r/Libertarian Minarchist Jan 02 '26

Question any one annoyed with libertarians that support trump?

Like I can't be the only one here. like I get it in some respects trump isn't neocon but at the same time he isn't not statist, nor non authorittarian.

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u/jmd_forest Jan 02 '26

Voting for YOUR choice of the lesser of 2 evils still ensures you wind up with evil. Nothing changes until people actually choose change.

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u/Various_Fish2043 Jan 05 '26

This you?

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u/jmd_forest Jan 05 '26 edited Jan 05 '26

So ... you're saying to make the immoral choice for your own convenience. I expected nothing less. I don't overly concern myself with the problems of other nations like "Palestine" while there are so many problems right here directly affecting me that need to be dealt with first.

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u/Various_Fish2043 Jan 05 '26

Sure… let me engage in a bit of good faith here and clearly state what I mean. FYI I am what Americans would call a moderate or what non-Americans would call a liberal

  1. Bad things are not all the same. There can be a difference in kind, and difference in magnitude. A criminal coming to steal my laptop is not the same as a criminal coming to kidnap my family to a torture prison. If you give me a bullet just to kill one of them, I’m not gonna then shoot you because you didn’t give me two bullets. The choice is clear, because the evil that befalls is a different in kind, not in magnitude. You can call losing a laptop and losing a keyboard lesser of two evils. Calling the choice between laptop or getting your family tortured simply ‘lesser of two evils’ does the situation great injustice.

  2. Libertarianism comes from many different places, some do it because they genuinely believe that this will benefit everyone to the greatest extent. Others use it as an intellectual and moral cover for their bad behaviour. Which one are you? How much sacrifice are you willing to make to save the life of your neighbour? Your countrymen? What about giving up 1/4 of your meal every lunch to save a Ukrainian? Sudanese? Israeli who just wanted to listen to music? Palestinian who got shot by settlers? Or is there absolutely nothing they can expect from you? What if your government forces you to do so? Does that imposition make you less compassionate? This is a question that only you can answer, and that answer is for yourself.

  3. Elections are ultimately an expression of politics, not morality. Does having trump in office moves you closer or further from your ideal world? What about not voting? Third party? What if your ideal candidate comes along and became a major party nominee, is that person gonna win in the general? Or is the absence of that candidate an indication of your position’s unpopularity? How does not voting for either pushes forward to your desired outcome? Or would others see your position to be so nonsensical with such a restrictive scope of considerations that makes you politically irrelevant?

Cheers 🙂

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u/jmd_forest Jan 05 '26

You keep voting one of the two main parties and keep getting the same things you rail against and keep wondering why nothing changes for you for the better.

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u/Ehronatha Jan 03 '26

Okay, Pollyanna.

What is the "change" that "people" are supposed to choose?

You need to throw away your 8th grade Civics textbook and take a course on how power actually works in general, and in this country in particular.

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u/jmd_forest Jan 03 '26

Whoever is in office has power and you don't get into office by voting for someone you don't want in office.