After a rigorous content analysis (PDF) spanning more than half a century of articles in National Review, The Weekly Standard, The American Enterprise, and The American Spectator, George Mason University economist Daniel Klein and graduate student Jason Briggeman conclude, basically, that conservatives are not libertarians. On issues related to drugs, gambling, and sex, Klein and Briggeman find, these magazines have been more likely to support the status quo or increased restrictions on freedom than to advocate liberalization.
As shocking as you might find it, a rigorous content analysis of magazines like The New Republic, The Nation and Mother Jones is likely to reveal that liberals aren't libertarians, either. It's a cliche and overly simplistic, but conservatives want to keep government out of the boardroom and liberals want to keep government out of the bedroom.
