Libertarian Party (United States): Difference between revisions

{{Short description|American political party}}

{{third-party|date=June 2023}}

{{Use American English|date=July 2021}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2015}}

| headquarters = 1444 Duke St.<br />[[Alexandria, Virginia]] 22314

| membership_year = 2023

| membership = {{increase}} 741,930<!-- old Dec. 2022 700,544 minus NH and RI --><ref>{{cite web |title=Voter Registration Totals |work=[[Ballot Access News]] |date=December 2023 |url=https://ballot-access.org/2023/12/29/december-2023-ballot-access-news-print-edition |accessdate=May 27, 2024 |language=en-US}}</ref>

| ideology = {{ubl|class=nowrap|

|'''Majority:'''

|[[Deontological libertarianism]]<ref>Yeager, Leland B. (2001). Ethics As Social Science: The Moral Philosophy of Social Cooperation. Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 283.</ref>

|[[Neoclassical liberalism]]<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Grigsby |first=Ellen |title=21st Century Political Science A Reference Handbook |publisher=SAGE Publications |year=2011 |isbn=978-1483305462 |editor-last=Ishiyama |editor-first=John T. |page=603 |chapter=Neoclassical Liberals |editor-last2=Breuning |editor-first2=Marijke}}</ref>

|[[Fiscal conservatism]]<ref name="fiscal con">{{cite web|title=Ideological Third Parties and Splinter Parties|url=https://www.boundless.com/political-science/textbooks/boundless-political-science-textbook/interest-groups-7/minor-political-parties-58/ideological-third-parties-and-splinter-parties-335-8403/|ref=The Libertarian Party supports ''laissez-faire'' policies, small government, and is characterized by being socially liberal on some things, but in truth they are conservative socially because they do not support tax payer programs to help one another through government run programs and they are fiscally conservative. Source: Boundless. "Ideological Third Parties and Splinter Parties". Boundless Political Science. Boundless, January 6, 2015. Retrieved January 16, 2015|date=June 3, 2017|access-date=January 16, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150116140223/https://www.boundless.com/political-science/textbooks/boundless-political-science-textbook/interest-groups-7/minor-political-parties-58/ideological-third-parties-and-splinter-parties-335-8403/|archive-date=January 16, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

|'''[[Factions in the Libertarian Party (United States)|Factions]]:'''

|[[Paleolibertarianism]]<ref name="MJ">{{cite web |last1=Murphy |first1=Tim |title=The spectacular implosion of the Libertarian Party |url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2024/04/the-spectacular-implosion-of-the-libertarian-party/ |website=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] |access-date=June 17, 2024 |date=May 2024}}</ref>}}

| international = [[International Alliance of Libertarian Parties]]

The party generally promotes a [[Classical liberalism|classical liberal]] platform, in contrast to the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]]'s [[Modern liberalism in the United States|modern liberalism]] and [[Progressivism in the United States|progressivism]] and the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]'s [[Conservatism in the United States|conservatism]].<ref name="ReferenceA">{{Cite web|url=https://www.lp.org/platform/|title = Platform|date = July 11, 2018}}</ref>{{Non-primary source needed|date=October 2023}} [[Gary Johnson]], the party's [[presidential nominee]] in [[2012 United States presidential election|2012]] and [[2016 United States presidential election|2016]], claims that the Libertarian Party is more [[Cultural liberalism|culturally liberal]] than Democrats, and more [[Fiscal conservatism|fiscally conservative]] than Republicans.<ref>{{cite news|title=Gary Johnson: I'm More Conservative and More Liberal Than Both Parties|author=Julie Ershadi|url=http://atr.rollcall.com/gary-johnson-im-more-conservative-and-more-liberal-than-both-parties|work=Roll Call|date=April 30, 2013|access-date=May 18, 2013|archive-date=May 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130506133229/http://atr.rollcall.com/gary-johnson-im-more-conservative-and-more-liberal-than-both-parties/|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[#Political positions|Its fiscal policy positions]] include [[Tax cut|lowering taxes]], abolishing the [[Internal Revenue Service]] (IRS), decreasing the [[National debt of the United States|national debt]], allowing people to opt out of [[Social Security (United States)|Social Security]] and eliminating the [[welfare state]], in part by utilizing [[Charitable organization|private charities]]. Its cultural policy positions include [[Drug liberalization|ending the prohibition of illegal drugs]], advocating [[criminal justice reform]],<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lp.org/issues/crime-and-justice/ |title=Crime and Justice|date=July 27, 2016|publisher=Libertarian Party|access-date=September 9, 2018}}</ref> supporting [[same-sex marriage]], ending [[capital punishment]], and supporting [[Right to keep and bear arms in the United States|gun ownership rights]].<ref name="ReferenceA"/>

 

 

 

== History ==

{{main|History of the Libertarian Party (United States)|Electoral history of the Libertarian Party (United States)}}

The first [[Libertarian National Convention]] was held in June 1972. In 1978, [[Dick Randolph]] of [[Alaska]] became the first elected Libertarian [[State legislature (United States)|state legislator]]. Following the 1980 federal elections, the Libertarian Party assumed the title of being the third-largest party for the first time after the [[American Independent Party]] and the [[Conservative Party of New York]] (the other largest minor parties at the time) continued to decline. In 1994, over 40 Libertarians were elected or appointed which was a record for the party at that time. 1995 saw a soaring membership and voter registration for the party. In 1996, the Libertarian Party became the first [[Third party (United States)|third party]] to earn ballot status in all 50 states two [[United States presidential election|presidential]] [[Elections in the United States|elections]] in a row. By the end of 2009, 146 Libertarians were holding elected offices.<ref>"History." Libertarian Party of Kansas, lpks.org/history.</ref>

 

 

Whether the Dallas Accord remains in effect, and if so whether it should, or what limits it places on the party's public statements or candidates, all remain disputed within the party.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://independentpoliticalreport.com/2009/08/libertarian-party-debate-asymmetry-and-the-dallas-accord/|title=Libertarian Party debate: Asymmetry and the Dallas Accord|date=1 August 2009}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.lewrockwell.com/2008/05/less-antman/the-dallas-accord-is-dead/|title=The Dallas Accord Is Dead|website=LewRockwell}}</ref>

 

===Mises takeover===

At the [[2022 Libertarian National Convention]] members of the [[Mises Caucus]], a [[paleolibertarian]] group affiliated to the [[Political positions of Ron Paul|beliefs of]] [[Ron Paul]] successfully staged a takeover of the Libertarian Party seeing over two thirds of delegates be members of the Caucus, and shift the party in a right-ward direction.<ref name="Reason-1" /> The caucus successfully got their members elected to sweep leadership positions, including; [[Angela McArdle]] as chairwomen and [[Joshua Smith (Libertarian politician)|Joshua Smith]] as vice-chairman.<ref name="Reason-1" /> The 2022 convention, an off-election convention, had an unusually high number of delegates, with the last recorded number for an off-election convention, in 2006, being just 300 delegates, the 2022 convention saw over 1,000 delegates.<ref name="Reason-1" /> After the takeover the non-Mises affiliated members [[Walkout (politics)|walked out]], and criticized the group for lacking in libertarian orthodoxy, as well as due to several racist statements that the Caucus had made in the past.<ref name="Reason-1" /> More ardent members of the party started to splinter, with Pennsylvania, that state with the most elected Libertarian officeholders, seeing a hardliner Mises-affiliated member, [[Rob Cowburn]] being named chairman, resulting in dissidents splitting to form the [[Keystone Party of Pennsylvania]].<ref name="Reason-1" />

 

 

The [[Association of Liberty State Parties]] was officially formed on December 3, 2022 as a national party committee between the Massachusetts and New Mexico parties, and the Virginian splinters.<ref name="formation" /> The party's first goal was to organize a national convention for the nomination of candidates for President and Vice President of the United States, and to expand into more states.<ref name="formation">{{cite web |title=Introducing the Association of Liberty State Parties |url=https://lpnm.us/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ALSP-Announcement.pdf |website=[[Libertarian Party of New Mexico]] |access-date=28 May 2024}}</ref>

 

In the 1990s, several state Libertarian parties adopted the Liberty Penguin ("LP") as their official mascot.<ref>{{cite news|last=Drake|first=Kerry|title=Laramie Libertarians adopt 'Liberty Penguin'|newspaper=Casper Star Tribune|date=July 26, 1996|postscript=;}} {{cite news|title=Libertarian picks penguin representation|newspaper=Fort Myers News Press|date=November 11, 1997|postscript=;}} {{cite news|title=Pragmatic penguin just the ticket for Wyo. Libertarians|newspaper=Denver Post|date=September 6, 1996|agency=Associated Press|postscript=;}} {{cite news|title=Libertarians Adopt County Artist's Design|newspaper=Grainger County News|date=April 22, 1999|location=Grainger County, TN}}</ref> Another mascot is the Libertarian porcupine, an icon that was originally designed by Kevin Breen in March 2006 and inspired by the logo of the [[Free State Project]] (FSP).<ref>[http://libertarianporcupine.org/info.html "Libertarian Porcupine"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025145651/http://libertarianporcupine.org/info.html |date=October 25, 2012 }}. Retrieved September 27, 2012.</ref>

== Structure and composition ==

{{stack|clear=true|[[File:Angela McArdle in May 2022.png|thumb|upright=0.7|LNC Chair [[Angela McArdle]] (2022–present)]]}}

The platform emphasizes individual liberty in personal and economic affairs, avoidance of "foreign entanglements" and military and economic [[Interventionism (politics)|intervention]] in other nations' affairs, and free trade and migration. The party opposes [[gun control]]. It calls for [[United States Constitution|Constitutional]] limitations on government as well as the elimination of most state functions. It includes a "Self-determination" section which quotes from the [[United States Declaration of Independence|Declaration of Independence]] and reads: "Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of individual liberty, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to agree to such new governance as to them shall seem most likely to protect their liberty". It also includes an "Omissions" section which reads: "Our silence about any other particular government law, regulation, ordinance, directive, edict, control, regulatory agency, activity, or machination should not be construed to imply approval".<ref name=platform/>

 

 

The Statement of Principles was written by [[John Hospers]].<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Journal of Libertarian Studies|volume=13|number=2|date=September 1998|pages=153–165|title=A Libertarian Argument Against Open Borders}}</ref> The Libertarian Party's bylaws specify that a 7/8ths supermajority of delegates is required to change the Statement of Principles.<ref>Article 3, section 1</ref> Any proposed platform plank found by the Judicial Committee to conflict with the Statement requires approval by a three-fourths supermajority of delegates.<ref>Rule 5</ref> Early platform debates included at the second convention whether to support [[tax resistance]] and at the 1974 convention whether to support [[anarchism]]. In both cases, a compromise was reached.<ref>{{cite journal|author=Burns, Jennifer|title=O Libertarian, Where Is Thy Sting?|journal=Journal of Policy History|volume=19|number=4|date=2007|pages=452–470|doi=10.1353/jph.2008.0001|s2cid=146214711}}</ref>

 

== Further reading ==

{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book|title=Left, Right, Out: The History of Third Parties in America|last=Epstein|first=David A.|publisher=Arts and Letters Imperium Publications|year=2012|isbn=978-0-578-10654-0}}

* {{cite web|url=http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa580.pdf|title=The Libertarian Vote|last2= Kirby|first2=David|date=October 18, 2006|publisher=[[Cato Institute]]|author-link=David Boaz|first1=David|last1=Boaz|work=Policy Analysis}}