The main difference between a conservative and a libertarian is that the former is usually in a good mood, while the latter is usually in a bad mood. The former is more accommodating, while the latter is more irascible, because they believe (and it’s hard to say they’re wrong) that the great enemy of liberty is the government. And when your enemy is a giant six-headed monster, the least you can do is bare your teeth. There’s something romantic about conservatism that libertarianism lacks. And there’s something energetic and proactive about libertarianism that conservatism lacks. Now that enough time has passed, we can say that the balance Ronald Reagan achieved between these two currents was extraordinarily difficult to attain. It was almost a miracle.
Conservatives often complain about libertarians’ lack of morality and pragmatism, while libertarians criticize conservatives for their willingness to compromise with government, their flirtation with economic regulation, and, above all, their passionate interventionism in foreign policy. Conservatives accuse libertarians of always thinking with their wallets, while many libertarians believe conservatives place too much weight on God in their political decisions — which, if that were true, would probably have produced better results.
I can’t stand government, but I suppose a little government is necessary…
Like millions of right-wing voters, I consider myself somewhere between these two camps, unable to fully embrace either one. I can’t stand government, but I suppose a little government is necessary, and I see it the way the great P. J. O’Rourke taught us: “A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them.”
I don’t believe faith should be imposed on anyone, but I do believe that a measure of Christianity in public life not only doesn’t make things worse — it makes them better. I also regard Christianity as one of the foundational pillars of the West, which makes its defense and respect by public authorities just as important as the defense of our culture, our way of life, and our values. (RELATED: The West Is a Superior Civilization (And I Don’t Care If That Offends You))
I don’t believe in total surveillance, and I think we live in an age when libertarians are right to demand some measure of privacy. The exception, perhaps, is in cases involving serious national security concerns.
When it comes to taxes, I consider myself the most libertarian of libertarians.
When it comes to abortion and euthanasia, I consider myself the most conservative of conservatives. Even if you want to set aside the moral dimension (however aberrant that may be), we face an enormous demographic crisis, with consequences for the economy and for the very survival of the welfare state. How on earth is the government going to promote abortion, sex reassignment, or anything else that further damages the birth rate? (RELATED: What Happened to ‘Do No Harm’?)
Some libertarians are uncomfortable with nationalism or with asserting national sovereignty. That’s not my case. The United States is, in the eyes of the world, the land of the free. Strengthening its sovereignty or promoting its nationalism is, in my view, a way of strengthening the very idea of freedom it represents.
On immigration, I’ve always thought the libertarian position is strangely naive. It’s as though they’re talking about the immigration of a century ago rather than that of 2026. Times have changed. Libertarians usually adapt quickly to changing circumstances. On immigration, they haven’t. (RELATED: Enforce Immigration Law Now)
Freedom of speech seems unquestionable to me, and on this issue there is, one way or another, considerable agreement between both camps.
The issue of drugs strikes me as the sort of distraction favored by people who don’t really want to have a serious debate about the differences and common ground between conservatives and libertarians. It’s as though, when considering a future military intervention abroad, the main point of debate were whether household pets might be frightened by the explosions.
If conservatives and libertarians made a greater effort to bridge their differences — instead of widening them — the American right would be stronger today, and so would the broader Western right. At a time when the right is on the rise, we should reaffirm that unity without requiring either side to surrender its differences. Reagan understood that what unites us is stronger than what divides us. And it is from those points of agreement that the policies emerge which make a nation strong, great, prosperous, and free.
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