That’s not really the phrase I was looking for, but it was the closest my mind could come up with to describe what seems to be happening to many Republicans since Obama’s election. By this I mean that they all seem to have rediscovered the ideas of…liberty and limited government and constitution.
Odd, isn’t it?
We go eight years under a man who passed the Patriot Act, invaded several countries, passed No Child Left Behind, Real ID, allowed the torture of POWs, and started the first massive bailouts of Wall Street companies and Republicans cheered him on. I could go through and find a bunch of quotes from a bunch of conservative columnists, but instead, I’ll just quote my own mother. She’s a big neo-con, or was, and after 9/11 was pretty much convinced that every muslim is just waiting for their chance to kill Americans because they hate us for our freedom. She wanted Rudy Guiliani to win the presidency. In my visit in January (pre-Obama’s Inauguration), I blasted Bush bailing out all those companies and her comment?
“He just did what he had to do to save our economy! He’s a decent person!”
I replied that I know many decent people and not one of them has caused the death of millions, destroyed our civil liberties or any of the other things Bush has done.
I guess hapless Bushie just made some mistakes. But it’s okay. He’s a conservative.
Then Obama takes office and suddenly I get a ton of emails from my mom on how the Obama Stimulus and bailout package is going to ruin our economy. How the democrats are going to turn us into socialists! Gasp! Because we weren’t already 80% of the way there already. Then, after a while, I start getting emails from her discussing various aspects of Austrian economics, secession, and that sort of thing. She starts praising Ron Paul, when during his election, she was 100% against him and wouldn’t let my dad put a Ron Paul bumper sticker on his car.
She’s not the only one. Among a lot of conservative Republicans I know on facebook, they’re all suddenly completely against big government and want to work with the more libertarian leaning people to stop it.
I know, I know. This is a good thing. We could use the help. An enemy of our enemy is our friend, and all that. But…the problem is, they aren’t actually pro-liberty. They’re just faking it.
While it’s true that in New Hampshire, Republicans are slightly better than Democrats on pro-liberty issues (they have an average C rating for all the years data is available compared to the Democrats’ D rating), that does not a pro-liberty party make.
Ask them how they feel about ending the drug war. “Nooo…we can’t do that! Drugs are baaaad!” Or bringing home our troops from the 130 countries they’re currently in. “Nooo, we can’t do that. We have to protect America against terrorists!” Because terrorists are rife in Germany and Italy, I guess. Gay marriage? No! Because everyone knows gays don’t have rights. Abortion? Outlaw it federally! Privacy rights? That will lead to terrorism!
The only freedom they truly care about is their freedom to control your life instead of the democrats and I think they’re kind of bitter they have been so soundly trounced in the last couple of elections. And so, they’re returning to the message of freedom…as well as they can, anyway. But their message still seems a little confused. For one, they’ve turned on the Obama hate a little too strongly. I’m no fan of Obama, but good grief. For 8 years our president could do no wrong, now he can do no right? Hypocrits much? Twenty-eight states have bills affirming states’ rights and the constitutional limits of the federal government. Coincidentally enough, these bills have passed mostly in states that are controlled by Republicans. I rather doubt they would have been drafted much less passed were a Republican still in power.
I feel like I know too well how this is going to end. They’re returning to liberty because, as Ron Paul is so fond of reminding us, Freedom is Popular and if Republicans need anything at the moment, it’s popularity. But once they regain that popularity and regain that power, they’re going to once again forget about the Constitution, forget that individuals had rights, just like they did in 1996.
The only way this might turn out differently is if enough of them genuinely realize that freedom is what matters. As the bumper sticker says, it’s not left vs. right. It’s the state vs. YOU. Unfortunately, most of them seem far too partisan to realize this truth.
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So this is our chance to educate them. When circumstance provides an opportunity by opening minds that are normally closed we need to seize the moment in a friendly and non-combative way and bring them into the fold through education.
I’d like to caution the author. If I’ve seen one failure in the liberty movement it has been this; putting on a face of arrogance and attacking people for not being “whatever” enough for us. There is no surer way to send someone away mumbling about what kind of lunatics we are than that.
What is happening now is a gift or curse. It’s outcome will be determined by how we choose to view and use.
Comment by Mark D March 31, 2009 @ 9:08 amI know, the pro-liberty movement, while claiming in its advertisements to be a “big tent movement” has a way of fighting among its members for who gets the “most libertarian of them all” badge. That’s really not my goal. I’m a minarchist in the strictest since of the word and you won’t see me fighting any anarcho-capitalists for the badge. They’re way more pro-liberty than I am and have way more faith in humanity than I do. The problem I have though is that while I’m totally cool with libertarianism being a big tent, there is not room in that tent for big government. In short, I’m worried they’ll use us and then dump us the moment they get back in power.
Comment by geistdesfritz April 1, 2009 @ 12:07 pmI really hope that doesn’t happen, but I’m afraid it will because it has in the past. Let’s educate them and hope it sticks.
Oh, and I should add that there’s a difference between Joe Blow Republican who has never paid much attention to politics and just votes Republican “because” and is getting involved in the liberty movement because he’s seriously afraid of Obama and would actually like to keep his freedom and those who are dyed in the wool republicans and are okay with stimulus and bailouts as long as they’re republican stimuli and bailouts. Big difference, in my mind. I’m perfectly welcoming of the former and highly suspicious of the latter.
Actually, I really am becoming enlightened. I really don’t fit the definition of Neo-con you’re labeling me with. I was the one who introduced you to Libertarianism! There were a few things that didn’t make sense, though, or so I thought. Bush, like all of us graduates of public school & universities, was trained to believe Keynesian economics. I didn’t realize Keynesian economics was so wrong. That’s why I defended Bush when you were here. Now I realize he was wrong and I was wrong. People can change you know. I’m changing my mind on a lot of things. By excoriating me and other considering changing, you’re not making me feel good about joining with you. It makes me feel unwanted. Do you want to grow the Freedom-loving movement? Then don’t kick people away for having been wrong – welcome people who are now willing to listen and give them a chance to learn.
Comment by Wendy March 31, 2009 @ 12:46 pmI know you’re the one who introduced me to libertarianism, but that was when I was 8 and, as you said, people changed. You became extremely Republican and while a lot of you still agree with libertarian ideals, a lot of it was influenced by very neo-con ideals to where you were a lot more neo-con than libertarian. I’m glad you’re learning now and I encourage that. Mainly I used you as an example because you were the one that I’m most aware of (because you’re my mom
). Day before inauguration–Bush is great. Day after–Obama is evil. Sure Obama is a lot more fascist than Bush, but they both passed bailouts.
My main fear is that we’ll see a repate of 1992-1996. Republicans weren’t in power, Clinton was president, Republicans started talking all small government, power to the people, freedom, etc. Get in power in 1996 and all that goes out the window. They’re all about the power and increasing the power they had.
Mainly I think that people who have been in the liberty movement should work with the…what should I call them? Republican refugees? Newcomers? And help them see how big government (republican or democrat) is the problem.
My fear, however, is that most of them are so red they can’t see past voting for the name with the (R) by it.
I’m not sure if you, or a lot of the other suddenly pro-liberty people out there would be able to get past their knee-jerk reaction of always voting Republilcan because they’re “pro-freedom.” I’m afraid that working with pro-freedom (or should i just say anti-Obama?) Republicans will only serve one purpose: to get Republicans in power again…and then watch them abandon the principles they claimed to espouse.
At any rate, I really am glad you’ve discovered a whole new world of economics and philosophy. But considering the past, you can’t blame me for worrying it won’t last.
Comment by geistdesfritz April 1, 2009 @ 11:41 amZorak and I have had some interesting discussions on this topic the past few months. I read this post the other night, and wanted to respond, but I couldn’t quite put my thoughts down succinctly. Really, I just want to sit on the balcony with you and visit. So, when you get back from Germany, come on down. Bring the guys, too, and we’ll make a party of it!
(I doubt this post is succinct, either, but I’ve given it my best shot.)
One of the most difficult things to get people to understand is that when their guy asks for more power to do something they agree with, they still need to say, “No”. Either they forget, or do not realize, that their guy will not always be in office; the power, however, goes to the office. It will remain when their guys leaves, and when someone else’s guy comes into power, he will not only use that power, but will ask for more power (and his people will forget, or refuse, to say no!) and so it goes, back and forth, until you have a gov’t that is so powerful and so large that it no longer asks of its people to do or take anything. Trying to get people to understand that has just about given me a stroke the past decade.
One of the most frustrating things we face in the Libertarian movement is retention, but I don’t think it’s a matter of fair weather friends. I had trouble nailing it down, but Zorak did a fine job the other day when he said the Libertarian Party is like a pressure release valve. When people get riled to the point of opening both eyes, and seeing what’s going on, they must DO something. But their own parties aren’t going to DO something. So they come to the LP, which always strives to do something. This is good!
Our challenge lies in keeping people with us once the pressure has escaped. We need to be more than a padded room people can check into when they’re at their breaking point.
But I cannot lay blame entirely at the feet of those who come fired up. I’m glad they’re fired up. OUR task, our burden, is to provide enough substance and reason for them to stay and push the boulder uphill with us once the initial fire has died down. Human nature has shown that we will, much like water, take the path of least resistance. The banks may overflow, but complacency takes root and the river returns to its course. So it is with Americans and their political parties. Once the frustration has vented a bit, it’s too easy to return to the platform that’s known and familiar. Our task is to bring the LP Home. Make it familiar and valuable and worth resisting inertia.
FWIW, I do think we can do it. The Democratic Party is steamrolling toward a fascism its members have often decried the Republican Party of creating. The Republican Party is trying to outgrow its opposition through the same Keynsian and Totalitarian programs. This shift leaves a viable hole in the political landscape that we can claim and homestead. There is room for Liberty. There is a future in freedom. It’s up to us to cultivate it and build it and not let our frustration find vent in those who have come newly to the building site. Give them shovels, show them the blueprints, get them to give their valuable ideas, talents, and skills to the building (or reinforcing) of the foundation.
And I say this to myself, as well as to you, or to any who may read this. If I’m preaching, I preach to myself, as well, because I need to remember it. We have some unbelievable things going on within our state party right now, and my irritation level is at an all-time high.
So, if we can encourage one another, it’s good.
Don’t despair, and don’t give up, and don’t let the cynicism overtake you!
Comment by Dy May 23, 2009 @ 10:33 amI think I’m already too cynical
I’m beginning to seriously doubt that Americans even care about freedom anymore. Afterall, we do live in a democracy. If the majority of Americans truly wanted to be free, we would be.
Comment by geistdesfritz June 9, 2009 @ 7:35 am