The Libertarian Future or Present?

Maybe "South Park Republican" (read: libertarian) is an accurate description of generation X/Y conservatives.

The results of the straw poll taken of 1,757 CPAC attendees reveals some suggestive statistics. The poll does not break down the statistics by age group, but a slight majority of respondents were students.

While it is difficult to say that any of the positions voted on are necessarily contrary to a libertarian perspective, three of the four issues that received the bulk of attendee support are truly fundamental principles of libertarianism. Of the 12 possible issues, 43% of respondents rated reducing the size of the federal government as the first- or second-most important issue to them. The second-most supported issue, reducing government spending, received a cumulative 24% of the vote. At a close fourth, only behind winning the war against terrorism, was lowering taxes with a cumulative 22% of the vote.

"Promoting traditional values," the only issue listed that could be construed as possibly contrary to libertarian ideals, only received 4% "first-most" and 4% "second-most" votes. It would have been interesting to see how the vote broke on gay marriage, clearly contained within the amalgam of "traditionally values," but not necessarily an issue "traditionally values" immediately conveyed to the survey respondents.

Perhaps the poll is skewed by a slight majority of students. Perhaps it isn't. Either way, these results are a damning criticism of the present voice of conservatism's overemphasis on domestic social policy. At best, the message misrepresents the future of the Republican party. At worst, it misrepresents the party's present composition.