So-called libertarian Rand Paul is running for president. As with Cruz, it's hard to see him being more than a sideshow. Nonetheless, he's a sideshow with a non-trivial amount of support, especially among young conservatives. For that reason, it's worth rehashing his wacky political views.
Redistribute from the Poor to the Rich
Right-on, Mr. Bruenig.
The “free enterprise” sans government interference mentality that can take of the deep gash wound to the Gulf of Mexico and make a case for MORE oil drilling; or take evidence of wealth inequities as laid out by the Piketty Study and conclude from it that “the rich deserve yet more tax cuts” is a mentality better suited to an asylum for the criminally insane.
Thank you for stating this openly as it’s the fundament of that Conservative Christian patriarchal ethos that sees only white males as made in “the image and likeness of God, ultimate patriarch” and from this distorted theocratic lens, makes unsound, unfair laws, accordingly.
“This is just a tip of the iceberg of the circus that is Rand Paul’s politics, but it should give you a sense of his angle. Rand Paul’s libertarian fantasy is, like all libertarian fantasies, a reality-denying nightmare for nearly all but the rich, especially the white and male rich.”
It’s a mark of how screwed up things are that Rand Paul’s brand of “libertarianism” is taken, by some on the Left, as a form of progressive politics. Libertarians, to my mind, are simply bad faith conservatives. They are always ready to rail against the evils of “big government,” and only have words of praise (or silence) when it comes to the workings of the Free Market. The Libertarians are wedded to all that rubbish that a free market can do no wrong, as if the monstrous (monopolistic) system of transnational corporatism was the perfect illustration of the principles of Adam Smith! The writer is correct: libertarianism of the Rand Paul variety is for the credulous among college freshmen. Libertarianism appeals to people who like clear and simple and (apparently) iconoclastic ideas. I mean who thinks it a radical proposition that the “right” to privately discriminate is sacrosanct? Rand Paul is an intellectual fraud. If he truly loved freedom and liberty he would be advocating for another American revolution, as the first one was a dismal failure in securing a civilized society.
" Rand Paul is an intellectual fraud ". Soooooo true! If Ron Paul did not name Rand after Ayn Rand, another intellectual fraud, that is the darling of the right… too bad, as it fits him like a glove!
Matt Bruening offers no real refutation of Paul’s views here. He merely asserts them in a “can you believe he said that?” fashion.
Americans want inequality. Interestingly, most of the media marketed to libs today addresses inequality of terms of the gap between the middle class (or sometimes, more inclusively, workers) and the rich, ignoring the canyon between the poor and middle class. Think: From FDR to Reagan, the US had implemented a range of policies and programs that took the country to its height of wealth and productivity. With Reagan, we changed our minds, reversing the policies, ending the programs. Results: When Reagan was first elected, launching the long campaign against our poor, the overall quality in the US was rated at #1 among all nations. By the time Obama was elected, this had already fallen to #43, and the US can no longer adequately compete in the modern world market. This generation – liberals included – is very comfortable with inequality. After all, when was the last time you heard a lib call for food and shelter for our poor – many of the unemployable, and those who whom no jobs are available?
Very screwed up, and I personally think certain media marketed to libs has much to do with this. This media (perhaps most notably, MSNBC) continue to imply that our deregulated, hyper-capitalist state is so ideal that everyone is able to work, there are jobs for all who need one, therefore no need for poverty relief. We have a “left” that can’t address how badly our free-from-rules market system functions because they won’t legitimate address the consequences – our poverty crisis. When it comes to US povery, who isn’t a libertarian today?
America has embraced the corporate god to the degree that we believe in its divine right to determine who deserves to live, and who doesn’t. We shun those who are not of current service to this god.
