Libertarians and Social Conservatives Compete at CPAC

CPAC is usual venue for setting GOP policy, this year it’s libertarians and social conservatives | Democracy, elections, and voting at Democracy Chronicles

Libertarians and Social Conservatives
Debate between libertarians, social conservatives to play out at CPAC
Byline: Seth McLaughlin, THE WASHINGTON TIMES

Three decades after libertarians and social conservatives teamed up to help elect Ronald Reagan president, those on both sides are wondering whether they still have enough in common to keep the marriage going. Spurred by splits on marijuana legalization and same-sex marriage, the libertarian wing of the GOP is increasingly saying that the party needs to rethink long-held stances.

The debate will play out at this week’s Conservative Political Action Conference, which is hosting a panel specifically to pose the question of whether the split can be patched over. “There will be no marriage of libertarians and social conservatives without one side or the other seriously compromising its philosophy,” said H.W. Brands, an author and political historian at the University of Texas.