Staines described his political journey in an interview in 2013, "I was "anarcho-capitalist, [then] libertarian, then pragmatic libertarian."
stˈeɪnz dᵻskɹˈaɪbd hɪz pəlˈɪɾɪkəl dʒˈɜːni ɪn ɐn ˈɪntɚvjˌuː ɪn tˈuː θˈaʊzənd θˈɜːtiːn, "aɪ wʌz "ˈænɚkˌoʊkˈæpɪɾəlˌɪst, ðˈɛn lˌɪbɚtˈɛɹiən, ðˈɛn pɹæɡmˈæɾɪk lˌɪbɚtˈɛɹiən."