Last night, 9 candidates faced off in a debate hosted by Chris Matthews in seeking the Republican Presidential nomination. The reaction by the blogosphere has caught me by surprise. Especially the reactions at Cato and Reason. As a lifelong Libertarian, I have my ears tuned for hearing the word in the press. Unfortunately, the press has a long tradition of ignoring the libertarian philosophy.
Last night, I saw what seemed to me like a transition happening. There was the traditional potshot taken by the media elite when Chris Matthews exclaimed, "Oh God!" after Rep Ron Paul mentioned his belief in Constitutional prinicipals. However, other than that one snide comment, I have never seen so many public figures reach out to the libertarian american public.
On one memorable interaction, Chris Matthews asked if anyone had a more libertarian perspective on a topic. As if my jaw hadn't already hit the floor, to hear Sen. Sam Brownback respond to that and try to claim a libertarian perspective was utterly mind-bending. I missed the next few statements made in the debate after that one. I was too busy trying to clean out the wax from my ears so I woundn't mishear the debate participants again. If even religious conservative Brownback is trying to claim the libertarian mantle, then maybe there is a chance that we could get a good President - especially if the Dems choose Hillary.
Don't get me wrong here. I am not all that optimistic. In spite of the "Radicals" book, and the recent trend of the WSJ and the conservative blogs to talk about economic freedom, I still hear them all screaming loud and clear that your bedroom is fair game. Same with your library reading lists. Do any of these candidates feel that California should be able to implement medical marijuana without having federal agents rush through doors, gunz-a-blazin, killing innocent people? I haven't heard much there yet. I am seriously hoping Fred Thomson or Newt Gingrich (in that order) get into the race.
No comments:
Post a Comment