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- The prospect of having two libertarian candidates in the 2012 Republican presidential primary would, I agree, increase the profile of libertarianism in Republican politics, but I very much doubt it would substantively change the GOP's continuing descent into nationalistic populism. It's easy to co-op popular sentiment about tax rates or "runaway" government spending, but ultimately they're just slogans, not an endorsement of the total libertarian package.
- As Jonathan Capehart reminds us, there's a lot more to mounting a third-party presidential bid than raising money and getting votes. There's winning the electoral college. There's the challenge of getting on the ballot in all 50 states. And regardless of whether Matt Bai believes it, political parties matter. A third-party president will still have to deal with Democrats and Republicans in Congress. Partisanship won't disappear unless the No Labels crowd gets their benevolent despot in office, and that's simply not going to happen.
- Veronique de Rugy dares to dream a little dream: "There is a revolt brewing in America, the goal of which is to finally expose the abuses and the negative impacts that public-sector unions impose on taxpayers." I have no doubt that decades of conservative union-bashing and demonization of government has created a hardened set of libertarian and Republican voters who are partial to this sentiment. But suffice it to say, a positive economic environment endears people to government and a negative economic environment generates hostility to government. This principled "revolt" has little traction outside of de Rugy's mind.
- Remainders: Via Robert Farley, a fabulous essay on the consequences of the volunteer army; Pew excavates some fascinating polling from the "socialistic" 1930s; and Roger Simon stands up for the rich, tells the kids to get off his lawn.
--Mori Dinauer
