Are libertarians part of the conservative movement? Matt Welch from Reason Magazine argues that libertarians are not. Matt will be facing off against AEI’s Jonah Golberg on this very question this week and Stu and I get a sneak peek! In the first installment of this two part discussion, Matt makes a strong as to why libertarians are different than conservatives, why they offer more realistic solutions to America’s problems, and why libertarianism is ultimately incompatible with conservatism. We also discuss the future of libertarian movement, the Ron Paul phenomenon, and why the Libertarian Party might not have a long future as a third party alternative.
Matt Welch at Reason
Matt’s latest book
The Matt v Jonah debate on if libertarians are part of the conservative movement
Banter #43: The One About Libertarianism with Reason Magazines' Matt Welch [ 31:47 ] Play Now | Play in Popup | Download
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As usual, Matt’s (or Reason’s for that matter) best moments are not those that triangulate between ideology and electoral politics, because Libertarians are unconcerned about winning elections (although they do complain when they suffer their consequences). To dismiss any attempts by Republicans to move the the ball onto (at least) the side of the field Liberarians would like to be playing on unless a touchdown is scored, and quickly, is not useful and can border on, petty. For example, can he not find a legitimate example to ding Mitt Romney with? To describe Mitt Romney as running to the Left of Barack Obama on Medicare is absurd. Not only has Mitt Romney tackled the third rail issue, but he has proposed a fairly comprehensive premium support system which many free market reformers have praised. I respect Libertarian ideologies, but its promoters are not without self-interest, which is not to get elected, but to be controversial.