One of the most common questions I get when I tell people that I am running for office for the Libertarian Party is what exactly a Libertarian is. The short answer from the front page is that we want to keep the government out of your bedroom and your wallet. This is the long answer.

The Incorrect Simplistic View

Most people in America believe political ideologies exist in one dimension, right wing and left wing. This view sees the Republicans and Democrats as each serving a portion of the spectrum. Not everyone's beliefs will fit in either side of this false dichotomy.

I first came to realize the inadequacy of this view in college when I noticed that I agreed with the Republicans on economic issues and Democrats on social issues. I thought that I was just a misfit until I discovered the Libertarian Party

The 2-Dimensional View

A more adequate representation of political ideologies exists in a two dimensional spectrum like the graphic above from the OkCupid political test. Economic freedom is represented along the vertical axis and Social freedom is represented along the horizontal axis. As you see, Democrats tend to occupy the lower right quadrant, Republicans occupy the upper left quadrant, and Libertarians occupy the upper right quadrant.