That is a very good question. I also have a very good answer. Although I don't
want federally imposed morality, either Liberal or Conservative, I do want to understand the core
beliefs of individuals and how they will affect the votes an individual running for public office may
make when elected.
I want my representatives to share as many of my core beliefs as possible. It ensures that they
will institute laws with a "flavor" that reflects my views. Since abortion is such a hot topic,
I'll give you an example. If my legislator is personally pro-life he or she may, at least, oppose
federal funding of abortion. I don't think the federal government has any business there. A good
fiscal conservative candidate, who may be pro-choice, will vote the same way. Either of these two
would vote in a way that I'm satisfied with. A "liberal" candidate that supports abortion and is
not so fiscally conservative may support federal funding of abortion - an unacceptable position.
Libertarians have similar views to me but have chosen as a banner issue for the party something
I can't agree with: legalizing recreational drug use. I happen to believe that legalizing drugs is
inconsistent with libertarian thought. The libertarian philosophy is rooted in the concept that
human beings are rational and that they will ultimately do what is in their own best interest and
that as long as their actions do no harm to others they should not be restricted. The problem is
that drugs remove the ability to make rational decisions and therefore undermine the foundation of
libertarian principles.
As a practical matter, Libertarians don't win elections. Libertarians are closer to Republicans
than anything else and will therefore bleed votes from the GOP. The result is that the big-government
party wins elections. Eventually, perhaps, the Libertarian Party would absorb enough of the GOP
voters and some non-partisans to win elections but not before the tax-and-spend party will have done
much more harm than we could hope to repair.
Don't get me wrong, Libertarians are fine people with good intentions who are trying to do what they
believe to be the right thing. Our country would be a better place if Libertarians had been running
the place for forty years rather than Liberal Democrats.
Rather than try to feed and nurture a slow growing party I'd rather do a little pruning on a healthy
fruit-bearing one that can give me what I desire sooner rather than later. The GOP is poised to be the
libertarian party of the future and I want to help it get there.