By Greg Meakin
A Republitarian is a Libertarian who chooses to vote Republican in order to win elections. A Republitarian understands that in order to drive change for good…you must get elected into office first! Hello?
The margin of victory is so razor-thin today, a symbolic or protest vote for some fringe Party-de-Jour is not only a wasted vote – it can actually devastate the country and its citizens, as we are seeing today.
Elections do matter, as so many have witnessed since January 2021, with the spiraling plummet of the country since a certain relic president took office. President Joseph Robinette Biden’s first year managing America was a screaming nosedive I have never seen in my sixty-three years. And the freefall continues right this minute, as I tap on my keyboard.
I honestly can’t believe what I am seeing.
I believe the majority of Republicans seated in leadership today are actually Republitarians. But let’s back up for a minute.
I first heard the term Republitarian in the 1990s by Larry Elder, a popular conservative pundit. I can’t say whether he coined the phrase, but he definitely mainstreamed it. I have followed Elder since the beginning, and really like him. I would have been giddy to see him defeat that idiot Marxist, Gavin Newsom, for Governor of California.
Libertarians have historically been viewed as a fringe third party, verging on quackery. They believe in shrinking the federal government to a fraction of its size, abolishing the IRS and bloated government agencies, decriminalizing most drugs, bringing American troops home from foreign countries, and a score of other Constitutional positions. They promote aggressive deregulation of the private sector, and a doctrine of personal responsibility vs. government bureaucracy and oppression.
To me, Tea Party folks were Libertarians. The Freedom Convoy is a perfect example of pure libertarianism.
As with most third parties, Libertarians have been unelectable at the national level. Mainstream voters simply can’t come to grips with dismantling the “safety-net” (perceived or otherwise) of traditional government.
For those who remember, Ross Perot single-handedly changed the American political landscape in 1992, when his ideologically Libertarian platform wooed almost 20% of the electorate. Perot’s supporters were largely Republicans who were disgruntled with George H.W. Bush’s tax hikes, and big government approach to his presidency.
Bill Clinton would have never been a US President without Ross Perot splitting the Bush vote. Sorry, Bubba fans.
As wacky as Perot appeared at times, in my view he did indeed usher in a new era of “Libertarian Thinking” and mainstreamed an elusive idea to regular Americans: Can we somehow get away from the Fat Cat two-party system, and choose something different for a change? Why are elections often the lesser-of-two-evils…rather than a passionate vote for a candidate and platform you actually believe in?
(Senator Ron Paul continued the Perot mantle of libertarianism into the new millenium, and also divided the Republican vote along the way. Dr. Paul’s son Rand carries the Libertarian Torch to this day).
But today, enter Republitarians center-stage...
Libertarian players, headed by Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Kevin McCarthy and so many others, have transformed the old-guard Republican Party from within. The November Midterms, and 2024 will show the world. There will be sweeping Republican victories in Congress, the Senate, and the White House. Write it down, and yes, including the Senate.
I believe Donald Trump was a Republitarian president. From the get-go of his candidacy, I identified (and published) many of Trump’s Libertarian traits and policies. Matter of fact, the more I analyzed, the more I believed Trump was more Libertarian than he was a traditional Republican. His one-term quantifiable accomplishments and historic milestones (sorry Dems, there were a bunch!) are trademark Libertarian.
One of my favorite Trump Libertarian policies was immediate Prison Reform, where thousands of federal prisoners, guilty of drug charges and non-violent crimes, were released and mentored back into society. You might remember that era, with Kim Kardashian working closely with President Trump. (To this day, I applaud Ms. Kardashian for her efforts to free federal prisoners who had served more than enough time for their crimes).
My favorite Libertarian was the late Harry Browne, presidential candidate in 1996 and 2000 ( vs. Clinton and Bush Jr. respectively). My interest was largely due to his 1995 book, Why Government Doesn’t Work – which changed my view of politics and life at the time. Browne was unelectable of course, and garnered less than 1% of the popular vote.
I was so taken with Browne, his platform and his style, I published a 3,000-word essay during the leadup to 2016, Harry Browne for President…or the next best thing for an ailing country.
With my Libertarian bent, I was curious who would be the “most electable Libertarian” of the seventeen 2016 Republican candidates. In other words, Republitarian! In the essay, I asked (and concluded) who Harry Browne would likely vote for amongst the crowded field of squabbling Republican candidates.
After publication, I received a wonderful letter from Pamela Browne, Harry’s widow. The letter is still posted on my website. Mrs. Browne would have indeed been the First Lady if her husband had won either election. In her letter, and further eChats, Pamela was coy about who Harry would vote for in 2016, but my conclusion (reading between the lines) is she agreed with me.
Indeed, candidate Donald Trump was the most electable Libertarian candidate in the field!
To purists and political wonks, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) is the most Libertarian of Libertarians in the Republican Party – much more than Trump. However, Dr. Paul was, and remains, completely unelectable in a presidential race, as evidenced by his early pullout in the Primary.
The purpose of this essay is to officially usher in a new phrase, and a new united platform – REPUBLITARIAN. When the Democrat Party loses the House, the Senate, and the White House, the mainstream media will be scrambling for excuses and explanations – and likely pointing fingers or blaming something for the lost elections. Maybe Russia again, perhaps?
Whatever, the last place losing Democrats look…is in the mirror.
But there will two main reasons the Democrats will lose all power in the next two years:
1. Under Joe Biden, they are a political grease fire, and the country is in shambles
2. Republitarians will unite and kick their butts
Take it to the bank…and the voting booth.
Americans are fed up.
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Greg Meakin is a dual-citizen raised in Montreal and now living in Arizona City AZ. He just released his third book, Why I Came to America…and what I think now. The book, and Meakin’s work, are featured on his website, gregmeakin.com.