Libertarian Democrat

In American politics, a libertarian Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with libertarian-leaning political viewpoints or views that are relatively libertarian compared to the views of the national party.[1][2]

While other factions of the Democratic Party are organized in the Congress, like with the Congressional Progressive Caucus, Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition, the libertarian faction is not organized in such a way. Nevertheless, groups made up of the party membership, such as the Democratic Freedom Caucus do exist.[3] It was established in 1996 by Hanno Beck, Mike O'Mara and Andrew Spark.[4] The caucus maintains a platform,[5] a list of principles,[6] and a guide for activists.[7] The group's leadership currently includes 40 state chairs and regional representatives.[8]

Ideology

Libertarian Democrats support the majority of positions of the Democratic Party. However they do not necessarily share identical viewpoints across the political spectrum; that is, they are more likely to support individual and personal freedoms, although rhetorically within the context of Democratic values.[9]

In general they support tax cuts, same-sex marriage, the decriminalization of marijuana, a non-interventionist foreign policy, and to a certain extent, hard money. They are more likely to oppose deficit spending, protectionism, subsidies (especially to corporations) race-based affirmative action and many regulations on small businesses.[10]

They staunchly support civil liberties and agree with the national party's stances on civil rights, separation of church and state, and habeas corpus for unlawful combatants; they oppose indefinite detention without trial or charge, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, the USA PATRIOT Act, warrantless wiretapping, the War on Drugs, bans on gambling, and prohibition of prostitution.[11]

While maintaining a relatively libertarian ideology, they may differ with the Libertarian Party on issues such as consumer protection, health care reform, anti-trust laws and the overall amount of government involvement in the economy.[9]

History

Jefferson and Jackson

The Democratic Party was ideologically preceded by the Democratic-Republican Party. The Democratic-Republican Party was led by Thomas Jefferson and largely shaped by his classical liberal beliefs. After the end of the First Party System the party faded away.

In 1828, the modern Democratic Party was established from old factions of the defunct Democratic-Republican Party as Martin van Buren unified political figures around Andrew Jackson and his ideas of Jacksonian Democracy. Libertarian ideas within the party stood for low tariffs, expansion of voting rights, and opposition to anti-immigrant nativism. Factions such as New York City's Locofocos were radically democratic advocates of free trade and hard money who stood against monopolies.

By 1861, these issues had faded to the backdrop as the American Civil War broke out.

Slavery

Slavery was always a contentious issue amongst Democrats, dating back to the party's founding. Thomas Jefferson, although a slaveholder, was highly critical of the institution, and wrote in defence of its abolition.

Despite Jefferson's influence, the majority of the party, however, took a conservative approach to the issue of slavery, advocating conservation of the institution. Those Democrats who took the libertarian position that slavery was an abomination were labelled "Barnburners" by their opponents, the idea being that libertarian Democrats were the sort that would burn down their own barns to rid themselves of rat infestations. Libertarian Democrats referred to the conservative faction as "Hunkers." See Barnburners and Hunkers.

Bourbon Democrats

After the Civil War, the Bourbon Democrats came to power within the party. They represented business interests, supported banking and railroad goals, promoted laissez-faire capitalism, opposed imperialism and U.S. overseas expansion, prohibition of alcohol and fought for the gold standard. After decades of Republican dominance, Bourbon Democrat Grover Cleveland became President of the United States and opposed increasing the tariff and the annexation of Hawaii.

The Bourbons were in power when the Panic of 1893 hit, and they took the blame. Party infighting began leading to the showdown in 1896 between the Bourbon Democrats and William Jennings Bryan.

The ideals of classical liberalism had lost their distinctiveness and appeal and by the time of the New Deal Coalition had all but faded away in favor of modern liberalism.

Modern era

After election losses in 2004, the Democratic Party reexamined its position on gun control which became a matter of discussion, brought up by Howard Dean, Bill Richardson, Brian Schweitzer and other Democrats who had won in states where Second Amendment rights are important to many voters. The resulting stance on gun control brought in libertarian minded voters, influencing other beliefs.

In the 2010s, following the revelations by Edward Snowden about NSA surveillance in 2013, the increasing advent of online decentralization and cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, the perceived failure of the War on Drugs, and the police violence in places like Ferguson, Democratic lawmakers such as Senators Ron Wyden, Kirsten Gilibrand, and Cory Booker and Representative Jared Polis have worked alongside libertarian Republicans like Senator Rand Paul and Representative Justin Amash to curb what is seen as government overreach in each of these areas, earning plaudits from such traditional libertarian sources as Reason Magazine.[12][13][14][15] The growing political power of Silicon Valley, a longtime Democratic stronghold that is friendly to economic deregulation and strong civil liberties protections while maintaining traditionally liberal views on social issues, has also had a serious impact on the increasingly libertarian leanings of young Democrats.[16][17][18]

The libertarian faction has had an impact on the presidential level as well in the post-Bush era. Alaska Senator and presidential aspirant Mike Gravel left the Democratic Party midway through the 2008 presidential election cycle to seek the Libertarian Party presidential nomination,[19] and many anti-war and civil libertarian Democrats were energized by the 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns of Ron Paul.[20][21] This constituency has arguably embraced the 2016 presidential campaign of independent Democrat Bernie Sanders for the same reasons.[22][23]

Public figures

U.S. Presidents

U.S. Representatives

U.S. Senators

U.S. State Attorneys General

U.S. State Governors

U.S. State Legislators

Oklahoma

South Carolina

Authors and scholars

Others

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Reclaiming our Jeffersonian liberal heritage, with a back to the future re-branding of the Democratic Party". TerryMichael.net (Washington: Terry Michael). 2006-07-04. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  2. ↑ "Now playing at Reason.tv: Interview with a libertarian Democrat!". YouTube.com (Mountain View, Calif.: YouTube LLC). 2008-08-28. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  3. ↑ "DemocraticFreedomCaucus.org Freedom Democrats". Democratic Freedom Caucus. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  4. ↑ "Another approach: The Democratic Freedom Caucus". FreeLiberal.com (Woodbridge, Va.: The Free Liberal). 2005-04-14. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  5. ↑ "DFC platform". DemocraticFreedomCaucus.org (Somerville, Mass.: Democratic Freedom Caucus). Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  6. ↑ "Principles of the DFC". DemocraticFreedomCaucus.org (Somerville, Mass.: Democratic Freedom Caucus). Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  7. ↑ "Guide for activists". DemocraticFreedomCaucus.org (Somerville, Mass.: Democratic Freedom Caucus). Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  8. ↑ "DFC state chairs and regional representatives". DemocraticFreedomCaucus.org (Somerville, Mass.: Democratic Freedom Caucus). Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  9. 1 2 Moulitsas, Markos (2006-07-07). "The Libertarian Dem". The Daily Kos. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  10. ↑ Blake, Aaron (2013-08-01). "Libertarian Democrats: A movement in search of a leader". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  11. ↑ <Polis, Jared (2014-10-30). "Vote Democratic for Real Libertarian Values". Reason Magazine. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  12. ↑ Lake, Eli (2013-02-26). "Rand Paul and Ron Wyden, Drone Odd-Couple". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  13. ↑ Shackford, Scott (2014-03-04). "Ban the Dollar!". Reason Magazine. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  14. ↑ Voorhees, Josh (2015-03-13). "Pot's Path Forward". Slate. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  15. ↑ Kim, Seung Min (2014-07-08). "Cory Booker and Rand Paul team up for justice". Politico. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  16. ↑ Roose, Kevin (2013-01-24). "Political Leanings of Silicon Valley". New York Magazine.
  17. ↑ Kotkin, Joel (2014-01-09). "How Silicon Valley Could Destabilize the Democratic Party". Forbes. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  18. ↑ Hamby, Peter (2014-04-07). "Can Silicon Valley disrupt the Democratic Party?". CNN. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  19. ↑ Wheaton, Sarah (2008-03-26). "Gravel to Run for Libertarian Nod". The New York Times. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  20. ↑ Steinmetz, Katy (2011-12-30). "Six Reasons Ron Paul Has Appeal Beyond the GOP". Time Magazine. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  21. ↑ Koerner, Robin (2012-05-29). "Blue Republican or Red Democrat? The reEVOLution Crosses Party Lines". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  22. ↑ Schwarz, Hunter (2015-05-01). "Why Bernie Sanders is the Democratic Ron Paul -- And Why He Isn't". Washington Post. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  23. ↑ Weber, Peter (2015-05-04). "Why Bernie Sanders is the Ron Paul of 2016". The Week. Retrieved 2015-06-06.
  24. ↑ Whitfield, Paul (2011-08-31). "Last Libertarian President". News.investors.com. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
  25. ↑ "G.K. Butterfield on the issues". OnTheIssues.org (Cambridge, Mass.: OnTheIssues.org & the SpeakOut Foundation). June 2010. Retrieved 2011-06-22. G.K. Butterfield is a Libertarian-Leaning Liberal.
  26. ↑ Scott Shackford (2014-04-05). "Ban the Dollar!". Reason.com. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
  27. ↑ "The Constitution guarantees the individual right to bear arms.". Thelibertarianrepublic.com. Retrieved 2013-07-03.
  28. ↑ Lynnette (2009-07-06). "Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) on Medicinal Marijuana Law Reform | The NORML Stash Blog". Stash.norml.org. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  29. ↑ "Profile: Tim Penny". Campaign 2002 (St. Paul, Minn.: Minnesota Public Radio). 2002-09-12. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  30. ↑ "Mike Ross vs. Asa Hutchinson Nonpartisan Candidate Guide For Arkansas Governor's Race 2014". Huffington Post. 2014-10-16.
  31. ↑ LoganFerree (2006-04-27). "A Libertarian Praise of Ron Wyden". Daily Kos. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
  32. ↑ Jacobs, Ben (2013-02-26). "Rand Paul and Ron Wyden, Drone Odd-Couple". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2013-08-31.
  33. ↑ "Russ Feingold doesn't disappoint". FreedomDemocrats.org (Freedom Democrats). 2009-10-21. Archived from the original on October 26, 2009. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
  34. ↑ "Mike Gravel on the issues". OnTheIssues.org (Cambridge, Mass.: OnTheIssues.org & the SpeakOut Foundation). May 2008. Retrieved 2011-06-22. Mike Gravel is a Libertarian-Leaning Liberal.
  35. ↑ Severo, Richard (2005-12-16). "William Proxmire, maverick Democratic senator from Wisconsin, is dead at 90". The New York Times (New York: The New York Times Co.). Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  36. ↑ "Goddard looks at legalizing marijuana - Camp Verde Bugle - Camp Verde, Arizona". Campverdebugleonline.com. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  37. ↑ "Susana Martinez vs. Gary King Nonpartisan Candidate Guide For New Mexico Governor's Race 2014". Huffington Post. 2014-10-29.
  38. ↑ "Jerry Brown on the Issues". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2013-07-03. Jerry Brown is a Moderate Libertarian Liberal.
  39. ↑ "Vermont Marijuana Decriminalization Signed Into Law, Reduces Penalties For Possession Up To An Ounce". Huffingtonpost.com. 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  40. ↑ "Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin Just Signed Marijuana Decriminalization Into Law - Hit & Run". Reason.com. 2013-06-06. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  41. ↑ "John Baldacci on the issues". OnTheIssues.org (Cambridge, Mass.: OnTheIssues.org & the SpeakOut Foundation). January 2008. Retrieved 2011-06-22. John Baldacci is a Hard-Core Liberal.
  42. ↑ "Libertarians praise Maine, D.C. marriage bills, but urge better policy | Libertarian Party". Lp.org. 2009-05-06. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
  43. ↑ Jeff Poor (2012-03-26). "Howard Dean predicts Supreme Court will declare individual mandate unconstitutional". The Daily Caller. Retrieved 2013-07-14.
  44. ↑ "Markos Moulitsas: the case for the libertarian Democrat". Cato Unbound (Washington: Cato Institute). 2006-10-02. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  45. ↑ "John Kitzhaber on the issues". OnTheIssues.org (Cambridge, Mass.: OnTheIssues.org & the SpeakOut Foundation). November 2010. Retrieved 2011-06-22. John Kitzhaber is a Moderate Liberal.
  46. ↑ "John Lynch on the issues". OnTheIssues.org (Cambridge, Mass.: OnTheIssues.org & the SpeakOut Foundation). November 2010. Retrieved 2011-06-22. John Lynch is a Centrist.
  47. ↑ "Former Governor John Lynch Deserves a Libertarian Handshake". Free Keene. Retrieved 2013-07-19.
  48. ↑ "Deval Patrick on the Issues". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2013-06-24. Deval Patrick is a Libertarian-Leaning Progressive.
  49. ↑ "Democratic Freedom Caucus endorsements: Bill Richardson". DemocraticFreedomCaucus.org (Democratic Freedom Caucus). 2008. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  50. ↑ "Whatever happened to the libertarian Democrat?". Reason.com (Los Angeles: Reason Magazine). 2008-08-27. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  51. ↑ http://kfor.com/2014/08/13/fallin-comes-out-in-support-of-a-form-of-medical-cannabis/
  52. ↑ "Party At Vincent Sheheen's House!". FITSNews. Retrieved 2013-10-21.
  53. ↑ The Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/08/01/libertarian-democrats-a-movement-in-search-of-a-leader/. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  54. ↑ "Idea flying, a maverick breaks the feminist mold". The Milwaukee Journal (Milwaukee, Wisc.: Journal Communications Inc.). 1992-12-06. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  55. ↑ "Hark, a libertarian looks to her right". The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, Australia: John Fairfax Holdings). 2005-04-19. Retrieved 2005-04-19.
  56. ↑ "I have re-registered as a Democrat". KGO-AM Radio (San Francisco: KGO-AM Radio). 2008. Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
  57. ↑ "Why won't the Dems show some leadership on Iraq?". Reason.com (Los Angeles: Reason Magazine). 2007-01-11. Retrieved 2011-06-22.

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