The Libertarian Intelligentsia Is Not Freaking Out

I find it hard to comprehend "Libertarians in Washington are not happy about how the Republican primary is shaping up."  That's what Pema Levy at TPM 2012 is telling me, however.

Levy goes on to state, "[s]ince the advent of the Tea Party in 2009, libertarians finally began to feel more at home with the right. The Republican Party, at least its rhetoric, was taking on a libertarian tone. They talked about lower taxes, shrinking the size of government, and constitutional originalism, which in theory would eliminate a lot of government regulations libertarians feel interfere with the free market."

None of this makes any sense especially if you have been paying attention these last two years.  Or for that matter, these last 4 decades.

Libertarians don't care about the GOP.  They have their own Party.  It's called the Libertarian Party.  People who care about the GOP are called Republicans.  It's certainly true people with libertarian leanings care about the GOP primary.  But they are not Libertarians.  They are Republicans with libertarian leanings, Ron Paul being Example A.

The whole thing makes about as much sense as saying "Democrats in Washington are not happy with how the Republican Primary is going."  Who cares?  Democrats have nothing to do with the GOP and their thoughts are irrelevant.  People who care about the GOP primary are Republicans.  Libertarians are not Republicans.

Furthermore, the advent of the tea baggers in 2009 has nothing to do with libertarians feeling more at home with the right.  For over 40 years, the GOP's rhetoric has been nothing but talk "about lower taxes, shrinking the size of government, and constitutional originalism."  To mesh libertarian views into this now ignores decades of Republicanism, and decades of never once governing with their so-called core principles.  When hasn't Republican rhetoric been about small government, fiscal conservatism???

This is a very sloppy piece by TPM 2012.  If you vote Republican, you're Republican.  You're not libertarian or Libertarian.  And there's absolutely no proof to suggest the Republican Party, thanks to the tea baggers in 2009, took on a more "shrink government, return to the framer's intent" tone than they have since 1948.