A Split in the GOP Tent

We have seen this possibility for quite sometime; that Libertarians could join the Democrats and, even some Liberals.

However, here are the problems we see with Liberals and Libertarians trying to join forces:

There would have to be some fairly big compromises in the two groups usuals stances on at least a couple of issues.

Libertarians would need to give in on some of their "everyman for himself attitudes" It is not in the best interests of the country to have the elderly, the disabled and the poor and their cchldren living and dying in the streets of this country. Universal healthcare, for example, is now more than just a good idea for the health of the nation, but also for national security, if there is, indeed, a threat of bio-terrorism, or even the threat of an Avian Flu outbreak.

Libertarians, however, are right about getting government off the backs of individuals and small business, though not large corporations, which have certainly shown themselves incapable of or unwilling to police themselves.

For example, the "war on drugs" should be immediately ended, as it has been a huge failure, except for trial lawyers and privately run prisons, and it provides cover for American intervention in countries where we have no business interfereing. In addition, the criminalization of drugs like Cannabis ruins lives far more so than the drug itself.

Yes, there would have to be compromises, but Liberals are far more in-step with Libertarians today, than the conservative authoritarians who now occupy D.C. and many State Houses.

Sebastian Mallaby - A Split in the GOP Tent - washingtonpost.com:

You can see this possibility in ' Liberaltarians,' an essay in the New Republic by Brink Lindsey, the director of research at the libertarian Cato Institute. Lindsey is not merely joining the large crowd of disenchanted conservatives who believe that the Republican Party has betrayed its principles -- spraying money at farmers, building bridges to nowhere and presiding over the fastest ramp-up in federal spending since Lyndon Johnson. Rather, Lindsey is taking a step further, arguing that libertarians should ditch the Republican Party in favor of the Democrats.