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A few months ago during the primaries, there was a lot of talk about Ron Paul and the Libertarian ideology. It seemed that it had finally made its way to the table and was being talked about more especially on college campuses.

Libertarianism started to be seen as a fresh ideology and many young voters welcomed it as new and revolutionary. However, it has historical roots and has played historical roles, especially in Europe. Many people seemed surprised because the mini-wave of Libertarianism had just come.

Though having common ground with both parties may seem like an advantage to gain momentum for their movement, it could actually be a double-edged sword. I think it was very bold to think that Libertarianism could take the lead in American politics because of this.

Some voters and commentators even began to speculate whether the Libertarians have started to gain traction in becoming a mainstream party in opposition to the two major parties, and some have even theorized that eventually there will be a slight Libertarian shift in the Republican platform.

Though the Libertarians have some views branded as radical, much of the modern Libertarian ideology is actually simply just a mix between the ideologies of American conservatives and liberals as well.

Libertarians distance themselves on some key issues, but the core beliefs explain this blend and why it has not seemed to gain serious traction as a strong third party in opposition to the Democrats and Republicans, who many seem to think are the only two parties that exist.

Jon Stewart may be more of a comedian than a reporter, but I think that he hit the nail right on the head when he said on his program that the Libertarians seem to be the friendship bracelet of the two major parties in Washington.

When the Libertarians insist that privatization of public programs and institutions are the best way to run them, they gain praise from the conservatives. They also gain praise from conservatives when they support states rights and smaller government.

Liberals like the social and foreign policy views of Libertarians. Many left-leaning minds find many of the Libertarian anti-war and anti-interventionism beliefs to be favorable and also find many Libertarians views of gay marriage and the war on drugs favorable. The Libertarian views tend to lean to the left both of these social matters.

But conservatives dont like what the conservatives like about the Libertarians and vice-versa. Who knows? Politics is like the weather. But it is unlikely in my opinion that Libertarianism will start to gain serious momentum as a juggernaut political party in the U.S. anytime soon.

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