1. Gary Johnson
People are using the Twitter hashtag #BlackoutCNN today to
urge CNN to include Gov. Gary Johnson in fall presidential debates. He’s not only the Libertarian Party candidate
and the man I plan to vote for – at the libertarian event FreedomFest, he was also
referred to by my ex-boss Judge Andrew Napolitano as a man “whose sandal straps
I am unworthy to fasten.”
2. Barack Obama
By contrast, Obama is now encouraging people to treat the
election as a referendum on taxes and regulation, painting himself as the
defender of these things. And, of
course, he wants to remind you that if
you have a business, it’s not really yours.
Indeed, Ronald Radosh has been moved to argue with Milos Forman, defending
the idea that Obama really is, roughly speaking, a socialist. The fact he’s also a corporatist doesn’t
change that.
(I notice the Radosh piece has a stray line at the bottom
that was meant to be a link to a story about Joss Whedon saying
positive-sounding things about socialism at ComicCon, a
politically-disappointing moment that should nonetheless surprise no one – more
on Whedon below, though.)
3. Mitt Romney
Between Obama bashing business and Romney reportedly toying
for a few days with the idea of arch-neocon Condi Rice as running mate, it’s
almost like both major-party candidates are trying to avoid getting libertarian votes.
Well, fine, we have a perfectly respectable third option this year,
whatever you may think about the relevance of the Libertarian Party in other
years. Looks like they – we – are on
track to be spoilers this year, sending a message that must be loudly echoed by
disappointed Republicans, disillusioned Democrats, intrigued Independents, and
stirred-up Ron Paul fans for years to come.
The Condi speculation was a particularly saddening sign that
even after the Ron Paul 2012 campaign, the GOP has barely taken notice of
libertarians. If they had, they would
know that – for good or ill – Condi is not merely a neutral figure to Ron
Paul-style libertarians but a much-despised villain, a living reminder of
military overreach in the Middle East and Bush-era emphasis on domestic
security instead of markets. Most
Americans may need a reminder who she is.
Ron Paul-era libertarians remember, with hate. I’m a bit more flexible than most of them,
but I’m telling you, that’s how they feel.
Foolish to ignore it (mostly irrelevant, of course, if it’s going to be
market-friendly but bland and weak-seeming Pawlenty).
Look, for a decade I tried to get the mainstream
conservatives and the libertarians on the same page when I could, but neither
side wanted it. Now Romney will probably
be the one who suffers hardest because of it.
The libertarian vote, more than ever before, is there as a bloc to be
claimed – but not by the likes of McCain in 2008, and only maybe by Romney (who is at least business-oriented) if he had done
and said just the right things – but flirting with Condi is like having as your
running mate a giant neon sign that says, “REMEMBER HOW LITTLE THE BUSH
ADMINISTRATION CARED ABOUT LIBERTARIAN ISSUES?
WELL, THAT’S BACK, ESPECIALLY THE WAR PART!”
And no neon sign has ever won a presidential election. (I am confident in making that generalization
even if I’m not a political scientist or sociologist – but then, maybe
those disciplines should be ended anyway, as suggested in this Freakonomics
entry pointed out by Jacob Levy, who disagrees, at least with the polisci
part.)
4. Joss Whedon
Rich Johnston on BleedingCool reports the following
from a
San Diego ComicCon panel featuring Joss Whedon:
Joss was then asked to
describe his economic philosophy in 30 seconds or less. He responded that he was raised in Manhattan
by people who thought socialism as a model was a beautiful concept. Joss
noted that we are now watching capitalism destroy itself. Joss said that believes we’re creating a
nation of serfs. Since beginning of Reagan era, according to Joss,
Americans’ ability to have a a goal and a life started to be taken away from
them. He indicated he was furious during
e writers strike. Joss thinks we are now
in a political debate that isn’t democrats versus republicans or conservatives
versus liberals. Instead, it’s people
who are trying to make it work because they remember personal dignity and
people who have gone off the reservation and believe that (adopting Deliverance
accent) “Jesus Christ came to America.”
I think that makes him vaguely pro-socialist and (perhaps
inadvertently) vaguely anti-Mormon, so I suppose we can guess how he’s
voting.
But politics aside, I applaud his creative diversity – films
of horror, Avengers, and (soon) Shakespeare all in one year, with hints he may
next return to Dr. Horrible online musicals.
Like many a good strategist in Hollywood, he may just want to make clear
to Disney that he’s busy enough that he doesn’t need to return to Avengers.
But you know – he really doesn’t
need to return to Avengers.
Come to think of it: wouldn’t it be sorta cool if he
lateraled and did Marvel’s 2014 film of Guardians
of the Galaxy? That might be even
more up his alley (I’d like to hear his Rocket Raccoon dialogue). In short, I support his next move regardless,
I think. I’ll forgive some of the duller
bits of Doll House now (it had its
moments).
More about comics tomorrow – which may very well be the day
that women’s studies major Whedon sees his Avengers movie strike a blow against
nannyism by surpassing Mary Poppins in inflation-adjusted domestic box office,
vaulting it into the top twenty-five movies of all time. Congratulations (and take that,
Poppins!).
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