Stop treating Progressives as either evil or stupid....let’s work on the assumption that Progressives are, in Hayek’s words, guilty of nothing more than “intellectual error” about the way the world works (and the economy in particular).  Seize this opportunity to teach, without condescension, rather than calling names.  Yes, I know this is hard when you head over to the Daily Kos and see libertarians called racist, homophobic, cold-hearted pawns of the corporations.  So be it.  We need to take the high road.

Second, libertarians have a tendency to do something that drives Progressives nuts, as it should: They blame the victim. Too often I hear self-described libertarians blame poverty on the culture or morality of the poor.  Similar generalizations about racial and ethnic groups have been known to escape the lips of libertarians.... Progressives are right that these social pathologies are largely structural, but they are wrong about which structures cause them. Why don’t libertarians start by agreeing with the premise, then engaging our Progressive friends in a conversation about how government intervention is responsible for most of what they are rightly concerned about?  That’s more interesting and productive than trying to defend ourselves from charges of bigotry.

Finally, libertarians need to be attentive to the difference between being “pro-market” and “pro-business.”

...An analysis of the history of government reveals that even government actions with good intent usually end up resulting in negative consequences. Just consider the governmental policies over the past 50 years intended to make home ownership affordable for all Americans. Such actions led directly to an economic collapse that specifically hit the housing market, and thus homeowners, like never before...

...With this view of logic in mind, one can now understand why libertarians are so upset with the recent health care reform. The government-minded leftist would argue that those against the reform do not think that everyone should have access to quality health care, or were content with the current system. Neither is true, and it is in fact often the libertarian’s desire to see affordable health care for as many as possible that drives the protests of Obamacare...