Gauging the clout of libertarian politics in the United States depends a great deal on whether you capitalize the letter \"L.\" <\/p>\n
There are \"Big-L\" Libertarians-those registered with the Libertarian Party and represented by Gary Johnson in the 2012 election. The former New Mexico governor secured 1,275,950 votes, or nearly 1 percent of the national vote, a statistically insignificant figure but a record for Libertarian candidates nonetheless. Numbers at state levels are relatively small, too. Take California, for instance: According to Feb. 10 data from the secretary of state's office, 109,636 voters-or 0.63 percent-are registered with the party. <\/p>\n
Then there are the \"little-L\" libertarians-those who aren't necessarily registered but tend to adopt libertarian-tinged philosophies and talking points. Their numbers grow depending on how wide you cast the net. The Cato Institute, a conservative think tank, illustrated that idea in 2010: The more liberally you define libertarianism, the more people you can count. To wit: Fifty-nine percent of respondents to a Cato-commissioned poll dubbed themselves \"fiscally conservative and socially liberal;\" forty-four percent said they were \"fiscally conservative and socially liberal, also known as libertarian.\" That's a huge numerical difference from registration figures. <\/p>\n
Anecdotally, fervor has risen for both libertarian and Libertarian candidates, especially among younger voters. Consider the passion for Johnson and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who won a straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference in March, and for his father, Ron Paul, in the 2012 primaries. <\/p>\n
To glimpse into how small-government principles have drawn those young voters, Yahoo News asked libertarian-minded Americans to share their stories. Here are excerpts from first-person accounts they wrote this week. <\/p>\n
Libertarian thought a source of optimism <\/p>\n
Piyali Bhattacharya with Ron PaulIn high school, Piyali Bhattacharya had a bleeding heart-she says she was a \"very proud and outspoken liberal\"-and questioned U.S. involvement in wars and believed in free health care and education for all. She re-evaluated those political leanings in college when she found \"Google Ron Paul\" scribbled in chalk on a sidewalk. Now 24, she works for Young Americans for Liberty, a nonprofit organization in Washington D.C. <\/p>\n
In her words: <\/p>\n
Less than ten minutes of research confirmed that I had found a candidate whose stances resonated with my own on nearly every issue. But more importantly, this man had been consistent for years about the importance of civil liberties, of a limited, constitutional government, of free market Austrian economics-and just how far politics and policy in America had strayed from those tenets,\" she writes. <\/p>\n
War is still unpleasant when we are engaged in unconstitutional, unsustainable, and costly foreign intervention. I still believe in the rights of women and homosexuals-not because they belong to those groups, but because they are individuals and should be treated as such. And my bleeding heart hasn't hardened, but a deeper understanding of free market economics had led to the knowledge that limiting government and encouraging private charity are the best way to help those in need. <\/p>\n
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Young 'Little-L' Libertarians Choose Principle Over Power<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Gauging the clout of libertarian politics in the United States depends a great deal on whether you capitalize the letter \"L.\" There are \"Big-L\" Libertarians-those registered with the Libertarian Party and represented by Gary Johnson in the 2012 election. The former New Mexico governor secured 1,275,950 votes, or nearly 1 percent of the national vote, a statistically insignificant figure but a record for Libertarian candidates nonetheless. Numbers at state levels are relatively small, too. Continue reading