In many ways, libertarians can rest happily knowing that their ideas are winning, even if their candidates are not.

When it was suggested I do a piece about the future of the Libertarian Party, I had to laugh. Though I’ve been voting Libertarian since before Gary Johnson could find Aleppo on a map, I’ve never really had an interest in Libertarian Party politics.

Sure, the idea is appealing on a lot of levels. Being of the libertarian persuasion often leaves you feeling frustrated with politics, especially politicians. It’s tempting to watch the approval ratings of Democrats and Republicans trend downward and convince yourself the revolution is nigh.

But if I had to guess, the party will remain on the periphery of American political life, despite a relatively strong showing in the 2016 Presidential election. A large part of this – no fault of the Libertarian party – is due to anti-competitive behavior and regulation in the industry of politics. But a substantial amount of blame can be attributed to the simple and sobering fact that the type of government and society envisioned by hardcore Libertarians – the type that join the party – is truly unappealing to most of America.

Unless public opinion radically shifts, it feels like the Libertarian Party will mainly continue to offer voters a symbolic choice. Don’t get me wrong: I’m happy to have that choice, and it really would be nice to see people who genuinely value individual freedom elected to public office. But political realities being what they are, I’m going to hold off on exchanging my dollars for gold, and I’ll continue paying my income taxes.

So that’s the bad news for libertarians. Here’s the good news: the cause of advancing human liberty isn’t dependent on a niche political party. The goal of libertarianism as a philosophy – the preservation and expansion of individual liberties – has no partisan allegiance. Victory for the Libertarian Party is (thankfully) not requisite for libertarians to get more of what they want.

Advancing their agenda has, for libertarians, proved to be more a question of winning minds than elections. While “capital-L” Libertarians remain on the political margins, aspects of libertarian thought are appreciated by people of all political persuasions and often receive appeal for support. Although no Libertarian Party member has ever held a seat in Congress, moved into a governor’s mansion, or garnered more than four percent of the national vote, many long-held libertarian ideas have enjoyed incredible success, and others are still gaining momentum.

Same-sex marriage is now the law of the land, as has been interracial marriage. Support for legalizing marijuana is at an all-time high (pun intended), and ending the larger ‘war on drugs’ is an idea gaining currency, not only in the U.S. but worldwide. The draft is a thing of the past; the public is growing wary and weary of interventionist foreign policy. A plan to liberalize our immigration system, though stuck in legislative limbo, remains a priority for most Americans, and the United States remains a low-tax nation among countries in the developed world, especially when it comes to individual tax rates.

And not all the good news comes from the realm of politics. Americans have maintained and expanded on a culture of philanthropy, per-capita giving having tripled since the mid-1950s. The rise of social media and the internet has made it easier than ever for people to exchange ideas. Technology of all sorts has lowered prices for consumers and helped people live more productive lives. Even space exploration – until recently exclusively the purview of governments – is now within private reach.

None of this was or will be passed with legislation written or signed into law by a Libertarian politician. But that’s not what really matters. What really matters is that people are freer today to live the kinds of lives they want, peacefully, and without fear of persecution. Yes, there is still much that might be improved, at home and certainly abroad. But in a lot of ways, libertarians can rest happily knowing that their ideas are winning, even if their candidates are not.

Eddie Ferrara writes about policy from a data-driven perspective. He studied sociology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He blogs at eddiethoughts.com. Follow him on Twitter @EdwardFerrara_





