The Washington Post dissected Reason Magazine editor-in-chief Nick Gillespie‘s article titled “Libertarianism 3.0,” which analyzed three distinct epochs in the movement’s history.
Gillespie posits that the first wave spans the 1960’s and 70’s, when groups were deciding what it really meant to be a libertarian. Then the second wave, libertarianism 2.0 was the last thirty years, when the movement became its own separate ideological entity, distinct from a conservative movement that saw it as something of a red-headed step child.
Now Gillespie sees the modern-day movement as the third iteration, libertarianism 3.0, which he sees as following two distinct paths. The first path is the movement against identifying with a major party, which gives movement libertarians the ability to form short-term coalitions with people who are of like mind on important issues. One example he draws is the fight against the Stop Online Piracy Act and the senate version, the Protect Intellectual Property Act. Both of these initiatives were defeated by progressive/libertarian alliances.
The second path is the infiltration of the GOP by liberty-loving types who are infusing the party with more socially tolerant views on issues. Gillespie believes that soon libertarians could be driving the agenda on social and fiscal issues in the future. But is he right? Could a libertarian/conservative alliance work alongside a progressive/libertarian coalition? Can we set aside our differences on a variety of issues to be able to team up in the important areas where we actually agree?
All that and more on the Freedom Report podcast!
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