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Sunday, September 27, 2009

Libertarians and the Tea Party opposition to Obama

The American libertarian movement is the subject of a column by Jurek Martin in London's Financial Times. The claim is that libertarianism has recently acquired some actual influence in the US. Three pieces of evidence for this thesis are presented: Ron Paul, Glenn Beck and the Tea Party movement:

For it is becoming increasingly evident that libertarianism is a common thread in the patchwork quilt of vocal opposition to Barack Obama’s attempts to change the way America is run. Not only does it pull many of the organisational strings behind the often raucous public protests of the last few months, but its essential philosophy, that the less government the better, is espoused by some of the titular leaders of the mob. [...] Garden variety libertarians devoted to notions of economic and personal liberty might be uncomfortable with [Glenn Beck's] combustible approach, but they are not above going along for the ride. That certainly seems to be the case with former Congressman Dick Armey and his pressure group Freedom Works, as well as more established outfits such as the Ayn Rand Institute, named after the author. Both have been active in organising the tea party, town hall and Washington protest events that marked this summer. [...] The great question is whether all this thunder is confined to the hyperactive right or is achieving wider resonance. I suspect the former, at least for now. Even a casual look at the angry participants at tea parties and town halls reveals a collection of the disaffected and dispossessed, mostly older, whiter, poorer and less well-educated than the population as a whole, and with myriad motivations, of which belief in libertarianism cannot be high among them. Still, a debate about the role of government has been ignited, far from the first time in American history. It may not be as intellectually elevated as that engaged in by the Founding Fathers but it bears some resemblance to that generated by the social policy reforms of FDR and later LBJ. It even has its own Coughlins and Winchells, the early radio polemicists. To my mind, libertarianism, which embraces some attractive positions, gives the movement a respectable veneer that today’s hooligan protagonists (Messrs Beck, Armey etc) do not command in their own right.

Read the rest. Also, this Reason.tv video from the September 12 "9/12" Tea Party march and rally on Washington, DC which attracted hundreds of thousands of protesters is worth watching.

Posted by Kalim Kassam on September 27, 2009 | Permalink

Comments

You have to look a little deeper and try to ascertain the source of these libertarian related concepts and why they are gaining traction.

Many people are upset and worried - that is easy to see.

If you were an American, right, left or center and you just lost your job only to turn on the TV and see that billions of tax payer dollars, including some of your own, were being poured into companies who are "too big to fail", you just might be a little ticked. You were after all "too small to save".

You could then go through the process of trying to identify some of the culprits of your troubles. You may think in terms of anti-right by blaming it on Bush's earlier policies or anti-left by blaming Obama. However, each case does not spot the source of the problem and only gets you caught up in the political polarization that was set up for you.

Or maybe then, you find some common theme among the recent two administrations. You get the suspicion that current right or left ideology is not the culprit but that the ideology of the oligarchy is. The fact that there seems to be some sort of elitism flavor that has settled within our great nation that once counted libertarianism as it's highest virtue.

You may then think the founding fathers were right, with all their talk of Republics and fighting overzealous government control.

Hmmm...maybe it might just be plain old common sense where these concepts finding traction vs some clandestine political agenda of liberty lovers.



Posted by: bgodley | 2009-09-27 10:31:47 AM

bgodley hit the nail on the head.

Posted by: Alain | 2009-09-27 11:46:15 AM

What this country needs, and what it once almost had, is a government whose sole purpose is the protection of individual rights. The tea-party movement doesn't always articulate that concept, but the participants' viewpoints, as expressed in the signs they bring, seem to indicate a preference for that kind of government. If so, it is an encouraging sign for the future of America, since a limited government would allow the country to be great, free, and prosperous again.

Posted by: Tedd Potts | 2009-09-27 12:43:08 PM

There is a new book describing the Democratic Party’s libertarian roots and how they switched from Jefferson and Jackson to Rousseau and Marx in the 20th century. You’ll find it on Amazon Books or on the website www.claysamerica.com. The Tea Parties are objecting to Obama's call for community interests being more important than are individual interests.

Posted by: Clay Barham | 2009-09-27 4:34:07 PM

Clay, the problem is bigger than the hijacking of the Democratic Party, because it also afflicts the Republican Party. Both parties are now about big government and big spending. That is why the protests are not partisan.

Posted by: Alain | 2009-09-27 8:13:24 PM

that's right, Alain. the Republicrats and Democans are one in the same. bloated statists. neocons are no better than social liberals. the Constitution defined the US by emphasizing protection of the individual from the state, courts and populism.

i'm amazed that so many Americans are so close to the picture and so partisan that they can't understand this.

hopefully there will be a libertarian renaissance. it can't happen too soon.

Posted by: shel | 2009-09-27 10:02:25 PM

Alain: You are correct, but that s not new to Republicans who followed the Hamilton, Cla, Lincoln and TR pathway of inervention, but not as Eurpean as the modern Democrats. I cite the 19th century Democrats as the only true libertarian party reflecting Jefferson to Cleveland and wish we could go back to their influence and their positin on State's Rights...but, als, such may never be true in modern America.

Posted by: Clay Barham | 2009-10-07 1:50:19 PM

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