Oh, So CNN Cares about Limited Government Now?

CNN, as everyone knows, is the flagship voice of American conservatism. When Americans want clarity on the finer points of Willmoore Kendall’s political theory, or seek a deeper understanding of the philosophical roots of Frank Meyer’s “fusionist” synthesis of liberty and virtue, or are curious about the history of the clashes between paleoconservatives and neoconservatives in the final decades of the 20th century, they turn to such erudite voices as Don Lemon and Jim Acosta. (Brian Stelter, I’m told, is taking a leave of absence to finish his dissertation — a West Coast Straussian critique of Edmund Burke).

So when CNN accuses a Republican of betraying conservative principles, we should listen. And that’s precisely what the outlet’s new bombshell exposé alleges: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made freedom his calling card, but some conservatives have become skeptical of how liberally the Republican leader is using government power to impose his will,” CNN reports. Specifically, “DeSantis’ pugilistic style has become a frequent topic of debate among free-market conservatives who believe the government shouldn’t interfere with businesses,” citing the governor’s “standoff with the cruise line industry during the pandemic over their vaccine policies,” his ban on “businesses from requiring masks and vaccines,” and his “bill that restricted how businesses train workers around topics such as race and gender.” A companion video segment reiterates the point:

Conservatives who “generally believe that government shouldn’t be in the business of businesses,” the above segment reports, are worried about how DeSantis is wielding government power — “punishing businesses that run afoul of his point of view,” penalizing “businesses for their vaccination and mask policies,” and so on. “And what we’re seeing is Republican candidates starting to seize on this a little bit,” we’re informed. The three Republicans the CNN reporter mentions: New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu, former Maryland governor Larry Hogan, and former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson.

One suspects that the full implications of the “limited government conservatism” that CNN is suddenly so defensive of would be just as scandalous to its anchors and viewers as the “pugilistic style” ostensibly exemplified by DeSantis. Sununu, for example, recently argued that he was more conservative than DeSantis on the grounds that, among other things, “I’m ranked the most fiscally conservative governor in the country”; “I would challenge anyone on 2nd Amendment rights — we’re far and away the best”; and “regulatory reform — I’ll challenge any state on it.” I look forward to CNN’s full-throated defense of constitutional carry, deregulation, and slashing government spending.

Hogan, too, has criticized DeSantis on more or less the grounds that CNN describes — i.e., that the Florida governor has taken an excessively interventionist approach to private business. (“DeSantis is always talking about he was not demanding that businesses do things, but he was telling the cruise lines what they had to do,” Hogan said last year.) The merits or deficiencies of that line of critique aside, Hogan also extended that hands-off attitude by declining to impose vaccine mandates on private businesses, saying it was their right to decide how they wanted to approach the issue. And Hutchinson, who made a similar critique of DeSantis last year in the context of the Florida governor’s fight with Disney — ““I don’t believe that government should be punitive against private businesses because we disagree with them,” Hutchinson said — previously urged his state’s businesses to not comply with Biden’s “oppressive vaccine mandate,” calling for the Supreme Court to strike the mandate down.

I’m sure CNN will follow its newfound libertarian principles to their logical, intellectually consistent conclusion.