9 Comments

Poor Warren; but he needs to get out more often and he may find more South Park Republicans than he ever imagined. Hell, the moment he stops considering them as dangerous Neanderthals he may find that even the dread evangelicals do occasionally make sense. Once you drop the dogma, the world of ideas stands there, wide open.

Re Botox: they will pry the syringe from my dermatologistís hands over my dead body. Besides, Nancyís problem is not botox, but full anesthesia, which is required for an effective facelift. That woman had at least several of them. And every time it happens, the brain takes a real hit. Lifetime of boozing will not kill as many brain cells as one instance of full anesthesia, said she draining her glass of single malt. Cheers!

Meanwhile, take a look at this:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/best/?id=110006422#hero

Bush may be crazy as a fox, but he’s our fox.

And with Karen Hughes, The Amazon, being given a special mission to conduct diplomatic PR, in place, things are about to get even more interesting. Prepare to buy stocks of companies making popcorn.

Katherine:

I don’t know if you read Julie Gorin’s column today but Mr. Windrem should consider the Libertarian option. Ms. Gorin quotes includes some interesting definitions.

“A conservative with an unhealthy preoccupation with sex.î

ìA Republican with a wild side.î

An amoral Republican.

ìSomeone who thinks he should get a medal for being home in time for dinner and helping the kids with homework regardless of what the lower part of his anatomy was doing earlier in the day.”

In other words, she has taken up one of my hobby horses, i.e., Modern [neo]-Libertarians are merely 60’s counterculture types who have read Ayn Rand and now believe that the market delivers more and better “drugs, sex and rock ‘n roll.”

The Libertarians are the natural 21st century alternative to the Madisonian/Hamalitonian based Republicans Party. The only thing that stands in their way to major party status is the ability of the Democratic Party to survive as a 20th century reactionary socialist party. If the Democrats could jettison both Hillary Clinton and Howard Dean they could absorb the Libertarians by adopting a sex-centered free market approach to politics. This would represent a return to the political structure of the early Republic. We would once again have the [Jeffersonian] Anti-Federalist and the [Hamiltonian] Federalist Parties.

I would remain a Republican even though I have a very wild side.

Here is a link to the Gorin article in the WSJ:

http://www.opinionjournal.com/extra/?id=110006420

Jerry ó cruelest definition of “libertarian” I ever heard was R. Fiore’s : “An Iowa Republican who’s thinking of taking up sodomy.”

Not saying it’s wrong, just cruel… *g*

Jerry,

Thank you for the link. Actually, I am not so sure that Libertarians could be absorbed by the Democratic Party, because even after shedding their socialist economic agenda Democrats strike me as more driven by central planning than Republicans, even if they are permissive of the ëwild sideî. How long do you think after legalizing pot we would have nannies screaming that you can do it only in special designating places and start slapping fines for second-hand smoke in your own house?

Besides, I have been hanging around enough Libertarians to question whether they understand human nature as is, and whether they are not falling under a spell of another utopian construct of humanity, aka ìThe Free Menî. Humanity probably would do much better under a model of a Libertarian Man than any other of the 20th century utopian movements, but I tend to be suspicious of absolute. I would like to build society around a man as is, not as he ought to be. (That is probably utopian too, alas.)

But what really turned me off from Libertarianism was the negative attitude toward the national defense, even in the post 9-11 world. I have seen enough nations sacrificed to an îideaî and I would like to avoid it here, thank you very much. So I will remain a classic liberal, and a Republican. (That probably classifies me in today political climate as a conservative. Whatever.)

PS. I know that there are many libertarians out there and many shades of libertarianism. I was mostly talking about those that toe the Party line.

Reminds me of a letter I sent to Jon Corzine (NJ) regarding the federalization of baggage screeners after 9/11. I told him it was a horrible idea and I was very against it.

He sent back a form letter that included a boast about how he’d personally led the charge to federalize baggage screeners.

I highlighted that portion of his letter and sent it back to him with a note saying that “in the future I will give your campaign materials the same careful consideration you gave my letter. None.”

Never heard from him again.

Pelosi obvioulsy never read the man’s letter.

Why am I not shocked. I have written and called these people and to be honest the only ones that ever responded were the Republicans. Lugar’s people are actually nice to you when you contact them.

I have been a Democrat for years, but I am completely disenchanted and not just with Howard Dean.

The other day I heard the Dems ranting about how social security reform is a ruse to destroy the system so that Republicans can do what they like best: force people into starvation.

What ever happened to reasonable and civil debate?

There is Corzine and Shumer and Pelosi and Kennedy, all rich and all white talking about the evil Wall Street people. gimme a break.

Demagogues. white against black…rich against poor and now old against young…liberal against Zionist. the politics of hate.

But hey, if they want to have a nice Federal pension that is ok…if they want to get rich investing money, that is ok and if they want to talk about being anti war while they pander to “insurgents” that is ok too.

Katherine:

You are certainly right that Libertarianism has a strong scent of that old timey Utopianism. I consider myself a conservative Republican with Libertarian leanings which pretty much allows me to hold any position short of socialism on any issue.

Died in the woold Randians can be as intolerant of “heretics” as any barking moonbat. I used to have fun teasing the animals by labelling myself a “pragmatic objectivist”. The splutteing indignation was comical.

ìa conservative Republican with Libertarian leaningsî

AlanC,

That is a pretty good definition. Or a liberal Republican with conservative leanings.