Libertarianism or Bust?
My pre-deal column on how the GOP can escape civil war is holding up pretty well:
Together, Prosperity Republicans and Repentance Republicans have failed to free us from wars on poverty, drugs, the border and spending — perpetual yet lost, like the war they wage on each other. Neither faction has prevented liberal and progressive Democrats from securing the support of half the country or more. Trapped in perpetual deadlock, neither ever will.
The temptation born of this frustration, soon to be brutally amplified by the final act of the debt fight, is for each faction to attempt a knockout blow against the other.
Even if this were possible at the national level (and it’s not), neither Prosperity Republicans nor Repentance Republicans can survive on their own. Their respective constituencies are simply too small — not because of “the way the game is played in Washington” or anything else any more complicated or nefarious than the character of the American people.
That character is increasingly permissive and wary, jaded and determined, idealistic and humbled. It is especially poorly suited for abstract and dogmatic theories. But it is a perfect fit — at a needful time — for a new politics of practical libertarianism.
But are libertarians and conservatives alike too ridden with micro-factions to cotton to this argument? A column for another day, perhaps...
- Comment (7)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
Comments :
Jun '10
Re: Libertarianism or Bust?
James, I started a post yesterday trying to dissect your idea of practical libertarianism. To restate my own line of inquiry, how does your thesis address the tea party dynamic? Granted, there is an affinity there, but I don't view it as a uniquely Republican phenomenon. Furthermore, what would be the trigger that causes each faction to embrace this practical libertarianism? While I think I like the idea, I'm not certain how you really get there from here, because the chasm between citizen class and political class is still broad, and as long as the aim of politics is power, a party based on practical libertarianism seems unlikely.
Oct '10
Re: Libertarianism or Bust?
What is practical libertarianism? Does it have a strong federal bent? Blue states will never stand for downsizing the federal government if we insist they downsize too.
How would it react to, say, the structural changes we need to make in our financial markets? Frankly, they are a mess, and suffer so many distortions from so many governments that they've become a real danger to our economy. Removing American caused distortions won't fix European or Chinese caused ones. We need to remove the distortions we're responsible for, while intervening to offset the distortions foreign governments are responsible for.
How would practical libertarianism view that sort of situation?
Feb '11
Re: Libertarianism or Bust?
I'm not so sure I accept the categorization. Seems that prosperity and repentance aren't mutually exclusive. Maybe I'm misunderstanding; can you provide examples from each category?
Jun '10
Re: Libertarianism or Bust?
When a parachutist is falling to the ground at terminal velocity, it's a lot of fun. And then, the parachute opens, and it provides an abrupt deceleration of the body. The euphoric part of the ride is over. Tea Party Republicans are kind of like that parachute. I just worry that the parachutist--our giant government--is way too fat for the chute, and our spending deceleration will happen latter, in the more natural violent way. Splat!!
Nov '10
Re: Libertarianism or Bust?
“We should emphasize the things that unite us and make these the only ‘litmus test’ of what constitutes a Republican: our belief in restraining government spending, pro-growth policies, tax reduction, sound national defense, and maximum individual liberty. As to the other issues that draw on the deep springs of morality and emotion, let us decide that we can disagree among ourselves as Republicans and tolerate the disagreement.”
-Ronald Reagan
Re: Libertarianism or Bust?
Thanks for the questions all. Jim, thanks for the post. The Tea Party complicates things - in a good way - but largely reinforces my claims. Prosperity and repentance are not mutually exclusive, but the factions of the GOP that have mobilized support around their politics of prosperity and of repentance are at a loggerheads that not even Reagan's formulation can overcome.
I don't see a way to adequately reconcile prosperity and repentance in a political way - and reconcile the two dominant factions accordingly - that doesn't involve a big pivot to a politically libertarian approach. (The Tea Party is already moving down this road, but the TP is itself affected by desires to elevate economic or moral projects above self-governance.)
I'd expect a practical libertarian response to foreign financial failures to begin with an emphasis on how our current capacity for self-governance far outstrips that of other peoples and nations, in Europe, China, and elsewhere. We - still! - weather storms better.
Oct '10
Re: Libertarianism or Bust?
James,
I do feel your pain, but you are confusing the issues by conflating politics with ideology. Like it or not, for all intents and purposes we have a two party system. Essentially two waring camps. Within the camps themselves we find a distribution along the axis between what you call Prosperity and Repentance: I would re-lable the poles "amoral" and "moral". A similar distribution occurs between the two poles named "fiscal conservative" and "social conservative" Republicans and "blue dog" and "progressive" Democrats. Libertarians being primarily oriented toward the "amoral" part of the spectrum, tend to align themselves with Republicans or Democrats depending on whichever moral basis (Traditional Christian or Modern Humanistic) they would tend to gravitate toward. I do not see a place for a catagory of Libertariansim to be labled "practical".