A debate has sprung up in the blogosphere about libertarianism and millennials based on this OkCupid post on political leanings and generations. (hat tip to Andrew Sullivan)

William Wilkinson has a great take home on why many millennials may lean libertarian and yet also feeling more comfortable with the democratic party, while boomers that lean libertarian are much more likely to identify as republicans:

One thing it suggests that the neo-Fusionist elements of the Tea Party movement are attractive primarily to older people. And I suspect that the more strongly certain libertarian ideas and tendencies are associated with the cultural politics of Baby Boomer conservative Republicans, the more strongly young people with libertarian inclinations will tend to identify with the Democratic Party and take on cultural assumptions and characteristics common to liberals. Here’s my bottom line. Democratic-leaning libertarian young adults are the primary “liberaltarian” constituency. They are to my mind who liberaltarianism is intended for. Liberaltarianism or libertarian-liberal fusionism is not about some ridiculous practical political coalition between Larry Kudlow and Bill Galston. It is about building a coherent, appealing,  practical ideological identity for all those libertarian-ish young folks who don’t want a damn thing to do with the party of old, angry religious white people.

I find these tidbits from Wilkinson to be worth noting as well:

Because older libertarians in the contested zone lean Republican, they probably feel comfortable with elements of right-wing political culture that may have little or nothing to do with their opinions on issues which determined their place on the grid. They’ll be fairly patriotic, find Founder worship relatively unproblematic, feel a bit antagonized by “political correctness” and relatively untroubled by casual “commonsense” race and gender stereotypes, and will generally  feel sympathetic to conservative assumptions about American identity. They’re a bit hawkish and worried about Islamism. They might make a show of enjoying guns, steaks, and cigars. They’re inclined to get a kick out of Glenn Beck. Or so I conjecture.

Because younger libertarians in the contested zone lean Democratic, they probably feel comfortable with elements of left-wing political culture  that may have little or nothing to do with their opinions on issues which determined their place on the grid. They’ll probably be relatively cosmopolitan, inclined to celebrate diversity, and sensitive to ongoing discrimination against women, ethnic minorities, and gays.  They’ll be relatively unimpressed with rhetorical appeals to the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and the virtues of really real American red-state American identity. They’re a bit dovish and worried about civil liberties under the Patriot Act. The might make a show of eating ethically, a penchant for indie rock, and a well-worn passport. They’re inclined to think Glenn Beck is a maudlin fool. So I say.

While I do have libertarian leanings, I can’t imagine identifying with the Republication Party that has embraced the Tea Partiers (I used to be a registered republican but that was before the Tea Party days, and I was largely turned away by Bush’s Big Government Conservatism).

The Tea Party movement is embarrassing. I don’t know how embarrassing to consider it, historically speaking (is it up there with white supremacists in the 50s and 60s? I don’t know), but I do know that I simply could not in good conscience put my name in the same hat with the Tea Party movement. Its members may or may not believe in small government, but they have exhibited unfortunate traits of bigotry, closemindness, anti-intellectualism, xenophobia, all while being laughably ignorant (see all the Tea Party people who want the government to keep their hands off of Medicare).

And for the love of God, I don’t want to hear about Obama’s birth certificate or how he is a Muslim or any other conspiracy theory nonsense.

Most of us don’t fit neatly into either party. This is why I am an independent, but the difference for many people my age between democrats and republicans is that identifying with the Democratic Party is not embarrassing. Sure Nancy Pelosi can be a little scary at times, but she is no Tea Partier.

So, no I do not support the big union cronyism that the Democratic party machine has long represented. I also think that charities do a better job at many social programs than the government. But I am pro education, pro intellectualism, pro science, pro environment, pro civil rights (especially with regards to gays), while trying to be urbane, cosmopolitan and open minded.

I don’t believe the government can solve everything like many liberals do, but I can more readily identify with the intellectual (or at least not anti-intellectual) trappings of many liberals. I do believe there is a place for government (as all libertarians do, otherwise they would be anarchists), but I demand that my government be smarter and run leaner.

The Tea Party movement really does appear to many of us as a group of uneducated (or at least people who hide their education), anti-intellectual, anti-science, bigoted, ignorant-of-the-facts-that-they-are-protesting, angry, old white people. Do you think that many young people honestly want to identify with that? Really? In the year 2010?

That’s not exactly my vision for the future of America. That’s also why I would tell the Republican party to distance itself from the Tea Party movement. America needs a strong and vibrant Republican party. America does not need Tea Partiers.