Daily Kos to hijack Libertarianism

[Russellk30]

Well, it’s all over. We are going to have to find a new name for Libertarianism. Socialism first consumed the liberal movement (see classical liberal) and after the success of the Ron Paul campaign, they have their eyes set on the term most associated with the Freedom Movement.

htt p://digg.com/political_opinion/The_Libertarian_Dem_Hijacking_the_freedom_movement _again

Even if the Ron Paul movement is successful beyond our imagination, it seems we will always be on the defense against collectivism.

[Broadlighter]

From what I read, it sounds like these guys are finding our ideas more acceptable to their cause. It's not all bad.

[RPTXState]

"Libertarian Democrats" VS. Ron Paul Republicans??

I might actually like politics in a few decades

[newmedia4ron]

I hate words, their meanings always change

[literatim]

Socialist world views have been encroaching on libertarianism for awhile now.

[newmedia4ron]

If you don't support gun rights you are not a Libertarian

(I used to be against guns but then I realized the 2nd amendment is there for a reason, plus there would always be a black market for them anyway)

[Goldwater Conservative]

He starts with civil liberties, even giving a nod to gun rights, but proceeds to get into the same ol' leftist talking points on how "liberty" really means having government-financed roads and such. I appreciate the sentiment, but can't he just describe it as pro-2nd Amendment "liberalism"?

And yes, the left takes every term for itself. Liberal, libertarian, progressive, populist, and even "compassionate conservative." Hell, most centrists and moderates I've met are really just advocates of incremental market-socialism who disdain vitriolic demagogy.

[Karsten]

I have no respect for the Paul-bashing Daily Kos and their supposed "libertarian" democrats. They are no more "libertarian" than the neo-cons who claim to be libertarian!

[Richandler]

Ron Paul isn't a libertarian. He's a constitutionalist Republican. We as a movement made the mistake of associating with the Libertarian name, which is all so close to Liberal.

[Mitt Romneys sideburns]

The Libertarian movement has been in the process of a hijacking for a few years now. The Neo-cons are invading, the Progressives are invading, the socialists are invading. All of them calling themselves Libertarians for the simple reason that they just dont want to call themselves what they are. Its like Neil Boortz. A neo-con who calls himself a Libertarian. That way, he can bank off all the success of the Neo-cons, but when they fuck up, he says, "Hey, Im not a neo-con, Im a libertarian"

Fuck it, Im starting up the Browne Party.

[chandlerLBT]

Imagine a United States with conservative Libertarians in control of the federal level, and liberal Libertarians in control of the state level.

[crazyfingers]

What he fails to comprehend is that corporations are powerless without the coercive hand of government. Otherwise what he describes is a typical libertarian. If leftists like Kos can at least start to come around, there might be some hope for this country after all.

[UziSprayTF]

"Libertarian Democrats" VS. Ron Paul Republicans??

I might actually like politics in a few decades

QFT!

[Shink]

FUCK KOS. Every single member there can really just shut the fuck up. They are Hannity forums with a different flavor of lip gloss.

[newmedia4ron]

I think all ideology comes down to this.

Do the ends justify the means?

[Russellk30]

I was thinking the same thing. Why not have our ideas spread throughout all reaches of politics right? But when the founder of the Daily Kos claims to not only be a Democratic libertarian but is writing a book about the future of America as a social libertarian country right after the most popular Libertarian movement ever, I cant help but think that there is some other motive He is not mentioning.

[jsu718]

It's the Liberty Party!

[cjhowe]

The "Libertarian Dem" somehow completely misses the role of personal responsibility. The only way a corporation can be "evil" is if contractual obligations are not enforced or if the consumer willfully shirks their responsibility in a transaction. The "Libertarian Dem" also fails to understand that in order to make someone "free from the fear for their health" they must make someone less free by stealing.

[newmedia4ron]

Imagine a United States with conservative Libertarians in control of the federal level, and liberal Libertarians in control of the state level.

I wouldn't mind that at all.

[cjhowe]

Imagine a United States with conservative Libertarians in control of the federal level, and liberal Libertarians in control of the state level.

Imagine a United States with conservative "l"ibertarians in control of the federal level and conservative "l"ibertarians in control of the state level and socialists able to fulfill their worldly missions by accepting donations and volunteers freely without being burdened by bureaucracies.

[dvictr]

If you don't support gun rights you are not a Libertarian

(I used to be against guns but then I realized the 2nd amendment is there for a reason, plus there would always be a black market for them anyway)

true!


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[Shink]

Those bastards are just trying to cash in on all of our hard work! I'm sure some 'I like Ron' level of 'supporters' will fall for their bullshit and vote Obama. Hardcore socialist big government somehow = libertarian? Fuck no.

[dblee]

Heh. So from what I gather a libertarian democrat is a libertarian who doesn't have any faith in the free market.

Whatever, so long as the focus is now on personal liberty and not on building the "Great Societ" or any other such progressive nonsense. I still disagree with them but at least I won't be clawing at my eyeballs.

[ronpaul4pres]

This is AWESOME!


Our ideas are spreading.

Some here seem worried that the guy doesn't match us 100%, but Rome wasn't built in a day, and we just need to let them take personal liberty to the logical conclusion. I was a Democrat, and it took me several months to come over, but I eventually did. In any case, we see Democrats are open to the message, and it would play very well in a Ron Paul general election.
Another poster here was worried this guy was "stealing" our ideas. It's the other way around: the guy is doing us a favor by spreading our ideas of personal freedom and liberty. Besides, they were never "our" ideas in the first place.

I've been toying with the idea of some of us joining DailyKos and other related site. The idea would be to subtly promote the Ron Paul message WITHOUT invoking his name and WITHOUT the hostility and anger that gets us kicked out of such sites. I like the idea of a coordinated effort to spread our message:

Writing similar posts.
Recommending/bumping each other's posts.
Commenting on favorable posts.

[kaligula]

Kos is no libertarian. If you want to check out left-libertarian or libertarian democrat perspective, check out Freedom Democrats

http://www.freedomdemocrats.org/

Left-Libertarians are not anti-free market. Indeed, very free-market, just anti-corporatist.

[revolutionary8]

and he said he would work for them again- translation- "he does"? :D

He tried to convince a bunch of Liberals to vote for doubling Guantanamo Bay. I am sure that he did manage to use his complete arrogance to convince himself that it "worked", but that didn't matter- it was "The Liberals" that gave Romney the edge in Michigan, no Romney didn't bus people in from all over the country to vote for him at all. :D

I think Kos is a NeoCon, not a NeoLiberal. Not that there is any real difference. :D

There are a lot of very good people and very good diaries at Kos. It is getting more and more difficult to find them. Soon, Kos will be left to the paid staffers. :D

Kos hates Ron Paul. One mention of his name could get you on the troll rate trail straight to banishment. :D meanwhile, the paid staffers ask if Liberals would vote for McCain, and tells people to vote Romney instead of Kucinich, the anti-war true paleo-Liberal...
Kos is just a scared lil' baby neocon. :D
He is teeter tottering. :D
Many people know exactly what is up, he is just being used. :D

[stewie3128]

Kos tried this "Libertarian Democrat" line at CATO a few months ago and got unanimously bitchslapped (http://www.cato-unbound.org/archives/october-2006/) by them. If he can't even get the CATO lifestyle libertarians on board, this isn't going anywhere.

[libertythor]

Socialist world views have been encroaching on libertarianism for awhile now.

Libertarian was a term used by many Socialists to describe their movement in the 19th and early 20th century.

[Johncjackson]

This is "Old News"- you know, like those newsletters. Kos and other people have been claiming to be Libertarian Democrats for years.

Then again, maybe its nice to have someone else to beat up on rather than the regular libertarians.

[WilliamC]

And the new movement is......Paulitarianism!

[Shellshock1918]

If you don't support gun rights you are not a Libertarian

(I used to be against guns but then I realized the 2nd amendment is there for a reason, plus there would always be a black market for them anyway)

YES
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