I’m in Boston with the family this week, so I’m dialing back the emails. (For shame, I know!)
Anyway, I keep reading respectable people telling me the Libertarian Party needs Bill Weld.
Latest example: George Will.
Why this is funny: I do not understand the cohort of left-libertarians (yes, that’s a thing) who are so pro-Weld. And now they’ve got Mr. Stuffed Shirt himself on their side.
Here I am supposedly the right-wing fuddy-duddy, yet I consistently endorse the most radical candidates around. They, on the other hand, are supposed to be chic and radical, and — without fail — they support the stuffed shirt.
Bare minimum for a libertarian candidate or party: anti-Fed, antiwar.
Weld has said that he supports both the employment and the inflation mandates of the Fed. He thinks we need a central planning agency to maximize employment.
I can get that from the Democrats or the Republicans.
Some people say, “Woods, we have to ease people into libertarianism!” Is that really what you think Weld is doing? He’s secretly anti-Fed but keeping his views to himself for strategic reasons? Ha, sure.
As for easing people into it, what political campaign provides a successful example of this? Ron Paul (whom these pro-Weld libertarians by and large think themselves superior to) shocked people into libertarianism when he told them the empire was bleeding us dry and spreading destruction around the world. (Truer words have never been said.)
Weld supported the war in Iraq. He later said it was a “mistake.” Nice try, creep. Walter Jones has legitimately done penance for his support for that war, and will never be snookered by the military-industrial complex again. Is that the vibe anyone gets from the status quo Weld?
Pro-Weld left-libertarians are fond of smearing their opponents as fascists and hypernationalists. But consider:
Suppose Weld had supported bombing Los Angeles instead of Baghdad, and later said this was a “mistake.” Would these libertarians be saying, “Hey, man, nobody’s perfect! He said it was a mistake”?
I’ll give them enough credit to assume they’d still be horrified, and say this was a disqualifier, period.
So why is it a disqualifier when it’s Americans being killed, but not when it’s Iraqis?
I thought left-libertarians were supposed to be the great protectors of the world’s brown people. But evidently when you kill a whole lot of them in an obviously avoidable conflict, why, this is a mere policy difference!
George Will says the Libertarian Party may be “ready for prime time,” which of course means boring, and 20 percent different from the other parties.
What the world needs now ain’t some policy-wonk party.
I hope you’ll make every effort to join me at the Mises Caucus event in New Orleans, where we’ll stick it to the stuffed shirts:
http://www.TakeHumanAction.com
Potpourri:
(1) How to get and stay unstuck in your online business (plus a few funny vacation photos from this week): http://www.happyearner.com/vacation
(2) You have an excellent chance of winning free passage aboard the Contra Cruise this year. Details: http://www.contrakrugman.com/contest2018
