[832] in libertarians
Re: More from Browne
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Derek Rose)
Mon Mar 20 21:49:22 1995
Date: Mon, 20 Mar 1995 21:48:28 +0001 (EST)
From: Derek Rose <rosed@world.std.com>
To: Kevin THEOBALD <theobald@duke.cs.mcgill.ca>
Cc: Raymie Stata <raymie@larch.lcs.mit.edu>, libertarians@MIT.EDU
In-Reply-To: <9503210154.AA22496@duke.cs.mcgill.ca>
> | I think this claim is really extraordinary in light of the last
> | elections, which propelled the Cato Institute into the status of the
> | "hottest think tank in Washington" and has led to the reexamination of a
> | whole lot of issues, such as the hazardous effects of affirmative action,
> | regulation, etc.
>
> So it sounds like you're *agreeing* with what he said: "a chance of winning
> and changing the debate are mutually exclusive." It looks like libertarians
> have been doing a lot of the latter and little of the former.
>
> Kevin Theobald
Not at all. And I would say the Libertarian Party has no chance to do
either, at least not in this lifetime. But do you wish to dispute my
claim that since the November elections, there has been a sizeable shift
in the debate toward less government and more freedom?
Vernon claims, in a message I'll respond to shortly, that I'm confusing
cause and effect here. But I don't really think you can give Cato the
credit for the Republican landslide; Cato is a think-tank emmeshed in
public policy stuff that really doesn't deal much with the public. I'd
credit the GOP landslide to more ordinary things such as:
* racial gerrymandering of the electorate
* growing resentment over affirmative action
* disgust with President Clinton and the health-care scheme
* the visionary leadership of Newt Gingrich
etc.
Seriously -- I don't think there has been any big shift in Americans'
contradictatory feelings towards big governemnt (they want the programs,
but don't want to pay for them), as Virginia Postrel argued in a
provactive essay in Reason not too long ago. Trying to paint the '96
elections as the result of a huge growndswell of libertarian sentiment is
bellied by the polls. But now that principled conservative politicians
like Dick Armey are in power, they will get a chance to explain their
ideas and perhaps create that groundswell.
-Derek.
