Friday, February 09, 2007

Apparently I'm a liberal. Who knew?

This is just beyond parody: Sean Hannity has called the John Birch Society- the John freakin' Birch Society- "liberal" for being opposed to the war in Iraq. Apparently, that's the deciding factor that decides a person's ideology. Economic systems? Social structures? Views on the nature of justice and the proper sphere of state action? Mere frippery! It's all about Iraq. I was thoroughly dismayed to discover that I'm a liberal, though I suppose this saves me the expense of buying those Michael Oakeshott books I was interested in.

Sadly, I think this is symptomatic of why mainstream American conservatism has lost its last libertarian elements: conservatives have become so single-mindedly focused on war and closely related issues to the exclusion of all else that they have lost all interest in the idea of limiting government power. In fact, it seems like a continuation of the Cold War situation, when the respectable Right excommunicated non-interventionists like Murray Rothbard but embraced social democrats as long as they were sufficiently bellicose on foreign policy. Now that mainstream conservatism has given up even the pretense of trying to limit the state, we see where that sort of "pragmatism" leads.



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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'm a libertarian, NOT a Conservative like Sean Hannity, yet I'd join him in calling those who oppose the War on Islamo-Fascism as "Liberals." Worse, they're Fascist-Patsies, who want to invite the Islamo-Fascists to invade our country; clothe our women in ugly burqas, throw our marijuana smoking buddies in jail for life, outlaw free speech, make booze and gambling illegal, and stone loose women to death in our town squares.

Wake up! Don't be a coward. We need to win this War on Islamo-Fascism, or we will all be sent off to the gas chambers by the Radical Muslims.

And yes, you may be affiliated with the Birch Society, but Hannity is right. You support Islamo-Fascism and YOU ARE A LIBERAL!!!

Eric Dondero, CEO
MainstreamLibertarian.com

Former Senior Aide,
US Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX)

www.libertarianRepublican.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

The only way the Conservative will lose us Real Libertarians is if they surrender in the fight on Islamo-Fascism!

They appear to be doing this, fighting only a half-ass War, politically correct and all.

It's only the Libertarian who can be a principled hardcore opponent of Islamo-Fascism. Conservatives are soft on the issue.

Libertarians recognize that if we lose this War, we all will be murdered like Theo van Gogh and Pim Fortuyn in Holland, for supporting civil liberties.

Radical Muslims HATE civil liberties. If they take over, we Libertarians will be the first ones
carted off to the gas chambers.

Don't go soft on this War Conservatives. You do, and you'll lose us Libertarians.

Eric Dondero, CEO
MainstreamLibertarian.com

Unknown said...

Too bad the word "libertarian" couldn't somehow be trademarked specifically to prevent Eric Dondero from using it.

Anonymous said...

Um, libertarian generally means at least adherence to the non-aggression principal.
Islamo-Fascism??? WTF is this?

Is this sarcasm? Are you seriously saying that any majority Moslem country could conquer the United Hates Empire? Unfriggin beleivable. I can't believe nutballs like you exist, let alone call themselves libertarians. Please don't. You make me ill

mmaier2112 said...

If Eric Dondero's posts aren't completely tongue-in-cheek, I'll eat my winter hat. And I really like my winter hat.

David Houser said...

Go to his websites and you'll see that his tongue is nowhere near his cheek. Mr. Dondero seems to be genuinely scared to death of immigrants and the Great Islamic Menace. AND he calls P.J. O'rourke the greatest living libertarian, apparently without irony! And Justin Raimando is a leftist... a very confused man.

Anonymous said...

Dondero, you're not a libertarian, you're a neocon.

Too bad he thinks he is a libertarian. He's not tongue-in-cheeck, he's crazy.