Libertarians Outnumber Both Liberals and Conservatives
Not really. 59 percent of people may have said (and in some ways may actually be) "fiscally conservative and socially liberal", but that combination doesn't really equal libertarian. Many of those 59 percent are rather statist. Some consider themselves "fiscally conservative" if they support reducing the deficit through tax increases. Others say they are socially liberal, and would support all sorts of coercion in the name of their "socially liberal" values. Meanwhile most support all sorts of government control and regulation.
Libertarian can be a broader term than just minarchist. It could be defined include all sorts of people who want a lot less government but not an absolutely minimal government. But any definition that catches 59 percent of Americans pretty much amounts to useless one.
Moving to the 44 percent that called them as libertarian in the poll, well I suppose that's good news in the sense that the libertarian brand may be becoming more popular, but how much of government could you really get 56 percent of Americans to say they support getting rid of? Certainly not the bigger spending programs, and a ton of intrusive regulation and government favoritism or interference would also get majority support. |