I wouldn't be at all surprised to see that movement fracture and a formal Conservative Party take shape for those who want to advocate more purist libertarian ideas.
I've been reading some chatter on the blogs about various forces in the tea party and about whether or not it will go libertarian. Here's on from a libertarian I was able to locate. (He's using his terms differently from yours.)
I've been avoiding even the most remote contact with the doings of the tea partiers. It's too hard on my need to maintain the fiction of the nobility of the human species.
The notion of a classical-liberal party arising from the hoi polloi struck me as funny, ironic, even. I thought that the notion might amuse you.
Will the Tea Party be Conservative or Libertarian?
from Jeffrey Miron by Jeffrey Miron
For decades, faith and family have been at the center of the conservative movement. But as the Tea Party infuses conservatism with new energy, its leaders deliberately avoid discussion of issues like gay marriage or abortion.
The Party’s focus on economic issues makes sense right now, but eventually it will feel pressure to take a stand on social issues, as well as on foreign policy.
When that happens, which way will the Tea Partiers tilt? Consider this statement from one major group, the Tea Patriots:
The Contract from America serves as a clarion call for those who recognize the importance of free market principles, limited government, and individual liberty.
To me, these principles suggest libertarianism, not conservatism. Federal bans on abortion or gay marriage are hard to reconcile with limited government or individual liberty. The invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan are awkward for reasonable notions of fiscal responsibility. Drug prohibition is impossible to reconcile with any of the three stated principles.
So will the Tea Party lean libertarian? My fear is that it will not, because as elections near, the conservative wing of the Republican Party will seem like a better opportunity for the Tea Party to be “relevant.” I hope I am wrong. |
