RSS 2.0 FeedMike Huckabee’s War Against Libertarian Republicans
by Doug MataconisFrom this month’s issue of Reason (not available online yet), former Huckabee spokesman Joe Carter, who is now with the Family Research Council, explained how Huckabee would reshape the GOP:
“If Gov. Huckabee is the nominee, you’ll see a shift from where the GOP is now…I see politics as more of a split between libertarians and conservatives than liberals and conservatives. If you let the libertarians go over to the Democratic Party while the Republicans win the votes of entrepreneurs(engineered via Hucks tax policy), you’re talking about a new majority party.”
And people talk about how McCain would break up the Reagan coalition.
H/T: Freedom Democrats
If by “new majority party” he’s referring to the Dems, then he’s right. The chirpy Jesus freaks (by which I mean the people who think freedom of religion means they have a right to force their religion on others) are a hell of a lot fewer than their idiot leaders think they are. That particular GOP schism happened here in Kansas (moderates vs. religious right) and it’s led to the libertarians and moderates jumping from the Republicans to the Dems. That’s why our last election gave us a Democratic governor, a Democratic AG, and a couple of new Democratic congressmen in a state that’s been solidly Republican since well before I was born.
Even the tax breaks won’t save the Republicans if Huckabee gets his way because, when it comes down to it, religious fanatics generally aren’t capable of governing competently and most people don’t want to live in a theocracy.
Comment by UCrawford — February 1, 2008 @ 5:52 amI thought Huckabee’s policy when it came to taxes was to raise them?
Comment by Ben — February 1, 2008 @ 8:35 amI hate to say it, but that’s pretty much the strategy of the entire Republican Party these days. Go beyond free-market policies to actual “crony capitalism” policies, focus on “values” issues, etc. I’m actually thankful that one of them is finally willing to acknowledge something which I think has become increasingly clear for years: libertarians have no place in the Republican Party any more.
At least not unless we’re willing to accept torture, deficit spending, the WO(s)D, coercive foreign policy and empire-building, abeyance to puritanical social policy, and almost unlimited executive power.
Comment by Mark — February 1, 2008 @ 9:12 amYou know, a friend of mine had the greatest bumper sticker ever on this topic:
“Jesus, please protect me from your followers.”
Comment by UCrawford — February 2, 2008 @ 11:58 pm