“LIBERTARIAN” has become something of a feel-good word lately. Markos Moulitsas, the guru behind the Daily Kos, penned an essay not too long ago making the case for the “libertarian Democrat.” His analysis is thin gruel, but what’s interesting is that arguably the most partisan left-wing Democrat in America is eager to claim the libertarian label for his side. At the same time, mainstream liberals have been proclaiming that they always loved and respected those supposedly libertarian conservatives of yesteryear, like Reagan and Goldwater.
Meanwhile, on the right, many conservatives eager to distinguish themselves from the messiness of the Bush administration and the unrepentant jobbery of the congressional GOP now use the word “libertarian” like an alibi: “Hey man, I didn’t do it. I’m a libertarian.”
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