Palin hails ‘libertarian streak’ in GOP

Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) on Wednesday night hailed what she said was a “libertarian streak” in American politics.

Palin praised Rand Paul’s win in a Kentucky Republican primary for Senate earlier this week, saying that candidates like him would be key in this fall’s elections.

“Seeing that libertarian streak of his — that is what we need to balance out the leftist liberal overreach of government that’s in power right now,” Palin said during an appearance on the Fox Business Network on Wednesday night. “Rand is going to be great.”

Rand Paul is seen as more of a libertarian Republican in the mold of his father, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), who was also the Libertarian Party’s candidate for president in 1988.

Libertarian candidates are seen as emphasizing more free-market economic policies while de-emphasizing social issues, if not favoring more liberal ones.

“There’s no accountability [in government],” Palin said. “And that’s why people want to fire those people and bring in new people with a greater sense of what the free-market principles should be.”