There’s an interesting thought. It’s possible that a strengthened Republican Party, with the more appealing elements of libertarianism, might begin to catch on as being more true to our founding principles.
Trump reorienting Rs toward the working class is a good start. Many Republicans are also coming around to see the war on drugs is a failure and causing more harm than good, and criminal justice reform is no longer just a liberal cause. Also conservatives are becoming less willing to send kids to die in third world shit holes. These are all ways in which Rs are evolving toward erstwhile liberal and libertarian positions, however, it is essential the R party does not abandon free market economics, bringing us to.....
Again, though, we have to know the enemy. And the enemy (half the country) worships the ideal of a nanny state. I don’t see how we walk that back, until the starry-eyed nanny staters actually have to live under the nanny hammer and begin to envision something better.
Herein lies the great problem. Half the country now and possibly all the young generations henceforth, because our educational system is virtually 100% taken over by nanny staters. There is no possibility of reversing the headlong plunge into socialist collapse unless this changes. Same with mainstream media. But here is the thing about libertarians you don’t seem to recognize: they provide a pathway away from that, and such pathways are too rare and so precious where they exist. They are the tunnel through no man’s land between liberalism and conservatism.
It’s
much easier to convince a liberal to consider learning something about libertarianism than it is to convince them to be open to reading or listening to conservatives. It’s well known that the best way to bring someone around to your point of view is to first find common ground. Too many liberals don’t know shit about economics. Get on their side with social issues, and that way you have their ear, then introduce them to free market concepts and the harm of economic collectivism.
This is probably the only true hope for libertarianism if it’s to help save our country, because it’s not going to save it by winning elections. And if it goes away (like you seem to want it to) convince me that conservatives and Republicans alone can win over the little miseducated kiddies, because I don’t see it.
I hear you about siphoning elections. But we are headed to socialism
anyway. All the siphoning will do is get us there faster, but maybe the publicity will draw curious liberals - especially malleable youngsters - and maybe in the long run help draw people away from the far left.
We are in a situation now where Spock needs to jettison the fuel: Risk a faster orbit decay for a shot at saving ourselves.