In my post last week, I was extremely critical of the RINOs in the Republican Party who not only sat out the Presidential election, but also gave little support to down-ballot candidates. Donald Trump had to do everything on his own. The Bushies, Mittens, Little John Kasich, frat boy Paul Ryan, and pothead Jon Boehner all hurt not only Donald Trump but the entire Republican Party. Having said all that, there is one other group that traditionally has been on the side of the Republicans 90% of the time philosophically—Libertarians. But libertarians were the single group of the conservative faction that is most responsible for Donald Trump’s loss. As documented in today’s Wall Street Journal, Jo Jorgensen’s vote total exceeded Joe Biden’s margin of victory over President Biden in Arizona, Nevada, Georgia, and Pennsylvania. If it weren’t for old Jo (Jorgensen older Joe (Biden) would have lost the election!
I consider myself a ‘constitutional Catholic Conservative”. I always like to through my religion into the description because it automatically makes progressives angry. I agree with libertarian ideas for the most part but I differ with them in areas of right to life, military conscription—in the past libertarians sided with conscientious objectors and I grew up in a Quaker family with many sanctimonious C.O.s Refusing to fight is different than refusing to serve (as a corpsmen or serving in the supply corps or Coast Guard is a form of proud service). I believe in the application of strict construction principles when judges apply the law—as opposed to making law. What do libertarians think of President Trump’s Supreme Court judges? I am pro-life—isn’t it the job of everyone including government to as Thomas Jefferson said “protect those who cannot protect themselves”.
And what about a strong military and local law enforcement? Aren’t they important in protecting libertarians’ rights to be libertarians? Mr. Biden’s nominees to the high court could be a threat to many libertarian principles. What about 1st and 2nd Amendment Rights and the 10th Amendment? I understand that libertarians differed from our President over “free trade” but NAFTA/The Trans Pacific Free Trade Agreement were not free trade if you were a farmer in Ohio or an auto worker in Michigan. These trade agreements were the antithesis of “free trade”.
And what about education in our country? I would think that most libertarians would be for school choice and against the mandated sensitivity training programs in our colleges. The teachers union was behind “Old Joe” 100%. If we don’t claw our way back into the education business, the schools and colleges that have indoctrinated two generations of students will be able to see their way forward to a socialist United States—if that hasn’t already happened.
Historically with the election of 1800 between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson the “lines of faction”—party lines became clear. The Republicans (anti-Federalists) —Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe—not to mention Aaron Burr, were the closest to what are today’s Libertarians. The Party of Jefferson became the party of Jefferson and Jackson and eventually today’s Democratic Party. The Party of Washington, Adams, Jay, and Adams, became the Federalists and then the Whigs and then the Republican Party of Lincoln and Regan and Trump. What happened over 200 years is that the elites in our country became the populists and vice versa. Today the Democrats are the party of the money class—Wall Street, Silicon Valley, Hollywood and the media.
The Donald Trump Republicans are the populist party of the everyday worker, the farmer, and the small business merchant or provider of personal services. The principle of FEDERALISM—power flowing from the people at the bottom of the political pyramid through the States and only then through the Federal government is what Trump Republican’s believe in. Don’t Libertarians also believe in the diffusion of power? If they are to remain true to their Jeffersonian principles they should
So look who Donald Trump had to defeat: RINOs, Libertarians. the mainstream media, Wall Street, the bureaucratic swamp including Sr, Military syncopates, The Hollywood elite just to name a few. And they had to join forces and maybe even cheat in a few cities—Detroit, Philadelphia, and Atlanta in order to win a majority of Electoral votes.
If I were a libertarian living in a deep blue or deep red State (Idaho) I would vote for the libertarian candidate in an open election. If I were a libertarian voting in a purple State, I would vote for the Republican because my vote may have a great impact on libertarian principles being honored and followed in the head to head assessment of where libertarian principles align in the …. Anarchist— communist—socialist—progressive—liberal—RINO—Republican—Conservative—Libertarian… anarchist—fascist— scheme of political philosophy.
I always hated the statement of Adli Stevenson Sr. when he said “There may come a time when we must rise above principle”. I hate the idea of “rising above principle” but for the first time in my life of 70 years, I can see that if I were a true libertarian, I would vote first against a socialist political agenda, second for the conservative on the ticket, and only then would I cast my vote for my libertarian preference.
I am reminded of my Quaker Grandmother who early on in her life stood up for women’s rights and civil rights but couldn’t bring herself to vote for Richard Nixon because he was a “criminal”. She voted for George Wallace even though he was against everything she had worked for politically her entire life! When she couldn’t bring herself to vote for George McGovern who was in fact a socialist she cast her ballot and held her nose. But what if George McGovern had won a close election where the difference in votes for Wallace and the margin of victory for McGovern changed the outcome?
With last week’s election, I was given the answer to that question. An answer I thought I would never live to see.
So I believe in the final analysis—the Republicans have recently called these “out briefs” there will be some interesting findings. But I suggest this year instead of out brief we call the review an “Autopsy”. As we assess the impact of libertarians, RINOs, and “voting irregularities” I suggest that the final diagnosis and listed cause of death for Republicans will be suicide—from self-inflicted wounds, and not homicide—the other side didn’t beat us, we beat ourselves.
