Tomorrow, Americans will decide who will serve as the next President of the United States. The Liberty Conservative is proud to give its endorsement to the Republican nominee, Donald Trump.
Firstly, Donald Trump is far from perfect. He was not the first choice for most of us – although, to be clear, neither was he our last choice. Yet, Trump did something incredible. He demonstrated that the Republican establishment, which has chosen the last six Republican presidential nominees, can be beaten by an anti-establishment outsider who manages to capture the spirit of the people.
On economic policy, Trump has demonstrated a bold vision for reining in the state’s rampant intrusion into our lives. He has called for slashing regulations, repealing Obamacare, and reducing income tax to a top bracket rate of 25%. He has even floated more radical proposals, such as the mass sale of U.S. assets and the privatization of infrastructure, suggesting an openness to unconventional but positive ideas, in line with his background as a self-made business magnate. On foreign policy, he has demonstrated a comprehensive ‘America First’ approach that vehemently rejects the military adventurism of the last Republican administration, opposes regime change in Syria, and calls for greater diplomacy with our supposed adversary, Russia. He has also come out as a steadfast defender of our Second Amendment rights, as well as of strong borders, which are essential while we continue to have an expansive welfare state.
Trump has also impressed with his choice of Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his vice presidential candidate. The Cato Institute has consistently given Pence an A grade for fiscal responsibility during his tenure as Governor, and his record in the House of Representatives further demonstrates his courage and principle, as Pence bucked his own party to oppose the Wall Street bailout, the auto bailouts, No Child Left Behind, and Medicare Part D. Furthermore, Pence has long been a strong proponent of sound monetary policy. Although Pence has indicated he has more hawkish inclinations on foreign policy than Trump, we hope that Trump’s instincts on those matters prevail, while Pence focuses on delivering a fiscally conservative policy agenda to Congress.
We are not alone in the liberty movement with our backing of Trump. Rep. Thomas Massie has made an eloquent case for Trump as a disruptive force to the political status quo, while Sen. Rand Paul has offered more nuanced support. Peter Thiel has emerged as one of Trump’s most vocal libertarian advocates, delivering an impressive speech during July’s Republican National Convention. Additionally, libertarian commentators Stefan Molyneux, Walter Block, Tom DiLorenzo, Ilana Mercer, and Lauren Southern have all lined up behind Trump.
There are of course two other candidates on the ballot nationwide. It is our opinion that both of these candidates should be rejected.
Many of our fellow libertarian-leaning conservatives have shown an interest in Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson. Although Johnson is generally more libertarian than Trump, he has decided to take a more statist stance than Trump on issues such as religious liberty, carbon taxes, and NATO collective defense in order to attempt to assemble a bizarre coalition of centrist Republicans and disaffected progressive Democrats in opposition to the major party candidates. Also, Johnson is not a particularly appealing candidate himself. On camera, he consistently comes off as clueless, awkward and creepy, making him a poor representative for the libertarian movement.
To make matters worse, his more polished vice presidential pick, the odious Bill Weld, is little more than a liberal, establishment Republican in the mold of John Kasich, whom Weld backed in the Republican primaries. Weld has long supported gun control and bailouts, and appears to spend much of the campaign praising Hillary Clinton. As Governors of New Mexico and Massachusetts respectively, Johnson and Weld received only B grades for fiscal responsibility on the Cato Institute’s report card.
The strongest case against Johnson is that Johnson serves as little more than a spoiler candidate – the prospects of him winning, or even breaking 5% are minute. Voting for him risks throwing the election to the terrifying Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton. Clinton should be opposed on the basis of her corruption alone, but if one delves into her policy agenda, one finds a candidate that truly represents the antithesis of liberty. Clinton is an ardent statist on economic policy, having shifted well to the left on handouts to placate supporters of radical socialist Sen. Bernie Sanders, while maintaining many of the corporatist, pro-bailout positions held by her Wall Street backers. She is also a staunch interventionist, voting for the Iraq War, leading the charge for military intervention in Libya, and consistently pushing for greater U.S. role in Syria.
Upon a thorough analysis of the field and the relative importance of the issues at stake, it has become evident that Donald Trump is the only rational choice for President, and therefore we at The Liberty Conservative will cheer him on as he as he attempts to shatter the scandalous Clinton dynasty once and for all.
