Ron Paul is a perfect example of this. But libertarians should have no illusions about the Republican Party. And they shouldn't make the Republican Party out to be something it is not.

A former member of the Libertarian Party who is now running for office as a Republican recently said about the Republican Party:

At its core, the Republican Party is supposed to be a liberty party—that's why it was the party of Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan. For a Republican, so long as you are not violating the lives and liberties of other human beings—and that includes the lives of human beings in the womb—the government should give you the freedom to do as you see fit. The party strives to put the trust and the power back in the hands of the people instead of handing it over to unelected bureaucrats.

This almost makes Republicans sound like libertarians. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Let's first look at some principles of libertarianism followed by an analysis of the above statement.

Libertarianism is the philosophy that says that people should be free from individual, societal, or government interference to live their lives any way they desire, pursue their own happiness, accumulate as much wealth as they can, assess their own risks, make their own choices, engage in commerce with anyone who is willing to reciprocate, participate in any economic activity for their profit, and spend the fruits of their labor as they see fit as long as their actions are peaceful, their associations are voluntary, their interactions are consensual, and they don't violate the personal or property rights of others.

Libertarianism is the philosophy of nonaggression, whether that aggression be theft, fraud, the initiation of nonconsensual violence against person or property, or the threat of nonconsensual violence. The initiation or threat of aggression against the person or property of others is always wrong, even when done by government. Aggression is justified only in defense of one's person or property or in retaliation in response to aggression against them, but is neither essential nor required.

Libertarianism respects personal privacy, financial privacy, free thought, individual responsibility, freedom of conscience, free exchange, free markets, and private property.

Libertarianism celebrates individual liberty, personal freedom, peaceful activity, voluntary interaction, laissez faire, free enterprise, free assembly, free association, free speech, and free expression.

Libertarianism opposes the welfare state, the warfare state, the national security state, the deep state, the nanny state, the regulatory state, the administrative state, and the police state because they are inimical to human flourishing and the free society.

Libertarianism seeks to limit the intervention of government in the economy and society, the government regulation of business and commerce, and the control of government over private, consensual peaceful activity.

Are Republicans libertarians? Don't make me laugh.