Despite the dominance of the two party system in American politics, a majority of American voters neither identify as Republicans or Democrats. In a country as large and diverse as the US, it makes sense that things are in reality much more complicated than the liberal/conservative divide. An increasing number of voters identify as libertarians, with the Libertarian Party being the third largest and fastest growing party in the country. Despite the increasing number of individuals identifying as libertarians, there is still some confusion as to how libertarianism differs and overlaps with conservatism.
Understanding the Differences
While many tenets of libertarianism and conservatism appear to share similarities, they are different ideologies. According to the Libertarian Party, libertarians are neither liberal nor conservative, but have many stances that could fall in either party, however, it is more complicated than that.
Libertarians value personal as well as economic freedom, believing that individual liberty is the key to society. The freer the people, the better the society. Economic freedom by lowering or eliminating taxes, shrinking the central government to a minimal state, isolationist tendencies, fair trade, drastically removing smothering bureaucracy and regulations for businesses as well as charitable welfare, rather than government welfare, are some of the biggest platforms libertarians believe in. Socially, they are inclusive and believe that individuals should be free to choose their own way of living as long as they do not infringe on others’ rights. Libertarians are against all laws that attempt to control someone’s personal lives such as restrictions on same-sex marriage, abortion, gun control and the criminalization of drugs and victimless crimes that do not infringe upon the rights of others. Libertarians are fiscally conservative and socially liberal, with the idea that the individual should possess as much freedom as possible, with little, if any, interference from the government. Libertarian principles are based around the cooperation and consent of the individual, and want to leave the government out of their lives as much as possible.
This is in contrast to conservatism, which may appear similar to libertarianism on the surface, but upon closer inspection has many differences. Conservatives seek to preserve or conserve, hence their name, the institutions that made the country what is it today. Traditional values, personal responsibility, limited government and strong national defense are some of the tenets of conservatism. Conservatives feel that the role of the government is to empower the individual to solve their own problems. While these may appear to be many of the same beliefs held by libertarians, conservatives have shown to be much more likely to support interfering in other country’s affairs, restricting personal freedom such as opposition to social issues such as same-sex marriage, the abortion issue as well as being against illegal immigration. Conservatives are also more likely to support increased military spending, which libertarians oppose.
Why the Difference Matters
While it is easy to say that liberals are Democrats and conservatives are Republican, in reality it is more complicated than that. There are many members of Congress who identify as conservative Democrats, such as Joe Manchin, senator from West Virginia, and Ben McAdams, representative from Utah, as well as members of the Republican party who hold many strong libertarian views, such as Rand Paul, senator from Kentucky and Mike Lee, senator from Utah. Because political parties in the US are so large and diverse, it is important to understand the individual candidate’s stances and beliefs, and not to simply vote based on party.
Particularly in election years such as this one, it is important to understand where each party stands on the key issues and how they affect the average voter. Many people may find themselves holding strong libertarian views but feeling they must choose between Republicans or Democrats. Likewise, someone may feel very strongly on certain social issues, but feel there is a need for a fiscally conservative government, and that neither Democrat nor Republican is the right choice. In that case, the Libertarian party and its 2020 presidential candidate Jo Jorgensen might be the candidate they are looking for. Understanding the difference when someone claims to be conservative or libertarian could help undecided voters make up their mind when choosing who to vote for.
