We’re all libertarians now

According to David Boaz:

… it could be that most Americans are, in fact, liberals and conservatives. Maybe Gallup is wrong, every year. But the exit polls on election day 2004 offer some confirmation. According to those polls, 17 million voted for John Kerry but did not think the government should do more to solve the country’s problems. And 28 million Bush voters support either gay marriage or civil unions. That’s 45 million who don’t fit the polarized model. They seem to have broadly libertarian attitudes. In fact, it’s no secret that libertarian voters make up a chunk of America. But you’d never know it from watching TV — or listening to our elected politicians.

45 million Americans are “broadly libertarian”? Really? Wow. I never would have known it. After all, blacks are able to exert a great deal of influence on policy and votes with their minority voting bloc. Strange that the 45 million libertarians seem to make no headway. Could it be, hmm, that there are not anywhere near 45 million American libertarians? Methinks voting for Kerry while “not think[ing] the government should do more to solve the country’s problems”, or voting for Bush whil supporting gay marriage/unions doth not a libertarian make.

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3:25 pm on January 31, 2006