For the last 21 years the Republican Party has been defined by the struggle between a Conservative base and a cynical Establishment that uses red meat rhetoric to win support of the base, but then once in power do nothing for them. Although the GOP pays lip service to economic freedom and fiscal responsibility, the record has been one that any Socialist can be proud of. This contradiction has made it virtually impossible for the Republican Party to win the Presidency. Despite Obama’s failures, Democrats are odds on favorite to win in 2016 because of their advantage in the electoral college and their broad based demographic coalition. However, something is occurring on the Right that can remake the electoral landscape.
Since last November’s defeat, many Republican leaning voters are starting to reassess their views. Most Republican voters are neither base Conservatives nor Establishment. Most tend to be economically Conservative and socially Libertarian. However, because of the Establishment-Base monopoly, their voices have been muted. Now with the Rise of Rand Paul, this silent majority of Republican voters finally have found their identity. Many are now embracing the label Libertarian to distinguish themselves from base Conservatives and the cynical Establishment. A new poll shows the growing clout of the Libertarian movement within the Republican Party.
A new poll confirms a libertarian renaissance in 2013.
FreedomWorks commissioned a national survey of registered voters last month, shared first with POLITICO, that finds 78 percent of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents self-identify as fiscally conservative and socially moderate.
It’s not that Republicans are suddenly self-identifying as “libertarians” and devouring Ayn Rand novels, but more that they seem to be embracing underlying libertarian priorities and views about the role of government.
[….]The poll asked Republican voters what they are most interested in: 40 percent said “individual freedom through lower taxes and reducing the size and scope of government,” 27 percent picked “traditional values” and 18 percent chose a “strong national defense.”
[….]Social issues have become less salient to GOP voters: 41 percent said gay marriage is not one of their top 10 issues. Asked about abortion, about one-third said it is one of the top three issues they care about; another third said it is not in the top three but somewhere in the top 10 and the final third said it is not one of their top 10 concerns.
One-quarter of Republicans self-identified as “libertarian” or “lean libertarian.” Of Republicans, 42 percent view the term “libertarian” favorably and 10 percent don’t know it.
[….]
Told that libertarians generally believe individuals should be free to do as they like as long as they don’t hurt others and that the government should keep out of people’s day-to-day lives, 58 percent of the full national sample said they agree.
A slight majority, 52 percent, said government should not promote any particular set of values, compared with 40 percent who think government should promote “traditional values.”
[….]
The poll also challenges some widely held perceptions of the millennial generation. The survey oversampled younger people to get a better sense of the difference between the views of those ages 18 to 24, many of whom have not had full-time jobs, and 25-to-32-year-olds who have spent a few years in the working world. Asked if they favor “smaller government with fewer services but lower taxes,” 51 percent of the youngest group said yes compared with 64 percent of the slightly older group.
