Libertarian Democrat
Encyclopedia
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
. While libertarian Democrats can be found throughout the United States, most elected officials viewed as such are more commonly from New England or the western United States.
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. That being said, groups made up of the party membership, like the Democratic Freedom Caucus do exist. The Democratic Freedom Caucus was established in 1996 by Hanno Beck, Mike O'Mara and Andrew Spark. The caucus maintains a platform, a list of principles, and a guide for activists. The group's leadership currently includes includes 40 state chairs and regional representatives.
They are more likely than most Democrats to support tax cuts, Second Amendment rights, same-sex marriage
, the decriminalization
of marijuana
and a non-interventionist foreign policy. They are more likely to oppose deficit spending
, protectionism
, subsidies (especially to corporations
) race-based affirmative action
and many regulations on small businesses.
Libertarian Democrats are staunchly civil libertarians agreeing with the national party's stances on civil rights
, separation of church and state
, habeas corpus
for unlawful combatants
and oppose indefinite detention
without trial or charge, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, the USA PATRIOT Act
and warrantless wiretapping
.
While maintaining a relatively libertarian ideology they differ with the Libertarian Party
on issues such as consumer protection
, health care reform
, worker and union's rights
, anti-trust laws and the overall amount of government involvement in the economy.
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, opposed anti-immigrant nativism and expansion of voting rights. 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.
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 old classical liberal ideals 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
, Bill Richardson, Brian Schweitzer
and other Democrats who had won in states where Second Amendment rights are important to many voters. The resulting umbrella stance on gun control brought in libertarian minded voters, influencing other beliefs.
Libertarianism
Libertarianism, in the strictest sense, is the political philosophy that holds individual liberty as the basic moral principle of society. In the broadest sense, it is any political philosophy which approximates this view...
leaning political viewpoints or views that are relatively libertarian compared to the views of the national party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
. While libertarian Democrats can be found throughout the United States, most elected officials viewed as such are more commonly from New England or the western United States.
While other factions of the Democratic Party
Factions in the Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party of the United States is composed of various factions, with some overlap and enough agreement between them to coexist with each other within the party.-Progressive Democrats:...
are organized in the Congress, like with the Congressional Progressive Caucus
Congressional Progressive Caucus
The Congressional Progressive Caucus is the largest caucus within the Democratic caucus in the United States Congress with 83 declared members, and works to advance progressive issues and positions....
, Blue Dog Coalition and the New Democrat Coalition
New Democrat Coalition
The New Democrat Coalition is a Congressional Member Organization within the United States Congress made up of Democrats who support an agenda that the organization describes as moderate and pro-growth. A July 2009 Press release described the organization as "the largest moderate coalition in the U.S...
, the libertarian faction is not organized in such a way. That being said, groups made up of the party membership, like the Democratic Freedom Caucus do exist. The Democratic Freedom Caucus was established in 1996 by Hanno Beck, Mike O'Mara and Andrew Spark. The caucus maintains a platform, a list of principles, and a guide for activists. The group's leadership currently includes includes 40 state chairs and regional representatives.
Ideology
Libertarian Democrats support the majority of positions of the Democratic Party. However, Americans who self-identify as libertarian Democrats do not necessarily share identical viewpoints across the political spectrum, though there appear to be several political positions that unify them like their belief in personal freedoms.They are more likely than most Democrats to support tax cuts, Second Amendment rights, same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage is marriage between two persons of the same biological sex or social gender. Supporters of legal recognition for same-sex marriage typically refer to such recognition as marriage equality....
, the decriminalization
Decriminalization
Decriminalization or Decriminalisation is the abolition of criminal penalties in relation to certain acts, perhaps retroactively, though perhaps regulated permits or fines might still apply . The reverse process is criminalization.Decriminalization reflects changing social and moral views...
of marijuana
Cannabis
Cannabis is a genus of flowering plants that includes three putative species, Cannabis sativa, Cannabis indica, and Cannabis ruderalis. These three taxa are indigenous to Central Asia, and South Asia. Cannabis has long been used for fibre , for seed and seed oils, for medicinal purposes, and as a...
and a non-interventionist foreign policy. They are more likely to oppose deficit spending
Deficit spending
Deficit spending is the amount by which a government, private company, or individual's spending exceeds income over a particular period of time, also called simply "deficit," or "budget deficit," the opposite of budget surplus....
, protectionism
Protectionism
Protectionism is the economic policy of restraining trade between states through methods such as tariffs on imported goods, restrictive quotas, and a variety of other government regulations designed to allow "fair competition" between imports and goods and services produced domestically.This...
, subsidies (especially to corporations
Corporate welfare
Corporate welfare is a pejorative term describing a government's bestowal of money grants, tax breaks, or other special favorable treatment on corporations or selected corporations. The term compares corporate subsidies and welfare payments to the poor, and implies that corporations are much less...
) race-based affirmative action
Affirmative action
Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...
and many regulations on small businesses.
Libertarian Democrats are staunchly civil libertarians agreeing with the national party's stances on civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, separation of church and state
Separation of church and state
The concept of the separation of church and state refers to the distance in the relationship between organized religion and the nation state....
, habeas corpus
Habeas corpus in the United States
Habeas corpus , Latin for "you [shall] have the body," is the name of a legal action or writ by means of which detainees can seek relief from unlawful imprisonment...
for unlawful combatants
Unlawful combatant
An unlawful combatant or unprivileged combatant/belligerent is a civilian who directly engages in armed conflict in violation of the laws of war. An unlawful combatant may be detained or prosecuted under the domestic law of the detaining state for such action.The Geneva Conventions apply in wars...
and oppose indefinite detention
Indefinite detention
Indefinite detention is the incarceration of an arrested person by a national government or law enforcement agency without a trial. It is a controversial practice on the part of any government or agency that is in violation of many national and international laws, including human rights laws...
without trial or charge, the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, the USA PATRIOT Act
USA PATRIOT Act
The USA PATRIOT Act is an Act of the U.S. Congress that was signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 26, 2001...
and warrantless wiretapping
NSA warrantless surveillance controversy
The NSA warrantless surveillance controversy concerns surveillance of persons within the United States during the collection of foreign intelligence by the U.S. National Security Agency as part of the war on terror...
.
While maintaining a relatively libertarian ideology they differ with the Libertarian Party
Libertarian Party (United States)
The Libertarian Party is the third largest and fastest growing political party in the United States. The political platform of the Libertarian Party reflects its brand of libertarianism, favoring minimally regulated, laissez-faire markets, strong civil liberties, minimally regulated migration...
on issues such as consumer protection
Consumer protection
Consumer protection laws designed to ensure fair trade competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. The laws are designed to prevent businesses that engage in fraud or specified unfair practices from gaining an advantage over competitors and may provide additional...
, health care reform
Health care reform in the United States
Health care reform in the United States has a long history, of which the most recent results were two federal statutes enacted in 2010: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , signed March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 , which amended the PPACA and...
, worker and union's rights
Labor rights
Labor rights or workers' rights are a group of legal rights and claimed human rights having to do with labor relations between workers and their employers, usually obtained under labor and employment law. In general, these rights' debates have to do with negotiating workers' pay, benefits, and safe...
, anti-trust laws and the overall amount of government involvement in the economy.
Jefferson and Jackson
The Democratic Party was ideologically preceded by the Democratic-Republican Party. The Democratic-Republican Party was led by Thomas JeffersonThomas Jefferson
Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the United States Declaration of Independence and the Statute of Virginia for Religious Freedom , the third President of the United States and founder of the University of Virginia...
and largely shaped by his classical liberal beliefs
Classical liberalism
Classical liberalism is the philosophy committed to the ideal of limited government, constitutionalism, rule of law, due process, and liberty of individuals including freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and free markets....
. After the end of the First Party System
First Party System
The First Party System is a model of American politics used by political scientists and historians to periodize the political party system existing in the United States between roughly 1792 and 1824. It featured two national parties competing for control of the presidency, Congress, and the states:...
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
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
unified political figures around Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and his ideas of Jacksonian Democracy. Libertarian ideas within the party stood for low tariffs, opposed anti-immigrant nativism and expansion of voting rights. Factions such as New York City's Locofocos
Locofocos
The Locofocos were a radical faction of the Democratic Party that existed from 1835 until the mid-1840s. The faction was originally named the Equal Rights Party, and was created in New York City as a protest against that city’s regular Democratic organization . It contained a mixture of...
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
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
broke out.
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 alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
and fought for the gold standard. After decades of Republican dominance, Bourbon Democrat Grover Cleveland
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland was the 22nd and 24th president of the United States. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms and therefore is the only individual to be counted twice in the numbering of the presidents...
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
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan was an American politician in the late-19th and early-20th centuries. He was a dominant force in the liberal wing of the Democratic Party, standing three times as its candidate for President of the United States...
.
The old classical liberal ideals had lost their distinctiveness and appeal and by the time of the New Deal Coalition
New Deal coalition
The New Deal Coalition was the alignment of interest groups and voting blocs that supported the New Deal and voted for Democratic presidential candidates from 1932 until the late 1960s. It made the Democratic Party the majority party during that period, losing only to Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1952...
had all but faded away in favor of modern liberalism
Modern era
After the loss in 2004, the party reexamined its position on gun control which became a matter of discussion, brought up by Howard DeanHoward Dean
Howard Brush Dean III is an American politician and physician from Vermont. He served six terms as the 79th Governor of Vermont and ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination. He was chairman of the Democratic National Committee from 2005 to 2009. Although his U.S...
, Bill Richardson, Brian Schweitzer
Brian Schweitzer
Brian David Schweitzer is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is its 23rd and current governor, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60...
and other Democrats who had won in states where Second Amendment rights are important to many voters. The resulting umbrella stance on gun control brought in libertarian minded voters, influencing other beliefs.
U.S. representatives
- U.S. Rep. G.K. ButterfieldG. K. ButterfieldGeorge Kenneth Butterfield, Jr. is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 2004. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is located in the northeastern corner of the state.-Early life and education:...
of North Carolina - U.S. Rep. Mike ThompsonMike ThompsonMichael C. Thompson , is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes Napa, Lake, Mendocino, Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as well as parts of Yolo and Sonoma Counties....
of California - Former U.S. Rep. Paul HodesPaul HodesPaul Hodes is an attorney, musician, and the former U.S. Representative for , serving fom 2007 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He was New Hampshire's first Jewish representative....
of New Hampshire - Former U.S. Rep. Walt MinnickWalt MinnickWalter Clifford "Walt" Minnick is the former U.S. House of Representative for , serving from 2009 until 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
of Idaho - Former U.S. Rep. Tim PennyTim PennyTimothy Joe "Tim" Penny , is an American politician from Minnesota. Penny was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor member of the United States House of Representatives, 1983–1995, representing Minnesota's 1st congressional district in the 98th, 99th, 100th, 101st, 102nd and 103rd congresses.-Early life:Penny...
of Minnesota
U.S. senators
- U.S. Sen. Jon TesterJon TesterJon Tester is the junior U.S. Senator for Montana, serving since 2007. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He previously served as President of the Montana Senate.-Early life, education, and farming career:...
of Montana - U.S. Sen. Jim WebbJim WebbJames Henry "Jim" Webb, Jr. is the senior United States Senator from Virginia. He is also an author and a former Secretary of the Navy. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
of Virginia - Former U.S. Sen. Russ FeingoldRuss FeingoldRussell Dana "Russ" Feingold is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served as a Democratic party member of the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2011. From 1983 to 1993, Feingold was a Wisconsin State Senator representing the 27th District.He is a recipient of the John F...
of Wisconsin - Former U.S. Sen. Mike GravelMike GravelMaurice Robert "Mike" Gravel is a former Democratic United States Senator from Alaska, who served two terms from 1969 to 1981, and a former candidate in the 2008 presidential election....
of Alaska - Former U.S. Sen. William ProxmireWilliam ProxmireEdward William Proxmire was an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as a United States Senator from Wisconsin from 1957 to 1989.-Personal life:...
of Wisconsin
U.S. state governors
- Gov. John Lynch of New Hampshire
- Gov. John KitzhaberJohn KitzhaberJohn Albert Kitzhaber is the 37th Governor of Oregon. He served as the 35th Governor of Oregon from 1995 to 2003 and became the first person to be elected to the office three times when he was re-elected to a non-consecutive third term in 2010...
of Oregon - Gov. Brian SchweitzerBrian SchweitzerBrian David Schweitzer is an American politician from the U.S. state of Montana. Schweitzer is its 23rd and current governor, serving since January 2005. Schweitzer currently has one of the highest approval ratings among governors in the nation, with polls regularly showing a rating of above 60...
of Montana - Former Gov. John BaldacciJohn BaldacciJohn Elias Baldacci is an American politician who served as the 73rd Governor of the U.S. state of Maine from 2003 until 2011. A Democrat, he also served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1995 to 2003....
of Maine - Former Gov. Dave FreudenthalDave FreudenthalDavid Duane "Dave" Freudenthal , is an American politician who served as the 31st Governor of Wyoming. A Democrat, he was reelected to his second term on November 7, 2006, and announced on March 4, 2010, that he would not attempt to seek a third term as Governor.-Education and early...
of Wyoming - Former Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico
Others
- KGO RadioKGO (AM)KGO is a news/talk-format radio station radio with offices and studios in San Francisco, California. Unlike most other American news/talk stations, KGO originates nearly all of its own programming locally. Since 1978, KGO radio has received Arbitron's number-one ranking in the Bay Area...
host and former U.S. Presidential candidate Gene BurnsGene BurnsGene Burns is an American talk radio host. He hosts two programs which broadcast from the studios of KGO in San Francisco. The Gene Burns Program, a political and social commentary show, airs weeknights. Dining Around with Gene Burns, a food and wine program, airs weekly on Saturdays.-Early... - Former Democratic National CommitteeDemocratic National CommitteeThe Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
Press Secretary Terry Michael
See also
- Bourbon DemocratBourbon DemocratBourbon Democrat was a term used in the United States from 1876 to 1904 to refer to a member of the Democratic Party, conservative or classical liberal, especially one who supported President Grover Cleveland in 1884–1888/1892–1896 and Alton B. Parker in 1904. After 1904, the Bourbons faded away...
- Democratic Party (United States)Democratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
- Factions in the Democratic PartyFactions in the Democratic Party (United States)The Democratic Party of the United States is composed of various factions, with some overlap and enough agreement between them to coexist with each other within the party.-Progressive Democrats:...
- Libertarian RepublicanLibertarian RepublicanA libertarian Republican is a person who subscribes to libertarian philosophy while typically voting for and being involved with the United States Republican Party.Sometimes the terms republitarian or liberty Republican are used as well...
- Libertarian socialismLibertarian socialismLibertarian socialism is a group of political philosophies that promote a non-hierarchical, non-bureaucratic, stateless society without private property in the means of production...
External links
- Arnold KlingArnold KlingArnold Kling is a founder and co-editor of , an economics blog, along with Bryan Caplan and David Henderson.Kling graduated from Swarthmore College in 1975 and received a Ph.D. in economics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He worked as an economist in the Federal Reserve System from 1980...
: Dear Libertarian Democrats... - Dem.cc: Libertarian Democrat
- DemocraticFreedomCaucus.org
- FreedomDemocrats.org
- Freedom Democrats Wiki
- Liberal Values: Defending Liberty and Enlightened Thought
- Libertarian Democrat Point of View: An Eccentricity
- The Radical Moderate
- Terry Michael: Thoughts from a Libertarian Democrat
- (http://libertariandemocraticcaucus.org) Libertarian Democratic Caucus