Can you be a Libertarian and Support Socialized Medicine?

Mike Gravel is not who comes to mind when I hear libertarian as libertarians are almost the complete opposite of socialists. He is a liberal posing as a libertarian.

I don't understand what got into him. I believe the answer is no. I'm a Democratic socialist and a few months ago I scored no differences with Mike Gravel in a test, now he's running for the libertarians, the party of the free market cures all, a notion I strongly reject. Some sources suggest he changed positions and actually moved but it stays weird and certainly if his campaign website still carries the old positions.

"Perhaps the most breath-taking u-turn in the primaries so far belongs to Mike Gravel, a left-leaning Democrat and undoubted civil libertarian who has now put his lot in with the Libertarian Party. On the social scale this doesn't represent much of a leap, but economically the mercurial Mr.Gravel, a long-standing champion of universal health care and a redistributive economy, has vaulted from social democracy to a radical neo-liberal platform well to the right of most Republicans. "

A Libertarian that believes in that issue is moving toward socialism. Come on over the rest of the way now!

That's a good question.

Maybe Libertarianism is maturing and admitting that there are market failures. However, I'm not sure how they can do that without discrediting their market fundamentalism in toto. In the areas where the market can't be the solution, it would be unethical to continue to rely on it, so I admire Gravel for that.

Gravel could be the vanguard of a wiser quasi-Libertarianism.

By the way, you have no individual liberty if you have no life. Life is the foundation of individual liberty. Gravel has recognized that. Classical Libertarians are still unaware of that fundamental logic.

No, you cannot. I asked that question too "WTF is Mike Gravel doing running as a libertarian when he's clearly a liberal?"....

Anyways, no, libertarians don't generally support a universal healthcare system. It would cost too much and simply put: It's not fair to steal from one person to give to another...

Ron Paul is a good example of a libertarian.

To answer your question;

No, going from a Democrat to a Libertarian is like going from a Anarchist to a Christian. I would not believe him.

No.

Libertarians are the antithesis of socialism.

I don't see how.....

Oh man that guy. He is just a step away from a rubber room.