Don’t spook the folks over at Slate, cause Stephen Metcalf sees libertarians EVERYWHERE!
And when he’s not pondering the benefits of alpaca droppings, Metcalf finds libertarians repugnant. They’re so repugnant that he spent more than 4,000 words regurgitating the thesis that one of the Big Brains for libertarianism, Robert Nozick, renounced the philosophy.
Cato’s David Boaz provides an authoritative smackdown of Metcalf’s article, which includes a quote from Nozick saying, “… the rumors of my deviation (or apostasy!) from libertarianism were much exaggerated.”
But now Metcalf has something more than simple fact-checking to worry about: Libertarians might really be everywhere.
According to a new poll by CNN, The libertarian message is gaining traction. As Nate Silver blogs at the New York Times:
“Libertarianism has been touted as the wave of America’s political future for many years, generally with more enthusiasm than evidence. But there are some tangible signs that Americans’ attitudes are in fact moving in that direction.”
Silver looks at the numbers and reveals, “63 percent of respondents said government was doing too much … while 50 percent said government should not favor any particular set of values.”
And there’s enough data in the poll to make Mitt Romney renounce his social conservatism.
“… there have been visible shifts in public opinion on a number of issues, ranging from increasing tolerance for same-sex marriage and marijuana legalization on the one hand, to the skepticism over stimulus packages and the health-care overhaul on the other hand, that can be interpreted as a move toward more libertarian views.”
There’s been a lot of griping about Mitch Daniels suggestion that there needs to be a truce between social conservatives and the rest of the center-right movement. Perhaps it’s just a matter of prioritization. Silver writes that the Tea Party has focused the center-right universe on the most important issues of the economy, jobs, the economy, jobs and jobs (which, not coincidentally, require free-market solutions).
“The Tea Party movement also has some lineage in libertarian thinking. Although polls suggest that many people who participate in the Tea Party movement have quite socially conservative views, the movement spends little time emphasizing those positions, as compared with economic issues.”
been a Libretarian for a long time. Took the rest of you lot long enough
Isn’t Libertarian just another word for financial conservative?
“Real progress consists in the movement of mankind toward the understanding of norms, and toward conformity to norms. Real decadence consists in the movement of mankind away from the understanding of norms, and away from obedience to norms.” Russell Kirk, Enemies of the Permanent Things, 1969
Libertarians as Conservatives makes as much sense as a Protestant Pope.
If your basic premise is that there are no moral reference points other than “leave me alone to do my thing” you are more at home in the right wing of the Democratic Party (wherever that is) than to the left of the Republican Conservatives.
Yet, in today’s GOP even that may be accepted. In short: take the RINO’s and the Libertarians and all you have left is the Tea Party.
Forgive my frankness.
GOP’s Religious Right…rebranded as Conservatives…rebranded as Tea Party = GOP Religious Right.
Bwah-ha-ha-ha! We’re going to take over and leave you alone!
Brother J, that’s one of my favorite lines!
A funny topic for sure!
Libertarian socialism vs. libertarian anrachism
Both have taken residence in the GOP.
A funny topic for sure!
Libertarian socialism vs. libertarian anrachism
Both have taken residence in the GOP.
Yet another example of how folks blindly follow in some populist fashion, some political ideology they don’t have any thorough knowledge of.
I await all the denial.
TT Thomas, of whom one of those T’s means Troll. I finally unmasked him in one of my posts.
http://pajamasmedia.com/tatler/2011/06/10/atf-%e2%80%9870-of-mexican-cartel-guns-originate-in-u-s-%e2%80%99/
He’s either an anti-Liberty troll, or else he’s so incredibly ignorant in how he throws around political terms that he’s incapable of reason. Y’all make the call.
The denial is all his, and thus he projects on the rest of us.
Howard…you loose all your credibility (if you’ve ever had any) when you come throwing darts (personalized attacks) and can’t factually refute anything. Your problem is you lack any common sense and are no different from the morons of the left using whatever media mediums they can to spread their biased propaganda. Lastly, you are of the generations who have willing squandered away the greatness generations before yours accomplished and that no other nation on earth has accomplished in more modern times. And why should we look to you as some national hero, intellectual leader and savior?
Last time I checked, every american citizen has a constitutionally protected right to express their opinions within legal barriers….not your silly rules. Grow up and present your arguments in an adult manner or continue to be an egotistical child of irrelevance.
“And there’s enough data in the poll to make Mitt Romney renounce his social conservatism.”
What made you think it would take much? Man’s got way more invested in his hair than any principle.
It is supremely important that mainstream conservatives and “sane” libertarians make peace and common cause with one another. Not because libertarians are “winning” in any sense — no one can “win” a political argument; I think we’ve proved that adequately well — but because we need each other, and not just to win elections.
Mainstream conservatives have a lot to teach libertarians about why such things as “traditional values” deserve to be upheld and defended. Libertarians have a lot to give the conservative movement as regards rights theory and sound economics.
Contrary to the protestations of many, we can have both.
Mr. Porretto,
allow me to disagree. Mainstream Conservatives, aka Socons, don’t need to learn much about sound economics. We already know it.
Libertarians could be useful if they stopped attacking socons like a chihuahua attacks a too polite for his own good strong man, or if socons give up trying to reason Libertarians into reasonable behavior, and just smack them with a stick once a day. But as long as Libertarians spend more time trying to trumpet their cause and tear down socons, they are more trouble than they are worth, and should be purged.
This is a pragmatic decision. It is a victory seeking decision. As Abraham Lincoln said ‘a house divided against itself cannot stand’.
We can win in 2012, but not by faint-heart, and by division, and by warring amongst ourselves.
im with u tennwriter
liberals when scared will attack with lies so beware of them there out to destroy our country this is what i think of liberals who dont watn GOD in our country who want power and all y our money, who doesnt care about the poor or our animals who are suffering and dieing, they dont care about the planet either,GOD wrath is coming on u LIBERALS