Libertarian Republican
A libertarian Republican is a person who subscribes to libertarian philosophy while typically voting for and being involved with the United States Republican Party.
Sometimes the terms republitarian or liberty Republican are used as well. Libertarian Republicans' views are similar to Libertarian Party members, likely differing in the strategy used to implement libertarian principles.
Principles
Libertarian Republicans represent a political faction within the Republican Party. They are strong believers in the traditional Republican principle of economic libertarianism that was advocated by past leaders such as Senator Barry Goldwater, 2008 and 2012 Presidential candidate Congressman Ron Paul. Individuals who self-identify as libertarian Republicans do not necessarily share the same political beliefs across the spectrum, though there do seem to be several issues that bind them together, including beliefs in fiscal conservatism, personal responsibility, and personal liberty.
The most common belief libertarian Republicans share is fiscal conservatism -- specifically, advocating for lower taxes at every level of government, a reduction in the level of spending in the federal budget, easing the burden of federal regulations on business interests, the reform of the entitlement system, and ending or making significant cuts to the welfare state. Additionally, they oppose budget deficits and deficit spending and work to minimize it as much as possible. Libertarian Republicans tend to support more fiscal conservatism than their mainstream counterparts in the party, and are less willing to abandon these principles for political expediency.
Libertarian Republicans often differ from traditional Republicans in their emphasis on protection of civil liberties.[1] It is distinct from the religious right wing of the Republican Party because it sees state-enforced conservative social policies as encroachments on personal privacy and individual liberties.[1] Libertarian Republicans disagree with the activities of mainstream Republicans with regard to civil liberties since the September 11 attacks in 2001, opposing the PATRIOT Act, REAL ID, and President George W. Bush's domestic intelligence program.[2]
Organizations
The Republican Liberty Caucus was founded in 1991 at a meeting of a group of Florida members of the Libertarian Republican Organizing Committee attending a Young Republicans Convention. They included Philip Blumel, Tom Walls, Eric Rittberg, and Rex Curry and decided to develop a national Republican Liberty Caucus organization.[3] The group represents the GOP's libertarian wing.
Public figures
U.S. Representatives
U.S. Senators
U.S. state governors
Authors and scholars
Others
References
- ^ a b Position Statement: Republican Liberty Caucus. Republican Liberty Caucus, 3-2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ RLC Members Push Platform Changes in States. Republican Liberty Caucus, 7-22-2008. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ History of the Republican Liberty Caucus. Republican Liberty Caucus, 2-20-2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ a b Top Liberty Index Scorers U.S. Reps. Paul and Flake Vote For DADT Repeal. Republican Liberty Caucus, 12-18-2010. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Rep. Justin Amash's Voting Record. GovTrack. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Republican Liberty Caucus Liberty Index: 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick's Voting Record. GovTrack. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Barry Goldwater, Jr. Endorses Ron Paul for President. 12-3-2007. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e Libertarian-leaning Politicians. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Senator Rand Paul Voting Record. GovTrack. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Senator Mike Lee Voting Record. GovTrack. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Fools Goldwater. National Review, 7-30-2006. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Libertarians and Conservatives should rally around Nikki Haley. RedState, 8-2-2009. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ RLC Encourages Mark Sanford to Run for President. Republican Liberty Caucus, 6-11-2009. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Bill Weld Drops out of New York Gubernatorial Race. Fox News, 6-6-2006. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Former NM Governor Johnson courts Ron Paul's libertarian base. The DailyCaller, 2-11-2010. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Most Libertarian U.S. Presidents. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Milton Friedman on the Charlie Rose Show. PBS, November 2005. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ David Leonhardt. Free for All. The New York Times, 4-1-2007. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Republican Liberty Caucus: What People Are Saying. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Advocates for Self-Government: Karl Hess. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Beito, David T. and Linda Royster Beito. Isabel Paterson, Rose Wilder Lane, and Zora Neale Hurston on War, Race, the State, and Liberty. The Independent Institute, The Independent Review, Spring-08. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ a b Republican Liberty Caucus 2006 Convention Summary. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Pro-Defense libertarian Neal Boortz Speaker at Florida Cato Function. LibertarianRepublican.net, 2-10-2011. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Tucker Carlson Joins the Cato Institute. Cato Institute, Cato-at-liberty.org, 7-28-2009. Retrieved Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ Clint Eastwood talks to Jeff Dawson. The Guardian (UK), 6-1-2008. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ Larry Elder on NNDB. NNDB. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Currie, Duncan. Dennis The Right-Wing Menace?. National Review, 6-27-2003. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ Libertarianism: To Women
- ^ Devine-Molin, Carole. Those Sexy Republican Men, American Daily, 3-15-2005. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Drew Carey on NNDB. NNDB. Retrieved April 19, 2011.
- ^ Gillespie, Nick and Kurtz, Steve. Stand Up Guy. Reason, 11-01-1997. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
- ^ Reason interviews libertarian Republican P.J. O'Rourke. Republican LIberty Caucus, 7-7-2009. Retrieved April 16, 2011.
- ^ Politico.com
- ^ http://dailycaller.com/2011/09/19/why-vince-vaughn-supports-ron-paul/
See also
External links