Over at Pruning Shears, Dan Fejes the incredibly conspicuous silence of Libertarians, and the Libertarian movement on pot legalization in Colorado:
For as long as I can remember the joke about libertarians is that they are Republicans who like to smoke pot. Those who identify as libertarian seem to go to great lengths to point out their ideological differences with Republicans (and conservatives more generally). They stress liberty above all and oppose anything – like, say, non-military government spending – they perceive as even peripherally infringing on it. In addition to heartily approving of the freedom to, say, die without insurance, libertarians have long denounced the drug war as a hateful incursion on peoples’ freedom.
Unfortunately, there aren’t many opportunities to tease out whether libertarians truly are independent gadflies or just slightly heterodox Republicans. To get a solid answer, we would need to see one of their favored policies enacted. Since their ideas (agree with them or not) aren’t really in the political mainstream, their commitment to them never really gets put to the test.
Happily, the decriminalization of marijuana in Colorado provides just one of those rare cases. Libertarians have long criticized the drug war, with leading voices such as Radley Balko and John Stossel weighing in against it, Matt Welch reporting on its hoped-for demise, and so on. (This isn’t meant to be a comprehensive survey. I pick up libertarian names from ambient political noise, so in this post I checked ones I was familiar with.)
………
We aren’t hearing that; what we are mostly hearing is crickets. If this really meant as much to libertarians as they’ve always claimed, they should be shouting the news from the rooftops – but that would not sit well with the GOP establishment. Or: They can either act as gadflies or as slightly heterodox Republicans. Most are choosing the latter. While that’s a little disappointing I can’t honestly say it’s surprising.
This is telling.
Not only are the “mainstream” Libertarians remarkably quiet about all this, but the Ron Paul “batsh%$ insane” wing is quiet as well.
Libertarians: Nothing more than a way for some people to feel good about pulling the lever for Republicans.
Email I got today from Reason magazine, who frequently publish articles by Balko, Stossel & Welch. Seems to have many mentions of Colorado legalization, and several articles critical of Republicans.
Reason Alert: Chris Christie, Obamacare, and Colorado Pot
Reason Foundation
4:38 PM (7 hours ago)
to reason
Reason Alert – January 10, 2014
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Friday Movie Reviews
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Christie Reminds Us That a Politician's Job Is To Get Elected, No Matter the Cost
"Politicians and the organizations around them are largely in the business of getting elected, for which they will use whatever tool, or stake whatever position they can get away with," writes Reason magazine Editor-in-Chief Matt Welch. "Even at the potential cost of human lives. If you don't want your fellow citizens to be used as human pawns in the debased game of power politics, then work to limit the amount of latitude politicians can have over our lives."
Marvel at Chris Christie's Chicago Style Politics
After Obamacare
Republicans have been on a "long, tortured quest for a conservative health policy," but what they "don't have is a theory–a broadly shared vision of how health care ought to be delivered in America," says Senior Editor Peter Suderman in the February issue of Reason magazine. "Without such a shared understanding, one that can be easily and succinctly described by politicians and activists alike, it's hard to unite around, or even talk about, any particular plan. The result is that many Republicans would rather discuss the specifics of Obamacare's failings while presenting their alternative ideas in catch-phrase generalities like 'patient-centered care,' 'affordability,' and 'preserving the doctor-patient relationship.' The GOP will soon be faced with the same old questions: What does the party stand for when it comes to health care? What, exactly, do Republicans want to do, and what is the method by which they propose to do it?"
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Sorry, Liberals: Obamacare Won't Lead to Single Payer
No, Obamacare Doesn't Deserve Credit for Slowing the Growth of Health Spending
What Pot Legalization Could Teach Obamacare
"As Colorado wraps up its first week of selling recreational pot to adults, it's worth comparing the Centennial State's overwhelmingly successful experience with the disastrous, still-glitch-ridden rollout of Obamacare," writes Reason.com's Nick Gillespie in a piece at Time.com. "Yes, yes, there are many massive and important differences between the two policies, but both policies also fundamentally challenge our nation's legal structures, business practices, and social customs. So all politicians, activists, and citizens contemplating transformative reform to the status quo should look for pointers in Colorado's end to pot prohibition."
Pathetic Pot Prohibitionists
Yes, Legal Pot Does Cost More Than Black-Market Pot (for Now at Least)
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Cuomo's Medical Marijuana Plan: The Mystery Deepens
Video: Is Colorado Pot Overtaxed and Over-Regulated Already?
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