“What is a Libertarian?”

  • Libertarianism
    • First coined by William Belsham in 1789, but largely it was used by French anti-property anarchists
    • In America it became a term used by pro-property liberals when the term liberal was changed in the public conscience
      • When this process began, some small government people formed the “Old Right” coalition, basically jacking the conservative term, which traditionally (and still literally) means preserving the class system
      • Today there is very little difference between conservatism and liberalism; both use similar tactics to prop up the class system, start perpetual wars, keep the population dumb, stifle creativity and promote greed.
  • Basic history of the American Libertarian Movement
    • Started in the 1940s
    • Many were largely influenced by the ideas of Fredric Bastiat, Ludwig von Mises, and Fredrich Hayek
    • Leonard Read was one of the first classic liberals to call himself “libertarian”
      • He founded the Foundation of Economic Education
    • Barry Goldwater, despite his views on foreign aggression, was a early figurehead in the libertarian movement, spawning the fusionist movement between libertarians and conservatives
      • I will discuss the Fusionist movement in a later show
      • Karl Hess, one of Goldwater’s speech writers became one of the first to call himself an anarcho-capitalist, and became a leader within the movement
    • Ayn Rand was another early influence to the libertarian movement because of her books The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged; however she created the cult known as Objectivism and called libertarians “right wing hippies”
      • The Objectivist movement is still active in America; Some of which are pro-war
      • Other women that were influential to the early movement are Rose Wilder Lane and Isabel Paterson
    • Murray Rothbard
      • Early figure in the movement
      • Austrian School economist
      • Coined the term “anarcho-capitalist”
      • Wrote many books on different subjects libertarians might be interested in, but most of the books focus on Austrian economics
    • Milton Friedman
      • Quite possibly the most respected libertarian outside of the movement
      • Nobel winning economist
      • Chicago school economist
      • Wrote a column for Newsweek from 1966 to 1984
      • Helped end the draft (Nixon) but also setup the federal withholding idea
      • Fiercely disagreed with many points the Austrian school makes, including endorsing the idea of paper money, but was for abolishing the Federal Reserve
      • Seen within the movement as a sellout, but has arguably done more to promote the ideas of liberty in the modern era than most others I have mentioned
    • Koch brothers
      • Funded the majority of libertarian organizations in the 70s and early 80s
      • Owners of the largest privately owned corporation in the United States; Koch Industries
      • Very radical libertarians at first, but became more pragmatic as time went on
    • Libertarian Party
      • Founded in 1971 by David Nolan, Ed Crane and a few others
      • David Nolan created the Nolan chart, which measures political affiliation not on the left-right scale, but also a up-down scale, up being libertarian and down being authoritarian
      • Murray Rothbard was skeptical at first, stating that there were not enough people in the movement to start a party
      • Was fairly successful in the 70s with some statehouse wins in Alaska
      • Most successful Presidential ticket was of Ed Clark and David Koch in 1980. Received almost 1% of the popular vote, but pragmatic rhetoric caused a rift in the party
      • Because of the rift the Koch brothers left the party and took the main source of funding of libertarian institutions
      • Never accomplished much in the political realm, but has been a great networking organization
    • Reason Magazine
      • One of many political “zines” that came out in the 1960s and 70s
      • Has a circulation of 60,000
      • Arguably the most influential libertarian publications currently in print
    • Cato Institute
      • A libertarian think tank founded in 1977 by Ed Crane and largely funded by the Koch brothers
      • Was named “Cato” after the Cato Letters, which were a series of British essays that explained the positions of John Locke in a more detailed fashion
      • Originally located in San Francisco, it moved to Washington DC in to become a legitimate think tank
      • One of the most influential libertarian organizations in America
    • Ron Paul
      • First became a congressman in 1976; Assumed office again in 1979, lost his bid for nomination of a Senate seat in 1984, and again ran successfully for office in 1996.
      • Had an underground following for his libertarian beliefs in small government and had the voting record to prove it
      • Decided to run for President of the United States for 2008; gathered a large following
      • Broke online fund-raising records
      • Following was enthusiastic, creative and truly libertarian
        • Despite his popularity on the Internet and in activist circles, Paul did not come close to getting the nomination of the Republican Party
        • Nevertheless, he energized a whole new base of liberty minded individuals, many of which have become extremely active in their local communities in their efforts to “take back” the Republican Party
        • Is quite possibly the standard bearer for libertarianism currently

Contact me at corey.moore@atlasmediaonline.com. I will answer your questions on the air if you would like, so make note of it in the email.