Is the Libertarian Party (LP) being “trumpified?” Or is it now—finally!—home to the second coming of the Ron Paul Revolution?
If you’re a watcher of Reason‘s videos, you know that a few weeks ago, I went to Reno, Nevada, to cover the long-awaited, much-anticipated Libertarian Party national convention, where a group called the Mises Caucus took over the party by winning all the leadership positions. I’m joined today by Reason video producer Zach Weissmueller, who coordinated and directed our video coverage (here’s a full playlist).
Founded in 2017 by Michael Heise, the Mises Caucus has long pledged to “make the Libertarian Party libertarian again.” Over the past several years, it’s taken control of several dozen state parties. Caucus members call themselves the Ron Paul Revolution 2.0, stress the need for bolder messaging, and came to Reno promising to remove the party’s longstanding pro-choice plank, push for less emphasis on open-borders-style immigration, and strip out platform language condemning “bigotry as irrational and repugnant” that dates back to 1974. They also stress that the L.P. national’s response to Covid restrictions was far too timid and accommodating.
Critics of the Mises Caucus say the group is filled with shitposting edgelords who are tacking hard toward Trump fans, social conservatives, and even people with alt-right sympathies. They worry that the Mises Caucus takeover will be the end of the Libertarian Party.
For today’s podcast, I talk with Zach about we saw in Reno, the often-heated response to Reason‘s coverage of the convention, and what the future not just of the L.P. but of the bigger libertarian movement looks like.
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