“I'm curious: based on your post, it seems as if you feel that Clinton is a more appealing candidate to libertarians than Sanders. Is that the case?”
No, not at all. Most of my fellow Libertarians don’t care for either Clinton or Sanders. On the contrary, in most matters I almost always place pragmatism ahead of ideology, groupthink, or emotional appeal. As a practicing engineer, the question for me professionally is whether I’ve come across a good-enough solution. That’s a justifiable compromise because the ideal solution is often unattainable due to a number of factors, from projected costs to push back from the client. Similarly, in the marketplace of ideas there is no guarantee that the best idea (or its proponent) will gain the most mindshare. Sometimes the numbers are simply not there to support a good idea or its proponent is not the ideal pitchperson for a particular target audience.
Also, we Libertarians are hardly a monolith. We come in all stripes which unfortunately would include several former friends of mine in the Tea Party offshoot. Nonetheless, the one tenet that we all cling to is the primacy of individual liberty. We universally abhor a tyrannical majority in any context. That was what led me to depart the Democratic party back in 2004. I had issues with John Edwards on the Democratic ticket long before details of his true character came to light. I grew up in NC and like many others at the time felt tremendous pressure to keep a lid on what was an open secret throughout the state for the sake of the election.
"Why would a libertarian pick out Clinton as the best candidate?"
Let me respond first by ruling out the competition.
Trump: a blow hard with airs of grandeur who fancies himself a king had he only been born in another place and time
Christie: a temperamental bull in a china shop who’s in it because his gig as governor of NJ is nearly up; probably has designs on becoming the US Attorney General under a GOP POTUS
Bush: a guy who’s in it only because his mom wants him to feel good about himself after being upstaged by his less capable brother who somehow stole his birthright
Cruz: an extreme right-wing ideologue who’d shut down public parks and put scores of hardworking federal employees out of work without flinching just to curry favor with those of his ilk
Rubio: a JFK & Obama-wannabee who spouts the same 25-sec bullet points prepared by his handlers scraped from the Rush Limbaugh website at every turn; thank you Christie for finally calling him out
Carson: a former idol of mine who’d make a better Christian youth counselor than POTUS; likely on the short-list to head up Health and Human Services or for the Surgeon General’s slot under a GOP POTUS which would be the mother of all controversies
Kasich: a fairly moderate and conservative governor of a recurring swing state who is the most presidential of the whole lot despite not gaining any traction; the one knock against is his less than stellar marks in the area of LGBT rights which put off many progressives
Fiorina: the woman who ran HP off the rails, took a golden parachute as a parting prize, and now believes that the world has amnesia
Sanders: a heckuva nice and principled guy who is arguably too anti-establishment and too far left to go all the way in the general election; I personally am not convinced that he’d be willing to do the deals necessary as POTUS to either prevent or work around congressional gridlock
Now onto Clinton:
She knows what losing feels like on the grandest of stages. The fact that she’s recovered from being humbled in 2008 and is able to soldier on is a testament to her iron will and resolve. That experience matters in spite of how it came about. If Obama’s presidency has shown us anything, it’s that his successor will need both of those attributes in spades. Both Nixon and Reagan stumbled the first time out as well so she’s in good company depending on your perspective.
Today, Hillary strikes me as a candidate prepared to enter a cage match with either Cruz or Trump if that’s what it takes to ensure victory in the general election. Hillary’s just as much establishment as Jeb Bush is but his side has shown in this election cycle that a milquetoast candidate will not take up residence at 1600 Penn Ave NW. I maintain that no Democrat who refuses to dance for his or her supper before the super PACs stands much chance either in what’s likely to be a $3 billion general election showdown.
#FactsMatter...your feelings not so much.
Updated On: 2/8/16 at 07:16 PM
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