Attack of the Hipsters for Competitive Governance

Okay, that’s not the exact title. But the Boston Phoenix implies in its headline that our very own Zachary Caceres is a “conservative,” which is odd, given how radical and revolutionary our mission is. But, hey, pretty funny article and insight into how progressives interpret our philosophy:

If anyone knows the polarizing attributes of politics, it’s Zachary Caceres. As a progressive libertarian, the 23-year-old Brooklynite represents one of the smallest, most misunderstood political groups of all.

“I have sort-of progressive goals, but I’m deeply skeptical of the ability of large institutions, including government, to accomplish those goals,” he says.

A jazz guitarist with screamo hair, Caceres grew up conservative in a small town in Maryland. When he got to NYU to study political science, he started questioning his beliefs. “I became a lot more skeptical,” he says. “There’s a dichotomy between small government and not caring about people and an interventionist, overweening government. I naturally started reading some libertarians, and I found out that it was the most plausible way to meet my political goals and my progressivism.” He pauses. “But there’s a lot of baggage.”

These days, he says, he identifies as a “progressive libertarian,” not a conservative. But that just means he encounters even fewer like-minded people.

“It can definitely be a challenge socially,” he says. “On the one hand, I find myself in a position where I’m agreeing with a lot of people around me — but it’s half-agreement. Then I find myself completely alienated.”