The Libertarian Party
The Libertarian Party is a conservative political party that has a wide spectrum of beliefs, ranging from limited government to anarcho-capitalism. The party believes, "No one can run your life better than you." Libertarians get some backlash however, as many people believe that Libertarians are only fiscally-conservative. When it comes to abortion, same-sex marriage, immigration, drugs, and other political issues, they tend to be more progressive. They advocate for lower taxes, but are usually pro-choice, support gay marriage, pro-open borders, and support legalisation of drugs. Gary Johnson, the nomination representing the Libertarian Party as presidential candidate in 2012 and 2016, has described the Libertarian Party more culturally liberal than Democrats and more fiscally conservative than Republicans.
Personally, this is the area where I believe the combination of Libertarian and Constitution Party ideals are blended in my views. I am fiscally conservative, but also conservative when it comes to cultural issues.
Anyways, this is the artifact that I chose which represents the party well:
This artifact shows the belief that "taxation is theft" and that taxes should be abolished. The reasoning for this is the importance of charity and voluntarily giving money to the government. Libertarians believe that taxes are unconstitutional, and advocate for the voluntary exchange of money. They say, "If Americans want to give money to the government for one reason or another, they should be free to do so. If Americans prefer to spend their money on other things, then they should be free to do that also." This view is extreme, and they also do not use any sources to support this claim. This type of format would work well if the person on the website already believes and agrees with the views stated. People can easily question the credibility of these statements because there are no official documents, such as the Constitution, cited as a source. The site instead asks many questions that make the reader think about their own views and question their positions.
Austin Petersen
Austin Petersen ran for presidential candidate representing the Libertarian Party in the 2016 presidential election, where he lost the nomination to Gary Johnson. Austin Petersen is a native Missourian, and he attended Missouri State University and graduated with a degree in fine arts. He developed a career in media in New York City and Washington D.C.. He resides in Kansas City, which was his headquarters for the 2016 presidential election cycle. Petersen also founded the Libertarian Republic, an online news source that accumulates a million unique visits a month. In 2018, he ran for Senate for the state of Missouri as a Republican, and came in third.
Petersen is different from traditional Libertarians, as he is anti-abortion. He also opposes open-borders, suggesting that he would incentivise legal immigration by making a simpler path to citizenship, with "updated Ellis Island' styled protocols." He gets backlash from Libertarians as he does not believe in the NAP (non-aggression principle), as he believes this would lead to an overly pacifist society. On the other hand, Libertarians believe in the NAP as they believe that taxation is reinforced by "force", which is a type of "aggression". Petersen believes that the NAP is also vague, as any little action can be considered as "aggression".
I chose an artifact from one of Austin Petersen's social media accounts on twitter, @AP4Liberty:
This tweet is representative of Petersen's views, and shows that he believes that liberty is better than security. This idea is related to that of Libertarian ideals, as both Petersen and the Libertarian Party believe in freedom. This is an important position Petersen holds, as he describes himself as a minarchist. This idea is very close to anarchy, as he believes that only the absolute minimum of government should exist. A minarchist is someone who believes that the only government functions that should exist are police, military, and courts.
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| PC: Young Americans for Liberty |
Similarities and Differences between the LP and AP
Austin Petersen and the Libertarian Party are similar in some of their beliefs because they both agree that Liberty is an important aspect of American life. Both disagree with the idea of taxation, and want to lower, or abolish taxes. They both want to limit the strength of the federal government to give the citizens more power. The term, "Libertarian" is vague however, and can include many beliefs, which can dilute the significance of the term. With this being said, Austin Petersen's views are different from the traditional Libertarian views as he is pro-life and anti-open borders. He is also a minarchist, wanting as small as a government as possible without completely getting rid of it.
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| PC: Young Americans for Liberty |
Political parties and politicians may influence an individual's beliefs by focusing on key issues that they care about. This can be a multitude of things, and can reinforce the morals and values of an individual. Parties and politicians can also use the media to influence a person's beliefs, and I will showcase that in my next blog.
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