I’ve traditionally voted for Libertarians more than for Democrats, but this year I’m a straight-ticket Democratic Party voter. This is not because I’ve changed my opinions substantially, or that the Democrats have become more libertarian; it’s because the Republicans have become radically anti-libertarian. Some of the main aspects are described below.
1. Dictatorship. The Republicans marked themselves as a unique threat when Trump plotted to discard the 2020 election results; a plot that he abandoned only because he not convince enough of the Republican elite to support it. Trump’s “stopthesteal” conspiracy theory was based on fabricated facts and fabricated laws. It should have made him radioactive, especially when he rallied an angry mob that attacked Congress. But the Republican Party fell in line behind him soon after, endorsing his false claims about election fraud and driving out many of the leaders who had resisted Trump, so I now consider them to be accomplices in his plans to establish a dictatorship at the next opportunity.
Some vulgar libertarians fantasize about a benevolent dictatorship that will institute libertarian policies. But that is just the sales pitch of con-men who seek a system that guarantees their own status and power, which they frame as the inevitable consequence of “freedom”. Dictatorships are fundamentally opposed to liberty; they prevent the organization of political opposition and they destroy freedom of speech. Yet they are still beholden to influence groups, only these groups vie for influence behind closed doors and without any rules.
2. War. Like most libertarians, I have opposed most US military actions in my lifetime;however, the MAGA Republican opposition to providing weapons to Ukraine does not win them any points in my book. A core tenet of libertarianism as a political movement is recognition that we must come to the aid of victims of aggression. This is particularly compelling when we only need to preserve the status quo, not try to restructure a society to match our own conventions.
The MAGA opposition of Ukraine does not signal a general anti-war stance. Their talk of invading Mexico has me severely spooked (likewise for most high profile libertarians).
3. Mass deportation.The call for mass deportation is alarming, and their attempts to frame it simply as ‘enforcing existing law’, they are clearly comfortable with going beyond that. Not only are they against immigration in general (not just illegal immigration), but they also eagerly fabricate citizenship laws as ways to threaten and marginalize anyone who opposes them.
4. Sexual control.They have doubled down on the whole complex of sexual control issues– abortion, homophobia, transphobia. The successful capture of the Supreme Court by elitist anti-choice activists has brought this issue to a crisis point.
5. Conspiracy theories and scapegoating. MAGA tactics extend far beyond ‘proper politics’ of policy debates and pressure-group organizing. Their approach to politics is deeply grounded demonization of others through conspiracy theories and scapegoating.Despite the constant alarms of “Democrat totalitarianism” among MAGA-aligned pseudo-intellectuals, they are the ones who have normalized these totalitarian tactics (among others).
These are the topics on the top of my mind as I think about the Republicans. I can’t speak for all libertarians obviously, but many of these criticisms are echoed by major libertarian opinion makers. It is not a comprehensive list. I know that libertarians don’t have a great reputation around here, but I hope we can establish a united front among those of us who respect all persons – libertarians, liberals (both the conservative and progressive camps), and socialists (but not Tankies, of course). With that foundation, I hope that respectful policy debates can take place within the Democratic Party, and we all reject the seemingly convenient tactic of allying with people who share our short-term policy preferences but reject our deeper vision of an inclusive society.
Extra thoughts:
- As more of the ultra-rich have come out in support of Trump (or attempted to sit on the fence), the economic aspect of this contest has become more pronounced. It’s not the cartoonish ‘communism’ vs ‘fascism’ as some are claiming, but democratic capitalism vs authoritarian capitalism (which does include fascism). Free markets are not an option right now, but I think democratic processes are a better foundation for improving economic freedom – it’s not possible to mandate freedom. Intrusive government has always been driven by elite greed, and often opposed by the masses (until they get confused by propaganda). MAGA has shown their cronyist impulses and deep interest in putting the ‘right people’ at the top of a steep economic hierarchy.
- Trump’s only libertarian achievement was small sentencing reform (First Step Act). Meanwhile, regular Americans continued to get thrown in jail for using and distributing drugs, while the Trump administration was running a pill mill in the White House. Vulgar libertarians often praise his tax cuts, but the were full of micromanaging tax-incentives, windfalls to cronies, and increased spending on interest payments because they were not matched with spending cuts. We know from repeated experience that tax cuts do not lead to spending cuts, in fact they often precede spending increases.
- The “overreach” around the COVID-19 pandemic came largely from the Trump administration, and was largely in line with long standing government behavior (e.g drug prohibition and business bailouts). The Republicans have fallen back on the pseudo-libertarianism of denialism. They conflate inaction driven by ignoring a problem with the libertarian response of finding solutions that conform to principles or at least admitting what values are being prioritized and why. Any over-reaction to COVID-19 was not due to exaggeration of the dangers caused by the illness, but by a general tendency to micromanage, failing to adapt quickly to changing circumstances, and a need to be seen to “do something”—exactly as Trump did.
- I had some hope that the Libertarian Party would rise to fill the void left by the Republican Party’s collapse when the cult of Trump unravels. But the LP is looking very weak right now. Parts of the party have been hijacked by MAGA culture warriors and conspiracy theorists.
Edit: fix typos