Of course the Republicans are ignoring libertarians...

Recently, I've seen two columns regarding the brush-off the libertarian wing of the Republican Party has been getting. Steven Greenhut, a columnist I enjoy and respect (despite what I see as a misplaced affinity for the Republican Party), lamented how a many of the speakers at a convention he attended seemed enamored more with power than with liberty. Then, on Monday the 29th, Shellie Sullivan called it "baffling" that prominent conservatives are ignoring Ron Paul.

I have long held that the Republican and Democratic Parties have no meaningful difference--that both parties are dedicated to the expansion of their own power before all other goals or ends.

With that assumption, it's hardly surprising that most Republicans are embracing some very authoritarian positions despite their need for libertarians to help vote them into office. It's even less surprising, despite his strong poll and fundraising results (including, interestingly, the most donations from military personal and veterans, despite as staunch an anti-war record as you could hope for), that Ron Paul--a principled libertarian--is being as marginalized and ignored to the extent the Republicans can get away with it. Libertarians and their ideals don't support the expansion of power; for a party dedicated to the expansion of its power, that is an unforgivable sin.