Apparently, the libertarian (or, at least, states rights) strain in the tea party movement is alive and well. According to the Washington Post, many tea partiers support the recent court decision striking down the federal law defining marriage as only between a man and woman.

As one of several prominent examples, it quotes Phillip Dennis, Texas state coordinator of the Tea Party Patriots, who states:"I do think it's a state's right. I believe that if the people in Massachusetts want gay people to get married, then they should allow it, just as people in Utah do not support abortion. They should have the right to vote against that."

William J. Stepp - 7/15/2010

Contrary to Phillip Dennis, there are no such things as states' rights, or rights exercised through voting for politicos elected in state elections. Rights belong to individuals and only to them, even if they are dupes and knaves, to use Spooner's terms. States are criminal entities run by armed robbers and assassins. Even they retain certain rights after perpetrating their crimes and misdemeanors.

Aeon J. Skoble - 7/15/2010

David, I don't see how that quotation is evidence of a libertarian streak. He says that people in a given state should be able to vote to disallow a fundamental liberty. That's federalist/decentralist, but in a George Wallace kind of way. Being committed to federalism isn't necessarily libertarian.