On the libertarian side:
May 24, 2004
JACOB T. LEVY writes on the libertarian threat to Bush and suggests that Bush's people are in denial. I agree with this. Bush's positions on stem cell research, abortion, etc., are damaging there, and the war's pretty much a wash, with libertarians divided.
I've gotten some emails asking why I like Bush so much. I don't really -- I support him on the war, but if Lieberman or Gephardt had gotten the Democratic nomination, I wouldn't have a strong preference. (They're not my faves on other issues, but neither is Bush, whose policies on stem cells, abortion, etc., differ from mine rather sharply). Despite the claims of some writers that Bush and Kerry will have more in common than we think on foreign policy and the war (which may be true) I don't have the same confidence in Kerry. I suppose he could change my mind on that, but I don't really expect that he will.
But my support for Bush has more to do with the character of his opposition, really, than with Bush himself. (You don't see a lot of Bush hagiography here). And I think libertarians who feel differently about the war have no real reason to support Bush -- he's been wishy-washy on gun control, big on spending, and generally a big-government kind of guy, not a government-off-your-back kind of guy. (And don't get me started on Homeland Security).
Would Kerry be worse for libertarian principles than Bush? He'd probably like to be. But in reality, it's not likely to matter a lot.
posted at 09:27 PM by Glenn Reynolds If you've got a modem, I've got an opinion!
