Libertarians as the New Swing Vote (Realignment Watch Bonus!)

David Boaz points to this fascinating piece of evidence that shows the changing allegiances of libertarians as a massive swing vote in the 2006 elections, with the self-identified libertarian vote split nearly even between Republicans in Democrats just four years after being nearly 75% for the Republicans.

I think this switch is ultimately good for libertarians, as suddenly the parties have to pay attention to the libertarian vote. The Republicans can no longer take us for granted, and both parties will need to compete for the libertarian vote. Given that self-identified libertarians make up about an equal portion of the electorate as evangelicals, this means the parties will both have to promise some anti-authoritarian type ideas if they want to win the election.

Alas, this will mean that libertarians in the upcoming election may wind up being named in the same sentences as "soccer moms" and "NASCAR" dads."