I've known people who claim to be libertarians, and I respect them. Most conservative factions include ideas that are, in some measure, consistent with various tenets of libertarianism, after all.
But the formal Libertarian Party is more of a national fraternity of debate-society dweebs, potheads, libertines and parlor anarchists than a serious political party. I mean, come on; just look at the guy they nominated as their presidential candidate: "Libertarian Party Nominee Chase Oliver is a Radical Leftist, Supports Black Lives Matter, Drag Queen Story Hour and Big Tech Censorship".
A pity, really, because the historical antecedents of the current crowd include some great thinkers who made solid contributions to the philosophical defense of liberty. But the party, itself, is useless. When you can't make YOLO outsell Marxism, for God's sake, you're a certifiable flop.
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Australian Libertarians actually shared meetings with Marxists -
https://www.marxists.org/history/australia/libertarians/index.htm
Bakunin and so on. Debated over drinks at the pub.
But Australia's Anglican foundations did not emphasise individual freedom, since loyalty to the monarch who was also head of the church was compulsory. That, and being required to swear an oath to the king, was what drove some religious purists to America, and here we are.
I can't get past this as I grew up when traces of the Empire were everywhere. A British friend was born on a plantation in Malaya. My wife saw the late Queen up close on her visit to the Caribbean in the 1960s. India has been full of fading British influence until recently. Now its young are drawn elsewhere - they all listen to hip-hop! They mimic blacks and wave guns around with no clue, like idiots:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlxrhyaxRns
Libertarianism is an admirable political philosophy. But the Libertarian Party is a clown show. Potheads and prostitution advocates and cranks who claim the USAF is illegitimate because it isn't mentioned in the Constitution (yes, really). The 2016 election brought us two things I thought I'd never see from the party: a gun control libertarian and a pro-censorship one.
And today they're (some of them anyway) pro-pedophilia because it isn't the government's job to tell people who they can have sex with. Which makes me suspect there must be some bestiality fans there too but we just haven't heard from them yet.
Yes, Steve, and votes for children, and maybe animals next. Where does it end?
If it's true that ancient Greek democracy was restricted to military-age males who were prepared to fight for it, I can see that as viable. Otherwise?
And we have compulsory voting here in Australia. I suspect it was compulsory in ancient Greece too - All part of active citizenship, since taking arms to defend the polis was part of it.
USAF - the Russians now call theirs the Aerospace Forces because that's the new battleground. But they laughed at Trump when he proposed it.
The Libertarians aren't a viable political party anymore (if they ever were), but that's okay I suppose, because neither are the Republican and Dimocrat Parties.
Various iterations of "Clown Party" are all that's left in this country.
Up until now, third parties didn't do well in the U.S. That may be changing if the Democrats and Republicans don't get their houses in order, and then it will just be a free-for-all.
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