George McGovern
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Re: Dems and Indys respond better to "libertarian" than does

Post by Crossroads Inc. »

Something most people have known for ages, though it is "just" a poll, not exactly hard evidence...

That said, True Republicans care about Libertarians and Independents only as far as getting votes from them since they tend to be highly Socially Conservative. Independents tend to Mostly be Conservatives that are too pissed off with the organized party to register as Republican, but still vote for them most of the time. While Libertarians Mostly are similar, voting for Republicans for their "supposed" small government, fiscal conservative roll.
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Re: Dems and Indys respond better to "libertarian" than does

Post by Molyneux »

Crossroads Inc. wrote:Something most people have known for ages, though it is "just" a poll, not exactly hard evidence...

That said, True Republicans care about Libertarians and Independents only as far as getting votes from them since they tend to be highly Socially Conservative. Independents tend to Mostly be Conservatives that are too pissed off with the organized party to register as Republican, but still vote for them most of the time. While Libertarians Mostly are similar, voting for Republicans for their "supposed" small government, fiscal conservative roll.
I'm a moderate libertarian who's had no choice (for lack of a better option) but to vote Democrat in every election since I started.
I'm a wee bit bitter about it.
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Re: Dems and Indys respond better to "libertarian" than does

Post by Jalinth »

The concept of keeping the government out of your life as a consistent principle is foreign to both Dems and Republicans. Each wants to invade a different part of your life on the basis that big brother knows best. Indys responding to libertarism makes more sense as this is probably where they are located - loathe each party for different reasons.
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