On July 12, 2005, FreedomDemocrats.org was launched as an online community for "libertarian Democrats." Over the next five years, the blog has continued to be on the vanguard of discussions of libertarianism, liberalism, and Democratic Party politics. 2006 became the year of the libertarian Democrat with the blog participating in the lively discussions hosted at Cato Unbound in October before the fateful 2006 election returned Democrats to power in Congress. For the next two years, ongoing discussions about a fusion between libertarians and liberals, or liberaltarians, developed but they have stopped short with the new Obama administration and the backlash of Tea Party protesters against his agenda. Amid these angry anti-government and anti-Democratic protests, whither libertarian Democrats? To understand where we are going, it's helpful to understand where we come from.

Origins: Democratic Freedom Caucus

Despite the similarity in names, FreedomDemocrats.org is not affiliated with the Democratic Freedom Caucus but many of the founding members of the blog have been active in the organization. The DFC is a loose organization of Democratic activists promoting an agenda of personal liberty, economic liberty, limited government, and social responsibility. The group does not officially describe itself as libertarian, although some members do. Other terms used by members to describe their views include "classical liberal," "Freedom Democrat" or "Jeffersonian Democrat." Politically, the DFC defines itself by rejecting both the Republican and the Libertarian parties. FreedomDemocrats.org shares this commitment to the Democratic Party. While ties between the DFC and FreedomDemocrats.org were closer when the blog was first founded, the two groups have diverged and followed different pathways.

2004: Libertarians for Dean

During the Democratic primary leading up to the 2004 election, several activists who had met through the DFC came together for the creation of a "Libertarians for Dean" blog. During the course of the primary, the blog focused on Governor Howard Dean's support of both gay rights and gun rights, of both fiscal responsibility and international responsibility. From his opposition to the Iraq War to his A rating from the NRA as Governor of Vermont, Dean was a unifying figure for libertarian-leaning Democratic activists. Howard Dean's campaign for the White House not only acted as both a catalyst for the coming together of the progressive blogosphere, but also the formation of a more permanent website of libertarian-leaning Democrats in 2005: FreedomDemocrats.org.

2005: Paul Hackett

Following the nomination of John Kerry as the Democratic nominee and the reelection of George W. Bush, the Libertarians for Dean blog looked for a new focus. Although Howard Dean had been defeated, he brought into the Democratic Party a new group of activists ready and willing to work for change. This was not only true of a new cohort of progressive activists, but a growing number of activists who took a more libertarian approach to politics. During 2005, the blog community reestablished itself as FreedomDemocrats.org and began to look ahead to the 2006 election. 2005 was also the year of Paul Hackett, Democratic candidate for the special election in the Ohio 2nd. Described as a "libertarian Democrat," Hackett opposed the Patriot Act and called No Child Left Behind "Orwellian." Although he was defeated, his candidacy was a strong jolt to the movement of libertarian Democrats.

2006: The Year of the Libertarian Democrat

The Cato Institute's David Kirby and David Boaz argue that libertarian-leaning voters, voters who tend to display both socially liberal and fiscally conservative views, swung strongly against George W. Bush during his 2004 reelection. While Bush received 72% of the libertarian vote in 2000, his support dropped to 59% in 2004. Just two years later, libertarian-leaning voters again turned against the Republican Party and helped elect several new Democrats to Congress, including Jon Tester of Montana and Jim Webb of Virginia. 2006 became the year of the libertarian Democrat with several outlets, including Cato and DailyKos found Markos bringing attention to libertarian Democrats.

2007, 2008, and Beyond

As a community, we expected there to be problems in pushing forward the message of libertarian Democrats once Democrats returned to power in Congress. In the years since 2006, the Democratic Party has faced its own internal divisions over issues like the Iraq War and warrentless wiretapping. The primary fight between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama foreshadowed many of the issues that have fueled the Tea Party movement, such as disagreements over an individual mandate for health insurance. The Republican Party also naturally regrouped as it prepared to move beyond George W. Bush and find a new standard bearer. The Republican Party primary saw its own libertarian candidate emerge, Congressman Ron Paul, who energized libertarian-leaning voters on the right. According to the same study by the Cato Institute, libertarian-leaning voters swung back to their historic level of support for the Republican presidential nominee in 2008. But they note that younger libertarians tended to favor Obama, indicating a future for libertarians within the Democratic Party is still possible.

As FreedomDemocrats.org prepares for its next five years, the blog is focused on finding ways to bring these libertarian-leaning voters back to the Democratic Party by promoting a responsible agenda of freedom and liberty. As the name of the blog indicates, FreedomDemocrats.org is focused on the Democratic Party as the vehicle for political, partisan activity. While this blog is also host to lively discussions about activism and change outside of the political arena, the consensus of the community is that third parties such as the Libertarian Party are not viable in the current political system, nor are the Republicans in any position to break free from their socially conservative base in a way that would make them an appealing choice. We are Freedom Democrats.