Libertarianism can go both ways depending on the individual, and while some aspects may appear to be more in favor of the right (think free speech and gun rights for example), the overall philosophy/beliefs are rooted in classic liberalism. Over the years the political spectrum has changed, less than twenty or so years ago someone like me would have been considered a just left of center liberal, but being how the left has gradually shifted further left (and of course the right has gone more to the right) that now puts someone like me just right of center. I'd say just slightly more right due to supporting speech and gun rights and being constitutionally conservative, but unabashedly liberal on issues like criminal justice reform/LGBT rights/abortion rights/euthanasia rights/and de-criminalizing victimless crimes to name a few.

If it is wrong for Government to interfere with private gun ownership, then it's also wrong for Government to restrict the right for a woman to get an abortion if she wants/needs one, as I see it.

Still considering doing a post on the different manifestations of liberal and conservative beliefs. We often hear people say they are either one or the other, but what exactly is it that we are being liberal or conservative on? For example, one could be both fiscally and constitutionally conservative while being socially liberal (pretty much my stance), while others could be left-leaning progressive/socialist when it comes to the economy and Constitution yet be socially conservative (pretty much describes the stance of my family members, they are Democrat but very religious and puritanical in their social views and are against gay rights and abortion rights).

@SpikeTalon

A lot of it is semantics and hard to pin down precisely. For my own sanity I have had to reduce those terms to something simple that I can both understand and remember. As far as I've been able to determine, "left" and "right" can be traced to the French Revolution, the right representing the aristocracy (read power elite) and the left representing the interests of the peasantry (read everybody else). So I throw any support I might have to give (votes, at minimum) toward the political left, if for no other reason, the wealthy don't need my support - they have money. And I don't view the so called corporate Democrats (Clintons) as "left" just because they have a "D" after their name. Bernie Sanders is "Left", and then only by a small margin.

"Liberal" and "Conservative" relate more to how comfortable people are with change - the liberals ready to rush to "fix" any perceived injustice, without necessarily paying adequate attention to possible unintended consequences. The conservatives instinctually resisting all change, even when it is clearly good, fair, and harmless. And the Trump Republicans are not conservative so much as fascistic. There are no more Bob Doles.

@skado Especially true on the last part there regarding what both liberals and conservatives are inclined to do. Always thought of myself as more open-minded to things rather than sticking to the same old same old, assuming such changes would be within reason.