Libertarian Conservatism
"The true patriot is motivated by a sense of responsibility and out of self-interest for himself, his family, and the future of his country to resist government abuse of power. He rejects the notion that patriotism means obedience to the state."
"The relationship between libertarianism and conservatism is one of praxeological compatibility, sociological complementarity, and reciprocal reinforcement."
Libertarian Conservatism (BertCon) also known as Fusionism, Conservative Libertarianism (ConBert) or Conservatarianism is an economically and culturally right-wing libertarian ideology who is a combination of Conservatism and
Libertarianism, pretty similar to
Paleolibertarianism, although one could also see Libertarian Conservatism as a group of ideologies rather than a uniform movement, and
Paleolibertarianism as a sub-group within it.
It advocates for the greatest economic freedom and least possible government interference, both in the economy and social life as a whole, mirroring Classical Liberal
Laissez-Faire
Capitalism. It prioritizes liberty and freedom of choice and believes this will help to serve conservative ends. It emphasizes the role of authority and duty in social life[17].
It can be seen as ideology which emphasizes the promotion of civil liberties and civil society through conservative institutions, such as the family, religion, among others, and authority, while still trying to reduce the overall coercive power and authority derivative from the state.[18]
A few Libertarian Conservatives hold some socially liberal beliefs on issues like drug legalization or gay rights, but oppose most modern progressive movements and side with conservatives in the culture war. These types are most commonly referred to as South Park Republicans, named after the popular animated show that is said to have first popularized this mindset.
History
The term started to be known when a prominent contributor in the National Review, a conservative editorial, Frank Meyer, described his ideology as a fusion of Libertarian and
Conservative ideals in the 1950's[19].
In his most influential book, In Defense of Freedom, Meyer defined freedom in what Isaiah Berlin would label "negative" terms, as the minimization of the use of coercion by the state in its essential role of preventing one person's freedom from intruding upon another's.
Barry Goldwater
"The conservative movement is founded on the simple tenet that people have the right to live life as they please as long as they don't hurt anyone else in the process."
Barry Goldwater
Barry Goldwater was the Republican senator of Arizona from 1953-1965 and 1969-1987. At the time he was considered to be on the "fringe right-wing" of the party for his opposition to the legacy of the
New Deal and support of
laissez-faire economics, as this had alienated the more moderate and liberal wings of his party. Despite being a member of the NAACP and a supporter of desegregation, Goldwater had reluctantly voted against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 because he believed it partially violated the rights of businesses. He was selected as the
GOP's presidential candidate in 1964, where he lost by a landslide against the
Democratic President
Lyndon B. Johnson, after being successfully portrayed as a
far-right extremist by LBJ's campaign. Although losing, his campaign is credited for pushing the GOP to the right and helping inspire the rise of
Ronald Reagan. Despite his stanchly conservative views, he advocated for desegregation in the US military. Goldwater's views on social and cultural issues grew increasingly more libertarian over time nearing the end of his career (he believed that they were an integral part of true conservatism) as by the mid-1980s , he had spoken out in support of
the LGBT+ people being able to serve in the military,
environmental protection, abortion rights and the legalization of medical marijuana.
Ron Paul
Then, in the year 1975, former President of the United States,
Ronald Reagan, in an interview with Reason, trying to appeal to Libertarian circles, declared to "believe the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism"[20]. Although he was later criticized by many Libertarians, including
Murray Rothbard[21] and
Ron Paul, who was previously a supporter of Reagan.
Ron Paul later declared being disillusioned with Reagan's administration and expressed his disgust on many policies, such as the 1981 budget bill, and apologized for supporting the former President Ronald Reagan and resigned as congressman.[22].
Murray Rothbard
Radically influenced by Classical Liberalism and
anti-regulationism along with being a big advocator of anti-war policies, Rothbard who had become the most influential figure on
US Libertarianism[23] strongly influenced and re-shaped the Old Right movement, after his departure from his alliance with the New Left (Especially within
Market Anarchist circles), which he helped to shape as well and used to build relationships with other Libertarian sectors.
Rothbard, after breaking with said sector of the New Left, had started to involve more and more in an alliance with the growing Paleoconservative movement, seen by many observers, within
Libertarian and non-Libertarian circles, as flirting with
racism and
social reaction[24][25].
Rothbard then, regarding these critiques, suggested that Libertarians needed to appeal and make themselves look 'more acceptable' to
socially and culturally conservative people, who are a big portion of the American population.
Paleolibertarians
After some time of this alliance with the Paleoconservative movement some Libertarians, such as Lew Rockwell[26] or Jeffrey Tucker, started self-identifying with the term "Paleolibertarian", more specifically a
Christian wing of it. These Libertarians continued their opposition to all forms of government intervention, including cultural and social, while still upholding cultural conservatism in social thought and behavior. They opposed a Licentious Libertarianism which advocated for "freedom from bourgeois morality, and social authority."[26]
Rockwell later stated to have dropped that self-description[27] because people confused it with a form of "socially-right wing Libertarianism", definition which Libertarians such as Rockwell rejected, instead opting to define it in opposition to "Beltway/Establishment Libertarians". Rockwell also affirmed that Paleoconservatives could be seen as "reducing liberty, not increasing it, through a form of publicly subsidized right to trespass."[28]
Hans-Hermann Hoppe
More recently, and still worth taking note of on the topic of Libertarian Conservative thinkers, we have Hoppe, whose ideology is yet another form of
Libertarian Conservatism and/or
Paleolibertarianism. Hoppe argues that property rights imply exclusion/discrimination, and property owners could establish what he calls private "covenant communities" and may (or may not) agree to exclude certain people, depending on what the owners in said community prefer.
He also regards ostracism towards certain people within certain community as a viable way of "peacefully relocating" in case the members of the community desire so, by which their relocation is directly advocated for yet does not employ the iniciation of force.[29]
Hoppe made the argument in favor of ostracism refering especially to certain groups such as Socialists, and
Democracy advocators, who he regarded as a threat to the
libertarian social order in the long run. But, although he's commonly believed that Hoppe hates
Homosexuals, he doesn't (directly) advocate for ostracism towards them (and similar groups), the quote used as proof of his homophobia are simply examples of people covenant communities could exclude. However, Hoppe has regarded them (homosexuals) as "higher-time preferenced people" and, as was already said, posed the possibility of them being excluded from
family-oriented communities.
Hoppe also became even more controversial among Libertarian circles for his advocacy on restricted immigration[30] and his critiques to mainstream Libertarian movements, declaring that Libertarianism should become a culturally conservative movement in nature.[31]
Hoppe also has argued for the superiority of government systems such as Monarchism or
Aristocracy above the such as
Democracy. Although he has stated that, though he believes these systems are superior to democracy, he is not an supporter of them.[32][33]
Janusz Korwin-Mikke 
In Poland, Janusz Korwin-Mikke, created a Libertarian Conservative movement around him with certain peculiarities, for example: being favorable to the restoration of the
Monarchy in Poland, having anti-democratic positions (Although some Korwinists are not monarchists and instead propose a
Presidentialist Republic
). They're also in favor of Euroscepticism and
Laissez-Faire
Capitalism.
The party has various factions within itself even if for the most part it is simply a
Paleolibertarian
Minarchist-leaning party. It counts with an
Anarcho-Capitalist faction, a
Republican faction, a
Paleoconservative faction, a
Conservative Liberal faction, among others.
Variants
Ron Paul Libertarianism
Ron Paul Libertarianism is the political philosophy of former Texas congressman and 1988, 2008, and 2012 Presidential candidate, Ron Paul. According to some political scientists, Ron Paul had the most Conservative voting record of any member of Congress between 1937 to 2002.[34] He gained the nickname "Dr. No" due to his insistence that he will never vote for any legislation unless the proposed measure is explicitly authorized in
The Constitution. Paul is a strong anti-interventionist, criticizing
Neoconservetive foreign policy in the Middle East arguing that meddling in the region inadvertently caused 9/11. On economic issues, Paul is a proponent of
The Austrian School of Economics and is a strong advocate of
Fiscal Conservatism. He promised to never vote to raise taxes and states he has never voted to approve a budget deficit. Furthermore Paul is a strong advocate of ending
The Federal Reserve System. On social issues, Paul himself is personally against drug use and same-sex marriage, however he also believes that the government should not have the authority to regulate drugs or marriage.
Sowellism
Personality and Behavior
- Usually portrayed as a combination of Boomer behavior with Boogaloo style Libertarianism.
- "LGBT stands for Liberty, Guns, Beer and Tru-uh I mean, Taxation is theft!"
- "Darn kids, get off my property!"
- His favourite cartoon is South Park.
How to Draw
US style
- Draw a ball
- Make the bottom half two thirds yellow
- Make the top blue, add 3 white stars in the area
- Optional props:
- Sunglasses
- Firearms, like an AR15 or a Remington shotgun
- A can of beer
- Draw the eyes, and you're done!
Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
---|---|---|---|
Yellow | #FDDA2B | rgb(253, 218, 43) | |
Blue | #3F47CD | rgb(63, 71, 205) | |
White | #FFFFFF | rgb(255, 255, 255) |
Snake-flag style

- Draw a ball
- Fill it with light cyan
- Draw a black coiled rattlesnake in the middle, with grass right under it
- Under the snake write some variation of "DON'T TREAD ON ME", like "no step on snek"
- Add the eyes
You're done!
Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
---|---|---|---|
Light Cyan | #0183BE | rgb(1, 131, 190) | |
Grass Green | #194619 | rgb(25, 70, 25) | |
Black | #141414 | rgb(20, 20, 20) |
UK style
- Draw a ball
- Color the ball gold
- Draw on a black squiggly tree (logo of the Tories) in the middle
- Add two eyes
- (Optional) Give the ball an SA80
You are done!
Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
---|---|---|---|
Gold | #FDDA2B | rgb(253, 218, 43) | |
Black | #141414 | rgb(20, 20, 20) |
Relationships
Friends
National Libertarianism &
Paleolibertarianism - We're almost an exact ideological match, one is more nationalist and the other is more conservative than me, respectively.
Hoppeanism - My most radical self.
Mentzenism - The grandson from Poland of the above, I love your style in agitating leftists.
Conservatism - I'm a small wing within associated parties, so he has a lot of appeal to me.
Libertarianism - Says sometimes I betray his principles by compromising with Conservatism. Still based.
Conservative Liberalism - Good brother of mine! Slightly more statist but alike otherwise!
Classical Liberalism - ‘‘I hereby reclaim the word "liberal" for classical liberalism. This serves as an official notice.’’ - Justin Amash
Christian Libertarianism - Church buddy.
Homoconservatism - Gays should be allowed to get married, and Christian bakers don't have to make them wedding cakes.
Alt-Lite - Relatable and honest guy.
Frenemies
Korwinism - Crazy son from Poland who has good takes but embarasses me sometimes.
Liberaltarianism - I didn't know Democrats had some libertarians in there...
Pink Capitalism and
Bleeding-Heart Libertarianism - I don't exactly hate you... you're better than the regular progs, but that's it. Still kind of degenerate.
Anarcho-Conservatism - That's not what I meant by "minimizing the state"... But they're alright, I guess.
Reactionary Libertarianism - I like the fact you like liberty and conservatism but im not sure about going back to the feudal ages and sometimes I question that you are even libertarian in the first place.
Objectivism - Babe, we're soulmates! Wait, you're an atheist? And pro-choice? And you hate
Reagan? At least you hate feminism...
Paleoconservatism - He leans my ways sometimes, but he's just too statist a lot of the time.
Neo-Libertarianism - Your goals are noble, but how do you expect to fund your war's without raising taxes on people?
Libertarian Feminism - A woman has a right to an abortion. That's a decision that's up to the pregnant woman, not up to the pope or some do-gooders or the Religious Right. - Barry Goldwater. Other than that, it's complicated...
Thatcherism - Great economic and social views, but Statism and Neoconservatism are terrible.
Confederalism - States' rights are important but they have limits.
Trumpism - Big fan of your tax cuts and what you've done to revive the conservative movement. But please stop trampling on civil liberties.
Tuckerism - You used to be based, but then you abandoned me.
Zionism - Shapiro, Loudon, Gaetz and Feiglin likes you but some of us are not very pro-intervention.
Enemies
Authoritarian Conservatism &
Reactionaryism - I am a conservative Republican, but I believe in democracy and the separation of church and state. The conservative movement is founded on the simple tenet that people have the right to live life as they please as long as they don't hurt anyone else in the process. - Barry Goldwater
Neoconservatism - This whole idea that we have to be in 130 countries and 900 bases... is an old-fashioned idea. - Ron Paul
Totalitarian Progressivism - My opposite.
Liberal Feminism - Just another statist puppet.
Marxist Feminism - F*ck off.
Libertarian Socialism &
Conservative Socialism - Awful oxymorons.
Glenn Greenwald is based tho.Marxism–Leninism - Totalitarian, Imperialist, Preachy Prick!
Trotskyism - Unlike your brethren, you don't even have a based foreign policy! Global communism... shiver me timbers.
Maoism - Totalitarian, Commie and Progressive. Literally my TRUE opposite.
Hoxhaism - Even WORSE then the above somehow.
At least you abolished taxes.Financialism - End the Fed!
Corporatocracy - What if "private" corporations, that are intimately tied to the government, do the things that government itself is legally forbidden from doing? This loophole has brought us the circumstances that we deal with today. - Ron Paul.
Kleptocracy - The government is a criminal organization.
Keynesian School - YOU DON'T THINK GOLD IS MONEY?!
Alt-Right - Eric Cartman as a serious ideology.
Gallery
Portraits
-
Old portrait
-
Old portrait, lower resolution
Comics and Artwork
Further Information
Wikipedia
People
Americans
- Ron Paul
- Rand Paul
- Barry Goldwater
- Justin Amash
- Frank Meyer
- William F. Buckley Jr.
- Ben Shapiro
- Calvin Coolidge
- Glenn Beck
- Larry Elder
- Tammy Bruce
- Dennis Miller
- Thomas Sowell
- Austin Petersen
- Milton Friedman
- P. J. O'Rourke
- Amity Shlaes
- Arthur C. Brooks
Non-americans
Janusz Korwin-Mikke
Peter Thiel
Maxime Bernier
Daniel Hannan
Mikhail Svetov
Moshe Feiglin
Paulo Kogos
Arthur do Val
Otto Guevara Guth
José Piñera
Teresa Marinovic
Parties and Organizations
Tea Party movement
Republican Liberty Caucus
Libertarians for Life
Sovereign citizen movement
Libertarian Party of Russia
Libertarian Movement
Real Politics Union
Liberty and Lawfulness
Congress of the New Right
KORWiN
People's Party of Canada
ACT New Zealand
Libertarian, Direct, Democratic
Zehut
Liberty Advances
Literature
- In Defense of Freedom and Related Essays by
Frank Meyer
- The Conservatarian Manifesto by
Charles C. W. Cooke
- The Ten Things You Can't Say in America by
Larry Elder
- Losing the Race: Self-Sabotage in Black America by
John McWhorter
- Basic Economics by
Thomas Sowell | Audiobook
- Applied Economics by
Thomas Sowell | Audiobook
- The Thomas Sowell Reader by
Thomas Sowell
- Black Rednecks and White Liberals by
Thomas Sowell | Audiobook
- The Revolution: A Manifesto by
Ron Paul
- Liberty Defined: 50 Essential Issues That Affect Our Freedom by
Ron Paul
Articles
- what is a conservatarian?
- What Exactly is a Conservatarian?
- Libertarianism and abortion by Laurence M. Vance
- A strategy for the right by Murray N. Rothbard
- Conservatives and Libertarians Natural Allies by GG Perez
- Self-Ownership, Abortion and Rights of Children:Toward a More Conservative Libertarianism by Edward Fesser
Channels
Notes
References
- ↑ Justin Raimondo, Dave Rubin, Ole von Beust, Peter Thiel, Fernando Holiday, Milo Yiannopoulos and others
- ↑ W:Mikhail_Svetov#Political_activity,
Wikipedia
- ↑ In American politics, fusionism is the philosophical and political combination or "fusion" of traditionalist and social conservatism with political and economic right-libertarianism. Fusionism combines "free markets, social conservatism, and a hawkish foreign policy". - wikipedia
- ↑ https://www.usnews.com/news/blogs/washington-whispers/2011/09/22/ron-paul-says-all-modern-presidents-including-reagan-stink
- ↑ Ron Paul: ‘I’m not pro-Russian. I’m pro-facts’
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Paul_newsletters
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "America must demand a change in behavior from those who do not accept Israel’s right to exist, actively seek the destruction of the State of Israel, and murder innocent Israelis. My amendment would have done just that."
- ↑ "Rand Paul Supports Some Military Bases On Foreign Soil, A Big Difference From His Dad"
- ↑ "WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) will force a vote in the U.S. Senate on his joint resolution of disapproval (S.J.Res.117) to stop the Biden Administration from making Ukraine’s debt the responsibility of the American people. Specifically, the joint resolution of disapproval prohibits the Biden Administration’s cancellation of $4.65 billion of debt owed by Ukraine to U.S. taxpayers. The Biden Administration’s proposal shifts the burden of funding Ukraine’s small businesses, farmers, and corrupt bureaucrats onto the backs of hardworking Americans, who are already suffering during a time of high inflation.
- ↑ "“American culture is now normalizing the idea that minors can be given hormones,” Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said on Thursday, likening standards of care for transgender minors to castration and female circumcision and blaming increasing rates of trans-identified youth on “the social pressure to conform and do what others do.”"
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_conservatism
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ https://www.nicolaporro.it/il-viaggio-in-america-della-donna-che-rese-grande-mussolini/
- ↑ Mikhail Svetov said that in libertarian society disabled people will have to perform in freak shows in order to become financially independent, giving as an example people who took a part in such shows and became rich.
- ↑ Mikhail Svetov said that left-wingers have good intentions but use wrong methods to fulfill them.
- ↑ Mikhail Svetov said that Amish System is a good example of anarcho-capitalist private jurisdiction.
- ↑ Heywood 2015, p. 37
- ↑ Hans Hermann Hermann (2018). Getting Libertarianism Right
- ↑ Feser, Edward (December 22, 2001). "What Libertarianism Isn't".
- ↑ [2]
- ↑ Rothbard, Murray (1984). [3]. Free Life: The Journal of the Libertarian Alliance. Libertarian Alliance. '4 (1): 1–7. Retrieved September 20, 2020 – via the Mises Institute.
- ↑ Kutzmann, David M. (May 24, 1988). "Small Party Battles Big Government Libertarian Candidate Opposes Intrusion into Private Lives". San Jose Mercury News: 12A.
- ↑ Raimondo, Enemy 372-83.
- ↑ Sheffield, Matthew (2 September 2016). "Where did Donald Trump get his racialized rhetoric? From libertarians" The Washington Post.
- ↑ Lewis, Matt (23 August 2017). "The Insidious Libertarian-to-Alt-Right Pipeline". The Daily Beast.
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 Rockwell, Lew. "The Case for Paleo-libertarianism" (PDF) on September 7, 2018.
- ↑ Kenny Johnsson, Do You Consider Yourself a Libertarian?, interview with Lew Rockwell, May 25, 2007.
- ↑ Rockwell, Llewellyn H. (May 2, 2002). "What I Learned From Paleoism".
- ↑ Hoppe, Hans-Hermann (11 April 2005). "My Battle With The Thought Police". Mises Institute. Retrieved 20 September 2020.
- ↑ Libertarian Papers Vol. 8, No. 1 (2016); Public Property and the Libertarian immigration debate by Simon Guenzl.
- ↑ Hans-Hermann Hoppe, Democracy: The God That Failed (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction 2001) 189.
- ↑ From Aristocracy to Monarchy to Democracy by Hans-Hermann Hoppe (2014).
- ↑ Democracy: The God that failed by Hans-Hermann Hoppe (2016).
- ↑ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ron_Paul#Political_positions