Rand Paul quits–what happened to libertarianism?

Rand Paul is dropping out of the presidential race.  I’m disappointed.  To me, he represented a true anti-establishment voice, one based in his libertarian ideas and not just in being obnoxious.  Not that I fully buy into libertarianism, though I appreciate its concern for civil liberties.  But let me ask this:  What happened to libertarianism?  Supposedly the millennials, the internet subculture, the new entrepreneurs, and the zeitgeist in general are libertarian, wanting personal liberty, a free economy, and minimal government.  So why hasn’t libertarianism gotten more political traction?

From Rand Paul dropping out of White House race, Politico:

Rand Paul will drop out of the race for president, three sources close to the campaign told POLITICO.

Paul, a freshman Kentucky senator and the son of former Texas Rep. Ron Paul, has a large libertarian following but failed to gain traction in the presidential race. He now faces a race for reelection to the Senate.

Paul had become an increasingly marginal figure in the still-sprawling GOP field. He finished fifth in Iowa, with less than 5 percent of the vote, but is projected to do much worse in next week’s New Hampshire primary, with recent polls showing him in ninth place.

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