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I don't think it ever was. When I read @jar's post, I was like, "libertarians are definitely NOT in the Middle of dems and repubs, I don't even know what he's talking about". I think of libertarians as closer to anarchists than dems or Republicans.
Edit: just read the article and I'm sure Joe Rogan will somehow be involved with the downfall of society, someday. The shit my nephew gets from him is criminally stupid. At least Alex Jones (libertarian, I believe) will soon get what's coming to him.
It's a common trope of LP marketing to say that libertarians are like Democrats in valuing civil liberties and like Republicans in valuing economic liberties (though, of course, the reality is that even such a statement gives the D's and R's too much credit). The phrase "fiscally-conservative, socially-liberal" comes up a lot.
As marketing goes, I suppose it's not the worst way to appeal to new voters. But it kind of misses the point, IMHO.
Real libertarians don't do anything other than call every other libertarian "not a real libertarian" anyway. White people with beards and fedoras arguing over nothing, just a weird LARP. Still better than democrats and republicans but so is the old food in my trash can.
Eh. LPUSA committee members and Twitter edgelords, sure. The small-l libertarians, and most big-L Libertarians in state affiliates, are fine. I'm registered LP in my state, because what am I going to do?, join the Green Party or some other communist nonsense? I gave up on the national party a decade ago, even though I continue to vote LP for president because, again, look at the alternatives. 🤷 I think you've got to consider that the sort of people who will be attracted to spending all their time on electoral politics even though, in principle, they oppose the state are going to be… interesting… individuals.
Yeah I actually get along fine with most people politically as long as they're not always all the way on the left or right (meaning they change opinions as needed to stay where they are). I just really like to poke fun at libertarians because I've known too many personally that just always tried to be "likable" to people on both sides of the fence. It was always funny to watch them because they'd have to constantly move the fence they were sitting on to make sure they didn't move too closely to either one.
Basically, for lack of a better reference, they were the top and bottom edges of the overton window with a big gap in the middle. I know that's a bit overly referenced these days but it's still a good theory and it fits: If you sit in one place and believe the same things for 20 years straight, you'll be a left winger, a right winger, and a libertarian by at least someone's definition.
But what it really ended up meaning for a lot of those people I've known, was that they were never consistently married to any of their claimed values. I'm totally okay with holding a value that is later viewed as radical left or right due to shifting social climates, but these guys never were. They'd toss out a value in a heartbeat if it meant shedding their "neutral" image.
Hell in 2020 I was called a radical left winger left and right for my reaction to the pandemic. Move ahead a year and I was called a radical right winger. Just seems like too many people believe there's no room for nuance these days. Follow what you think is true based on the effort you think a thing deserves (obviously you can't spend a year researching every issue), fuck the label it gets tossed under socially.
Anyway, good times.
The Republicans are far too liberal for me. I mean, they believe in taxation for heaven's sake. And government spending. I shudder at their policies.
More importantly, I recognize that my opinions do not matter and in general I try to avoid discussing the world in the subjunctive mood, as the Russians say. Who cares what I think? I have absolutely zero political power and (much more importantly) precious little economic power.
Indeed, I will defend @TimboJones against this dread charge. He is not a Republican but rather a common Canadian moonbat and should not be confused with adjacent species.
Since @stevewatson301 is indeed "very" interested in my views, I will say this:
This thread's opening post implies that the Republicans are somehow more guilty of wanting to tamper with our digital lifestyle than Democrats, which is absurd. I mean, you'd be making do with an 80-bit encryption key if the Dems had their way. And when you read about Snowden, etc. - it's both sides of the aisle that sit on those committees.
Both parties constantly come with these idiotic ideas, because any first-term congressman from West Undershirt, Montana can introduce whatever he wants. He gets to make a speech, it's put in the Congressional Record, and when he's on the stump he can pound his fist on the podium and thunder "I took a stand against political bias by introducing tough legislation to blah blah blah".
Dozens of these kind of bills are introduced every year and everyone knows they're just for first-pumping media effect. There are bills introduced to outlaw all guns, give free housing to all, end porn, fund porn, and move the capital. None will ever pass and everyone knows it, but they're red meat for their political bases.
BTW, @jar is famous. I am obscure.
^--- THIS
I think you're reading something into it that's not there. It's just their turn, that's all.
I am, after all, old enough to remember the Clipper Chip.
I am so disappointed this wasn't a real place.