Jennifer Rubin writes of three ideas to bolster democracy (enhanced voting rights, independent and non-partisan justice, and robust speech rights): First, Republicans, in an effort to hang on to their declining electoral advantage based on white voters, have tried every trick in the book to limit voting by those they suspect will favor Democrats. Hence,…
Libertarians
Bigotry, Law, Libertarians, Liberty, Never Trump, Politics, Trump
Never Means Never
by JOHN ADAMS •
Among the vast numbers who oppose Trump, those who are libertarian or conservative have often – as I have – signaled that opposition as part of Never Trump. (On Twitter, this is often written with a hashtag, as #NeverTrump.) Funny, but even after years since Never Trump began (and many of us were opposed to…
Culture, Libertarians, Liberty, Politics, Trump
The Motivation of the Horde
by JOHN ADAMS •
Most people, in all times and places, are clever and intelligent. It’s simply false to contend that only a few people are sharp; society does – and only can – function through the capable participation of many. At times in our own history, however, large numbers of our people have slipped into malevolence, in opposition…
Libertarians, Trump, Trump-Russia
Appeasement Isn’t Peace
by JOHN ADAMS •
Sen. Rand Paul is a libertarian in the way that Gov. Walker is a free-market man: they prefer the titles, but act in ways contrary to the underlying principles. For Wisconsin, no man behind the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation & Foxconn project could genuinely support free markets in capital, labor, and goods; for Kentucky, no man…
Cato, Economy, Immigration, Libertarians, Liberty
Cato’s Policy Handbook, Chapter 13: Immigration
by JOHN ADAMS •
Cato’s Policy Handbook for Policymakers, 8th Edition, is now available. Chapter 13 offers excellent immigration suggestions to move toward a freer labor market. It’s a reasoned approach in the place of dodgy data and nativist biases. What private individuals believe about these matters is their own concern; policymakers and officials should meet a higher standard,…
Authoritarianism, Libertarians, Liberty, Trump
Wes Benedict Tries & Fails Again
by JOHN ADAMS •
I’ve been critical of Wes Benedict, executive director of the national Libertarian Party (1 and 2), but I’ll say this for him: he’s an unfailing failure. In an email he sent today, Benedict wrote to party members, in part, that We are all waiting to see what our new president does. No doubt he’ll do…
America, Authoritarianism, Libertarians, Liberty, Politics, Trump
Wes Benedict Has a Book to Sell
by JOHN ADAMS •
Last month, the Libertarian Party’s executive director (Wes Benedict) sent me a tone-deaf, form email. I posted Libertarianism is Enough: Goodbye to the LP in reply, in which I argued that the Libertarian Party was an unworthy vessel for a liberty-oriented politics: Imagine, then, after an election in which the LP did poorly, and in which…
Libertarians, Politics, Trump
Jennifer Rubin on ‘Four ideas for surviving in the Trump era’
by JOHN ADAMS •
Jennifer Rubin’s a principled conservative, and her writing is both insightful and clear. Rubin’s blog and Twitter feed have been must reading for years (including her posts when she was blogging at Commentary; she’s now at the Washington Post). In a time when it would be easy to speak lies to power, she’s remained honest.…
Libertarians, Trump
That’s Not What Libertarian Means
by JOHN ADAMS •
Over at the Washington Post, one reads that In West Virginia coal country, voters are ‘thrilled’ about Donald Trump. The mayor of Buckhannon (a Republican who voted for Clinton) describes Trump’s appeal: Trump’s appeal here is stylistic as well as policy-driven, said David McCauley, the mayor of Buckhannon, the county seat, a pretty and bustling…
Alt-Right, Libertarians, Liberty, Politics
Libertarianism is Enough: Goodbye to the LP
by JOHN ADAMS •
There’s a saying that some libertarians are born and others are made (as a result, tragically, of experiencing misconduct at the hands of the state). Libertarianism of both origins, especially those of us from movement (old) libertarian families, has been around long before the Libertarian Party – the LP – was formed in late 1971. Needless to…
Johnson-Weld, Libertarians, Politics, Presidential race 2016
Where Libertarians Stand on the Presidential Race
by JOHN ADAMS •
Libertarians have a political philosophy, and may also be members of a political party using that same name. For those of us who are both ideologically libertarian and members of the national party (as I am), the statement yesterday from Libertarian vice presidential candidate Bill Weld (a former Republican governor of Massachusetts), summaries nicely our…
Johnson-Weld, Libertarians, Politics, Presidential race 2016
Johnson-Weld 2016 Video
by JOHN ADAMS •
Obvious disclosure: I’m a libertarian and a Johnson-Weld supporter, happily and proudly so. One hopes, of course, that this will be a good year for us, but we will fight the good fight in any year, against any opponents, under any conditions.
Libertarians, Politics, Presidential race 2016
One Day
by JOHN ADAMS •
I support Johnson-Weld 2016, and Gov. Johnson’s recorded a new video, entitled, One Day. We will have one day have the better day he describes, confident as one may be that a politics grounded in liberty is conceptually, ethically, and practically right.
Libertarians, Politics, Presidential race 2016
Johnson-Weld 2016
by JOHN ADAMS •
Occasionally, someone will ask me how I’ll be voting this fall. I’m a libertarian, from an old libertarian family, and it’s an easy choice for me: Johnson-Weld 2016. Here’s a video in which Gov. Johnson and Gov. Weld introduce themselves. They offer America a principled alternative, and would assure us a government, among other things,…