Is Libertarianism Conservative? Is Conservatism Necessarily Libertarian?
The Cato Institute website, meanwhile, raises the issue of the problematic relationship between libertarianism and conservatism. The Cato site quoted Reagan to suggest the two are, at least, closely related: “Ronald Reagan often said that ‘the very heart and soul of conservatism is libertarianism.'” And Cato Vice President David Boaz — who has written extensively on libertarianism – added that, “These days I put it somewhat differently: the best aspect of American conservatism is its commitment to protecting the individual liberties proclaimed in the Declaration of Independence and guaranteed in the Constitution.” As for George W. Bush’s conservatism, Boaz observed, “It’s a far cry from the individualist, free-market, less-government conservatism of Barry Goldwater, the 1964 presidential nominee and author of The Conscience of a Conservative, who inspired a generation of conservative activists, and Ronald Reagan, who later put into practice much of Goldwater’s agenda.” Interestingly,
