Is George Allen a Libertarian?
He wants you to think so:
Mr. Allen says he has “a libertarian sense.” He describes himself as more in sync with Thomas Jefferson and Ronald Reagan than with George Bush. “I’m one who dislikes limits. I don’t like restrictions. I like freedom. I like liberty. Unless you’re harming someone else, you leave people free.”
Let’s check the record:
–Supports federal subsidies for tobacco farmers.
–Supports the flag-desecration amendment.
–Supports (albeit quietly) the Federal Marriage Amendment.
–Supports the war on drug users.
–Denounces “activist judges.”
–Supports government subsidization of nanotechnology.
–Supports relaxing wiretapping rules.
That’s a mighty high price to pay to get a repeal of the estate tax, which is the only unequivocally libertarian position he’s taken, at least that I can find.
There are far worse candidates that the Republicans can put forward in 2008 than George Allen. But can they please not debase and defame the word “libertarian” in the process?
(Sources: Official George Allen website, On The Issues.)
—
Speaking of “libertarian Republicans,” did you know that there actually never was such a thing? No, instead there was only the “elitist Rockefeller business wing” –
Still, most conservatives felt that after the victory of Ronald Reagan and the Republican Revolution of 1994 their point was made and the country-clubbers would know their place. They were wrong. The Rockefeller wing is now attempting to reassert its control over the party and is openly hostile toward the Reagan populists who created the Republican majority in the first place.
We should be so lucky.
One thing’s for sure, though: Nelson Rockefeller was no libertarian. Whether any Republican ever was, or can be now, is open to debate.
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You are so right about the Rockefeller wing of the Republican party not being libertarian anymore than George Allen or the party itself. Historically speaking, for hundreds of years the libertarian political party in this country was the Democratic party. During the 19th Century, the Republicans were known as "the party of personal piety" while the Democrats were known as "the party of personal liberty". Aside from the slavery issue, the Democrats were looked upon as being the good guys because they embodied the ideas of Jefferson which represented the ideals of the American revolution. After the socialists started to inflitrate the Democrats on the backs of candidates like Woodrow Wilson and F.D.R., the libertarians moved over to the Republicans and allied themselves with the conservatives which, in my mind, was a HUGE mistake. I suppose that if a libertarian was to work within one of the 2 major parties, the Democrats would be the natural choice. However, if the 'success' of libertarians in the Republicans are any indication, I doubt they will have much effect since, ultimately, both parties exist to secure and maintain power at any cost.
Mike Renzulli… ? Not sure if I could agree with that. Both parties have some of the ideals, but the majority (somewhere to the tune of 80%+ of their policies are NOT Libertarian).
Such as the fact that most democrats where pro-slavery until AFTER the Civil War. Strange how things have flipped flopped. Just like now many Democrats are pro-railroad and anti-market conditions allowing transportation to take it's path, but before the Civil War the Republicans where heavily involved with pushing for railroads. It's flipped now.
But again, neither of these positions sit well with Libertarians. Slavery or subsidization of travel methods is something that would never be discussed as legitimate among Libertarians.
But for Democrats &Republicans it has openly been part of their ramblings and misguided approach to almost everything.
Sen. Allen's self-inflicted wounds in 2006
I guess I understand the interest in the allegation that Sen. George Allen used a racial epithet while at the University of Virginia. Given other recent and not-so-recent behaviors, his alleged derogatory comments in the early 1970s spark valid character…