What is a libertarian and what aspects of the Democratic platform do they support vs the GOP platform
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Libertarians are a very diverse group – let me just start with that.
They tend to want people not to coerce one another into doing things, especially using means that ultimately result in violence. So, that tends to be various forms of government power, since if you don’t comply with the demands for long enough, there will eventually be violence when they take you into custody and imprison you.
Note, however, that contrary to popular belief, libertarianism is NOT anarchy, in the view of most libertarians. When you see someone conflating libertarianism with anarchy, it’s usually a straw man (or they’re just unfamiliar). For a voluntary/non-coercive system to function, there do need to be courts and other mechanisms of the state to enforce contracts to some degree. And there’s no reason not to have some pretty barebones laws that also generally codify the principle that one ought not force others to do things or to be harmed.
Another key concept is the NAP (non-aggression principle). Not all libertarians base their views on the NAP, but it will give you a view into what most of the libertarian ideology is about.
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