Republican Party and low-brow NT's

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Whatever happened to the classical liberals?

You know, the freedom loving types who're economically conservative and socially libertarian?

That's usually just called libertarian these days.

So..., the left went down to commie land and the right went to heaven/hell, with the old liberals from both leaving and changing their name a little to libertarian, and then becoming demonized by the former two, which led their followers to see the old ones in a negative light.... Which forced fans of the old liberals to vote for one of the two branches based oftentimes on a single point (commies or theologists -- wow, what a choice), as no one would be voting for them because people are easily swayed by the two loudest voices.

Makes sense.

March 28, 1969, happened (or January 20, 1961). Take your pick.

The closest party to Classical Liberalism in the US today is the Libertarian Party, but a great many Classical Liberals are independents.

The problem with the Libertarian Party is the influence from Ayn Rand who was certainly not a Classical Liberal.

No, just a hateful old bi - - witch.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

And the problem with the Libertarian Party is that many of its members are only concerned with drug laws and government spying. Now, I'm not saying these issues aren't important (we need to government to repeal all drug laws and stop spying on us), but they miss the point. Look at the last Libertarian candidate who ran for the presidency - Gary Johnson. He is not certainly not a hardcore Libertarian. For example, he supports the EPA and sending troops to advise African forces fighting Kony.

To me, this represents a shift happening in the Libertarian Party, even away from Randians. It feels like the base is no longer well-read Libertarians, who understand the fundamental nature of the state and the non-aggression axiom, but voters who are more concerned about marijuana legalisation and marriage equality (again, these aren't bad issues), rather than ending government's control over currency and economy.

I don't think "teleological" is the right word. If anything conservatives (as well as classical liberals / libertarians) are more deontological, which I find annoying as a pragmatic consequentialist. Pragmatic consequentialism is a ends-based philosophy minus the apriorism, is-aught violations, and panacea-oriented thinking of either Classical Marxism or modern market fundamentalism.

She wasn't a hateful old anything when she wrote -We The Living-. It was a scathing condemnation of the Soviet Union and Communism. That, I think, is the best piece she ever wrote. It was very early in her career, and written pre 1940.

ruveyn

Or you could read some of the great books by the Austrians such as The Road to Serfdom by Friedrich von Hayek and gain some real insight into the issues.

The largest party in the Netherlands (VV) is more or less classical liberal. They have been in most government coalitions since WW2.
I think one of the reasons they aren't as influential in the US is because they don't have a proportional voting system. Such a system could lead to coalition governments where Libertarians or the Greens or any of the other smaller parties could take part in.

Actually I have read both. In Rand's case her indictment of the Soviet Union is an eye witness account. Rand was born in St. Petersburg and got out of the S.U. when she was about 20 years old. She came to the U.S nearly broke with very little English. She worked her way up the writing system in Hollywood and married the silent film actor Frank Oconner. She was a then typical American immigrant success story.

ruveyn

^^ Along with Hayek's Road to Serfdom, I would highly recommend Ludwig von Mises's Omnipotent Government.

Well, she certainly didn't show any love toward the downtrodden. In an interview with Mike Wallace, she said Christ was wrong to show compassion to those in need, and that they didn't deserve love. If that's not hatefulness, then it's certainly hardheartedness.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer

/\ /\
And 31 years AFTER her death people still have their panties in knots over her.
A week can't go by on this forum without her name being referenced in anger.

That's because he negative influence lives on in the right of the Republican and Libertarian parties.

-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer