Libertarian Democrat

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In American politics, a libertarian Democrat is a member of the Democratic Party with U.S. 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

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 seriously affected the increasingly libertarian leanings of young Democrats.^[16][17][18]

The libertarian faction has influenced 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. Representatives

• Representative Jared Polis of Colorado - described as "left-libertarianish"^[24] and the "most libertarian-leaning Democrat" in Congress, Polis has since "entering office in 2009, ... emerged as a leading voice on civil liberties, from gun rights to online privacy, from defending Bitcoin to advocating legal weed."^[25] Polis has written an op-ed in Reason magazine arguing that libertarian-inclined citizens should vote for Democrats.^[26] Polis has emphasized digital freedom issues and opposition to mass surveillance and warrantless wiretapping.^[26] He is an occasional Democratic visitor to the otherwise Republican-dominated House Liberty Caucus.^[27]
• Former Representative Tim Penny of Minnesota - described as a fiscal conservative, Penny worked for the libertarian-leaning Cato Institute after leaving Congress.^[28]

U.S. Senators

• Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon — known for civil libertarian views and cooperation with libertarian Republican Senator Rand Paul in efforts against the use of domestic drones and warrantless surveillance^[29][30]
• Former Senator Russ Feingold of Wisconsin — known for civil libertarian views and for being the sole senator to vote against the USA Patriot Act in 2001^[31][32]
• Former Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska — after his time in the Senate, Gravel unsuccessfully ran for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, switching to the Libertarian Party the same year and losing its nominations as well (see Mike Gravel presidential campaign, 2008).^[33][34]

U.S. State Governors

• Governor Jerry Brown of California^[35][36]
• Former Governor Bill Richardson of New Mexico^[37]
• Former Governor Brian Schweitzer of Montana^[38][39]

Authors and scholars

• Camille Paglia, educator and feminist author^[40][41]

Others

• KGO Radio host and former U.S. Presidential candidate Gene Burns^[42]
• Former Democratic National Committee Press Secretary Terry Michael^[43]

See also

References

External links

• Arnold Kling: Dear Libertarian Democrats...
• Dem.cc: Libertarian Democrat
• DemocraticFreedomCaucus.org
• Liberal Values: Defending Liberty and Enlightened Thought
• Libertarian Democratic Caucus
• "Libertarian Democrats: A movement in search of a leader", Washington Post article