Let’s talk about the civil war going on in the US and inside the Republican and Libertarian Parties. What’s fueling it? Is it the Chinese on Tiktok or the Russians on Twitter and Facebook? This weekend I spent some time trying to understand the pro-Russia messaging coming out of the mouths of Libertarians and Republicans. Why are they saying the same things pro-Putin propaganda websites are saying?
Why have so many Libertarians become cheerleaders for an authoritarian leader like Vladimir Putin? As Ukraine defends itself from Russian attacks, why are Libertarians and some Republicans on Putin’s side?
Why Are Libertarians Repeating Russian Talking Points?
The Libertarian philosophy of “live and let live” is what drew me into the Libertarian Party. But, I was also attracted to the party’s approach to government. Unlike the two major parties, the Libertarian Party believes in a smaller, fiscally responsible government. We also push back against authoritarian leadership and government overreach into people’s lives.
Covid-19 has triggered a serious rift within the Libertarian Party. This is because some Libertarians thought it was prudent to wear a mask and get vaccinated, while others aligned more closely with conservative views on Covid. Still, the LP’s position on government regulations, mandates, lockdowns, and wasteful spending during Covid has brought a lot of small l libertarians into the party. It’s not surprising that the Libertarian Party is sounding more and more like the Republican Party.
Covid created a divide in the Libertarian Party, and the situation in Ukraine has furthered it. You can see a sharp contrast between the warring factions in the Libertarian Party when it comes to Covid policies and Ukraine.
Some Libertarians are siding with Putin over Ukraine, leaving many outside of the LP scratching their heads. I hope to shed some light on possible motivations fueling these views as well as explain where Libertarians have gotten this wrong…
The Libertarian Divide over Ukraine: “Regime Libertarians” vs Ron Paul Non-interventionists
Members of the Libertarian Party hold two very different views on Ukraine. Since the Mises caucus has taken over the Libertarian Party, most people are only hearing about the Mises perspective on Ukraine, which mirrors the talking points of pro-Putin propaganda websites. However, don’t let social media fool you, a large number of Libertarians completely disagree with their take on what’s “really going on” in Ukraine.
Most of the pro-Putin opinions in the Libertarian Party come from the controversial libertarian, Ron Paul. Many refer to Republican Ron Paul, as the father of libertarianism, but there is a growing force in the Libertarian Party that does not support Ron Paul and finds his influence on the party a problem. His position on Ukraine, and his support of the Mises Caucus, which recently took over the party, has led to fighting over the direction of the party.
Ron Paul does not believe the US should be supporting Ukraine and has posted what many Libertarians consider Russian disinformation on his website. He claims the US has spent millions promoting an anti-Russian narrative and that the US helped overthrow President Viktor Yanukovych to replace him with a handpicked successor. This was all done to set up a proxy war with Russia.
He is not the only one amplifying this false narrative though. Other Libertarians are spreading similar lies. And if you challenge them, you’re laughed at. As if Russia would have no reason to spread disinformation among our political leaders or attempt to influence our elections? Libertarians who disagree with Ron Paul’s position on Ukraine are labeled as “regime Libertarians”, warmongers, and neocons.
Libertarians are Fiscally Conservative – We are not Pro-Putin
Libertarians are fiscally conservative, which means many agree with Republicans on the matter of funding Ukraine. For them, sending billions of dollars overseas right now isn’t a good choice considering our own economy is struggling. There is an agreement between some Republicans and Libertarians on the issue of funding Ukraine, but most Republicans support Ukraine and many Libertarians support Ukraine as well.
Ron Paul does not support funding Ukraine, but he also takes Putin’s side on the conflict in Ukraine. He does not have the position you’d expect from a Libertarian. Most libertarians agree that the US should not be “the policemen of the world” or they believe as many Republicans do, that we should take care of America first. Ron Paul and Libertarians like Dave Smith aren’t saying this at all. They are outright promoting Russian talking points. This is concerning to me and many other Libertarians.
Pro-Putin propaganda is spreading like wildfire in the Republican and Libertarian Party
Putin is promoting the lie that America has manufactured the conflict in Ukraine and Biden is escalating it. We have already seen evidence that Russia has used social media to interfere with elections in the United States and other countries.
Putin understands the political divide in our country and is involved in widening this divide. He is using our social media platforms as a way to ‘divide and conquer’ the United States. And, we are letting him. Time magazine’s recent story The Real Winners of the 2024 Election Could be China and Russia touched on this.
Speaking about Russia and China, the authors said, “Both adversaries are fighting a new kind of war that doesn’t rely on traditional weapons. Instead, it seeks to defeat adversaries—like the United States—from the inside, rather than the outside.”
While our two major political parties believe that each is responsible for the destruction of America, Russia and China spread the divide on our social media platforms. Republicans and Libertarians seem to be aligned on just one thing — destroying the Democrats. Instead, they are destroying their own political parties and America.
Republicans are Divided on Military Aid to Ukraine
When Russia first invaded Ukraine, most Republicans supported sending aid to Ukraine. But, now there is a divide in the Republican party over whether we should continue funding Ukraine. Some conservatives think we simply cannot afford to keep funding Ukraine, but others, mainly Trump supporters, have repeated the same pro-Putin narrative Ron Paul and certain Libertarians have shared.
MAGA Republican Marjorie Taylor, who has been critical of NATO and the US supplying funding to Ukraine said, “NATO has been supplying the neo-Nazis in Ukraine with powerful weapons and extensive training on how to use them. What the hell is going with these #NATONazis?” And other pro-Putin Republicans like Rep. Paul Goser of Arizona, claim that “none of this is Putin’s fault”.
Most Republicans, thankfully, do not believe the talking points of their MAGA counterparts. The Republican Party is beginning to see the flaws with Donald Trump’s leadership, which is one reason Desantis is growing in popularity. However, as Libertarians, we must take it upon ourselves to have common sense conversations with people outside of our political circles or I fear we will be absorbing the pro-Putin wing of the Republican Party into the LP.
The pro-Russia/anti-Ukraine voices inside the Libertarian Party are getting much more media attention than the pro-Ukraine voices. With everyone following the messaging of popular Libertarians and the LP itself amplifying pro-Putin propaganda and antisemitism, it’s important that Libertarians counter the pro-Putin narrative inside of our party.
I understand that many believe our social media platforms have been filtering “free speech” from conservatives. This does not, however, take away from the fact that Libertarians and Republicans are taking Russian talking points, conspiracy theories, and rumors and running with them. I do not believe this is a coincidence.
Who will gain from the internal division in the US? Putin wants America divided. Who would most benefit from a civil war in the US? That’s right, Russia and China.
The Libertarian and Republican Parties are Having Similar Problems
This is a big part of the faction war within the Libertarian Party right now, but the Republican party is having similar problems. It’s clear that some Republicans recognize that Trump is toxic and are trying to reposition the Republican Party as sensible conservatives. But, Trump loyalists are spreading pro-Putin disinformation and driving division in the party.
To me, this is a deeply concerning movement within our two political parties. I understand the argument that the US should not be sending money to Ukraine when we are experiencing such grave economic issues of our own. But, should we be promoting pro-Putin propaganda and Russian talking points that undermine our own country’s security? This is where I am troubled.
Yes, absolutely, Congress needs to quit signing trillion-dollar spending bills. And, yes we should be concerned about funding Ukraine in a conflict that likely won’t end any time soon, and may escalate tension between the US and Russia. But we can oppose military spending in Ukraine without reinforcing dangerous Russian propaganda.
I have always been an anti-war Libertarian, but I have also always understood the need for a strong military to keep our country safe. I don’t always agree with the isolationist messaging that Libertarians present, but that doesn’t make me a warmonger.
Libertarians Let’s Talk Common Sense instead of pro-Putin Propaganda
To me what libertarianism is all about is more than just being anti-war. You can promote fiscal responsibility and the end of US involvement in foreign wars, while still supporting Ukraine’s fight for liberty. As many Americans know and understand, freedom isn’t always free. It has been paid for by the men and women who have fought for it. This is what Ukraine is doing…
What divides Libertarians from corrupt “warmongers” is that we believe in the non-aggression principle. Although some libertarians interpret this more broadly than others, the general idea of the non-aggression principle is that you don’t use force for political gain. The conflict in Ukraine, however, does not conflict with this principle because Ukraine was not the aggressor – Russia was.
If we haven’t learned anything from experience by now, we should know that American intervention in other countries’ issues creates an endless loop of problems for America. We cannot continue being the entire world’s Army or being the superpower that holds communism back. But, that does not mean that we should be promoting pro-Putin propaganda.
Right now, China and Russia are winning the war in the US by dividing us! They know our weaknesses. We are “weak” because our country allows our citizens to criticize their own government and because our country has very broad protections over freedom of speech on the internet. They are exploiting this. While Americans argue about what social media platforms allow or remove, they are the ones amplifying Russian messaging and using our very own political leaders and influencers to do it.
I am out to speak common sense to my friends and followers. I oppose massive spending on foreign aid. We blame congress but we don’t hold them accountable. We keep voting for more of the same.
Our social media platforms are not reflective of reality. The majority of Americans do not support Russia and recognize that Ukraine is trying to defend itself from an aggressor. But, spending billions of dollars on escalating this situation is also not in the best interest of Americans. We can support Ukraine without starting World War 3 or using the threat of a nuclear war to manipulate voters.
There are other ways for us to support Ukraine. One of the best ways for us to support Ukraine is for us to improve our own economy, strengthen our own military, and stop reinforcing pro-Putin propaganda in our political parties.
Our country is not as divided as Russia (and China) want it to be. They say that we are on a mission to divide and conquer, but, it appears they are gaslighting us. They are the ones dividing and conquering here in the US. They are using our freedoms to fuel a non-existent culture war and take us down from within. Let’s stop playing into their hands America!
3 thoughts on “Wake Up USA — Putin is Trying to Destroy America!”
Don’t agree with assessment on Ukraine/Russia. NATO encroached, we’re now using Ukraine to fight a proxy war. We blew up the pipeline. We put in “the dancer”. There was an agreement that stated NATO wouldn’t encroach Russian boarders, broken by the west. Cutting SWIFT and stealing Russian funds helped escalate. Russia is a Christian nation, not sure what exactly Ukraine is, but they seem to be mimicking the degradation of the west. Why are we arguing whose side we’re on and how much money and how many arms we’re going to provide? Why break this down to a R vs. D issue? ALL the US actions are unconstitutional, that should be the argument. I’m in agreement with Ron Paul.
Destroying America from within didn’t start yesterday, it’s been an ongoing effort since the 1950s. There are numerous videos and books, one video from a former KGB agent laying out the exact blueprint. Well, it’s being followed, the average American has the global understanding and attention span of a sheep, and the plan is succeeding. And now escalating in its final stages.
Whole plandemic was a ruse to make getting rid of Trump seem plausible, take more power, exert more control, make money for pharm, etc. The solution wasn’t experimental vaccines, it was nutrition, exercise, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. The “horse paste” also helped. Of course any mention of these alternative treatments were scrubbed from social media at the direction and blessing of rogue actors in the government. Can the Executive Branch now be considered a rogue actor? Cost Musk $44B to help illuminate that truth. Masks are useless (multiple videos and papers from multiple environmental experts) and cause more harm than good, the six feet of separation (from the science project of a 14 year old) was useless, shots proved to be useless and are proving to be deadly in the aftermath.
Corrupt, out of control, quasi-Constitutional three letter agencies/bureaucracies with their own armies have consequences.
A “Federal” Reserve has consequences.
Geoengineering (see geoengineeringwatch.org) has consequences.
Stolen elections have consequences.
And now I’m out of time.
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The comment from “John” is a perfect example of the tinfoil-hat folks who have made a laughingstock of the Libertarian Party. The litany of conspiracy theories is old and embarrassing. I’m surprised “John” didn’t manage to throw in a few “groomers” and some drag queens! Of course, this comment will set him off on another essay, but that’s OK. Those of us with common sense will work to try and take the LP back when their backs are all turned in Mommy & Daddy’s basement while they’re busy writing internet screeds.