Thanks for all the replies. My common rejoinder is that Libertarians, including A.T., support the political choices that create the current situation (untaxed gas externalities, police budgets funded by fines, highways for private cars over public transit, etc.), and while supporting rational policies in theory (high gas taxes etc.), when forced to choose, choose the small-screwed-up-government party that believes in subsidized SUVs killing people over the big-inefficient-government party that wants higher gas taxes and better train service. We live in this country, with this political landscape. Small yet incredibly efficient government is not a choice (though both the Clinton and Obama administrations have worked hard on effectiveness). Own the choice you are making instead of playing purity games, guys.
Don't bash the Libertarians for choosing a party. You might want to bash them for other things that you don't agree with. If I was living in the US, I'd probably vote mostly Republican, too. Gotta choose the smaller evil.
But honestly, a binary choice is just no way to express political opinion: Why should my views on abortion correlated with my views on free trade?
At least getting a multi-party system would be worth a try.
> If I was living in the US, I'd probably vote mostly Republican, too.
Scanning your comment history, it looks like you're German?
I think you may have a rather badly skewed (or outdated) view of American politics. Unless you're considered quite far right by European standards, the current US Republican party's views are probably far removed from your own. Your comment about "internalizing the externalities" by raising gas taxes alone would get you skinned alive at Republican gatherings in most states. And if you view Democrats as "left", all I can say is they often make your center-right parties look like socialists.
You're missing the point by coercing the argument into a linear left and right scale. Abortion alone (very much on the agenda in US, almost not at all in Europe) screws that up. And there are plenty more issues.
eru is clearly not a single-issue voter (nor do I classify single-issue voters as left or right, regardless of the issue in question, I simply classify them as irredeemably irrational).
eru's statement was "If I was living in the US, I'd probably vote mostly Republican". In the context of the discussion, I interpret that, quite reasonably I think, as broad agreement with what he perceived to be Republican policies.
My response was intended simply to point out to him that it is highly unlikely he truly has such broad agreement with Republicans, particularly in the context of other statements, and in the (hidden) context of other Europeans I've encountered who thought they would be Republicans in the US, and were quite surprised when they learned the modern state of the Republican party, which is far outside mainstream European politics.
He very explicitly says "lesser of two evils". It's really not that difficulty to find a portfolio of issues that would concern a European liberal (in the European meaning of the word) where the Republican party broadly scores better than the Democratic party.
