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Libertarians and the Left
I posted this to Facebook a bit ago and share it here unedited:
I am mystified by people who think it’s a horrible idea for libertarians to try to work with the left on issues of common concern. The long-standing attempt by many libertarians to work with the right has brought us such loveliness as alt-right assholes calling themselves libertarians, people who don’t understand that freedom of movement and contract applies across political boundaries, people who wish to bomb innocent brown people in the name of supposed liberty, and the perception that we are all a bunch of Gordon Geckos who just like to smoke dope.
Yeah, that work with the right has been really successful….
Look, Johnson and Weld courted the left and did better than any other LP candidates ever. The causal relationship might be weak there, but let’s at least explore it. And the menace that is Cheeto Mussolini demands that those of us who care about liberty and limits to state power work with all reasonable people who share those concerns on specific issues.
Plus, as I’ve argued over and over: the history of classical liberalism and libertarianism is that we came from the left. We have a progressive heritage. If libertarianism means anything, it’s that we understand that markets and cultures are dynamic, emergent orders that lead to human progress for all, and globally. In the 19th century, classical liberals were on the “right side of history” pretty much up and down the line. There is nothing in libertarianism that should make us hesitate about working with the left on issues of shared concern.
What is it about the status quo that we want to conserve?
“The liberal position is based on courage and confidence, on a preparedness to let change run its course even if we cannot predict where it will lead.” – Hayek, “Why I am Not a Conservative”