The Libertarian Problem
Over at the NYTimes, David Brooks argues a big problem with the Republican party is its libertarian bias:
To libertarians a smarter state is a smaller state, but most voters aren't libertarians. Bush II gave us more (and compassionate) government, and he failed not because he wasn't sincere, but because more government is never smarter. Dodd-Frank and Obamacare just add more bureaucracy to sectors that already are over and mis-regulated.
While losing the popular vote in five of the last six presidential elections, the flaws of this mentality have become apparent. First, if opposing government is your primary objective, it’s hard to have a positive governing program.
As Bill Kristol pointed out at the National Review event, the G.O.P. fiercely opposed the Dodd-Frank financial regulation law but never offered an alternative. The party opposed Obamacare but never offered a replacement. John Podhoretz of Commentary added that as soon as Republicans start talking about what kind of regulations and programs government should promote, they get accused by colleagues of being Big Government conservatives.Alas, there are probably many swing moderates like Brooks who think the path to Republican success is to have a smarter kind of state, not a smaller one. A vote-seeking Republican probably should adopt this attitude if he wants to be elected.
To libertarians a smarter state is a smaller state, but most voters aren't libertarians. Bush II gave us more (and compassionate) government, and he failed not because he wasn't sincere, but because more government is never smarter. Dodd-Frank and Obamacare just add more bureaucracy to sectors that already are over and mis-regulated.
0 Response to "The Libertarian Problem"
Post a Comment