Libertarians and Republicans
As a libertarian that voted rather unenthusiastically Republican in the last election, I am right here with Ryan Sager:
While
some libertarian types may have been upset with President Reagan's
deficits, he was at least singing from their hymn book: Government is
the problem, not the solution. George W. Bush on the other hand has
never even gone to the trouble of aping a small-government posture.
Instead, Bush has adopted one of Reagan's other famous lines, sans
irony: I'm from the government, and I'm here to help.
This
represents a fundamental shift in the direction of the Republican Party
and a threat to its traditional alliances. The shift is self-evident.
Instead of being the party that tries to rein in entitlement spending,
the Republican Party is now the party of the $1.2 trillion Medicare
prescription-drug benefit. Instead of being the party that is opposed
to even having a federal Department of Education, the Republican Party
is now the party of extensive intrusion into local schoolhouses by Washington.
And instead of being the party of the rule of law and state's rights,
the Republican Party is now the party of Congressional intervention
into the thoroughly adjudicated medical decisions of an individual
family.
A few weeks ago I wrote here that about the high-stakes battle over judicial nominations. When Republicans were out of power, they could be trusted to support non-activist judges against liberal activist alternatives. Now, however, my fear is that Republicans may have shifted their stand, seeking to nominate activist conservative judges. Leaving no one at all in Washington to support a constitutional separation of powers.
