Is There a Libertarian Case for Bernie Sanders?

[Brian4Liberty]

Is There a Libertarian Case for Bernie Sanders? Not That I've Seen
The Vermont socialist and ice-cream flavor is too far left on economic freedoms & not libertarian enough elsewhere.
By Nick Gillespie | Feb. 9, 2016

Over at The Daily Beast (disclosure: I'm a columnist there), Andrew Kirell struggles valiantly to make "the libertarian case for Bernie Sanders," going so far as to enlist some of the greatest minds of this and every other era and still coming up with bupkis.

The logic goes: With a Republican-controlled Congress—or one remotely close to its current makeup—President Sanders would have a tough time getting his most radical economic policies passed, leaving him to fight for the civil liberties causes that matter to liberals and libertarians alike: e.g., reforms to the criminal justice system, the ongoing drug war, and the government’s surveillance efforts.

In other words, backing a Sanders presidency would mean wagering that Sanders’ most left-wing economic policies wouldn’t come to fruition. And that he’d pull a conservative Congress to the left on civil liberties issues, with the help of cross-partisan allies like Sens. Rand Paul and Mike Lee.
​

The Cato Institute's David Boaz notes that we've already got a Democratic president and a Republican Congress and this stuff isn't happening.
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More: http://reason.com/blog/2016/02/09/is-there-a-libertarian-case-for-bernie-s

 

[torchbearer]

The case would be made it is better to burn the whole system down quickly with extremely bad policies, than to slow boil the frogs to death slowly over time with not as bad policies.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

The case would be made it is better to burn the whole system down quickly with extremely bad policies, than to slow boil the frogs to death slowly over time with not as bad policies.

The Obama '08 hypothesis. It failed.

 

[jmdrake]

No libertarian case. But I do hope Sanders beats Hillary. We don't need the wife of a pedophile as head of state.

 

[randomname]

Yes:

http://politicalcompass.org/uselection2016

 

[euphemia]

No. Absolutely not. A man who thinks rich people should pay 90% in income taxes to the government is nowhere near libertarian. Remember, every time a politician thinks citizens owe the government something, it means that politician is prepared to bring the full force of the government against the citizen to bring about the poltician's end.

 

[69360]

No, no case at all. There may be a few issues I agree with him on, but mostly we are far apart. However I do think he is honest and I respect him. I think he is trying to do good by running for potus and is not in it for personal gain or power. If the choices are Trump and Sanders, I will go with Sanders. Better to be robbed by a socialist than killed by fascist authoritarian.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

Yes:

http://politicalcompass.org/uselection2016

That certainly proves the bias of the person who made that chart. There is no evidence whatsoever for those scores.

 

[Brian4Liberty]

No libertarian case. But I do hope Sanders beats Hillary. We don't need the wife of a pedophile as head of state.

A vote against Hillary makes some sense. Lesser of two evils is a valid reason for a specific vote, assuming a person is a registered Democrat and those are the only two options in that Primary.

 

[unknown]

No. Absolutely not. A man who thinks rich people should pay 90% in income taxes to the government is nowhere near libertarian. Remember, every time a politician thinks citizens owe the government something, it means that politician is prepared to bring the full force of the government against the citizen to bring about the poltician's end.

He sincerely believes that central planning works, that government knows better than you and that they should forcibly take your money in the process.

Coercion and theft is fine with Sanders as long as government is doing it.

Has he said a couple of good things about private prisons and marijuana? Sure.

But other than that, hes a socialist who wants to run your life.

And we know his true colors, he sided with the Fed and the banksters.

Ron Paul says Bernie Sanders 'sold out' on Fed amendment.

He will absolutely sign an "Assault" Weapons Ban, its not even a question.

His one or two reasonable statements dont outweigh his incredibly flawed way of thinking which history has proven, DOES NOT WORK.

 

[redmed]

The Obama '08 hypothesis. It failed.

I fully agree.

 

[Badger Paul]

There would be if Bernie would only make it.

 

[derek4ever]

I could've understood somebody supporting a candidate like Gravel but not Bernie. Still hope Bernie gets the nod just to avoid having Hillary on the ballot!

 

[Liberty74]

Sanders is against individualism. He believes in the power of the state which will make you a slave to such state.

So HELL no there is not a liberarian case.