Saturday, December 3, 2016

On Justin Raimondo’s Unbridled Optimism

Bob,
I’d be interested in you commenting on your blog about Justin’s unbridled optimism: http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2016/12/01/a-world-to-win/
Justin is a good friend and he was a very close friend of Murray Rothbard's. I think he gets his optimism from Rothbard. No one matches Murray's personality but hang around Justin long enough and those who knew Murray will realize he is close.

I can't argue with what Justin writes in the referenced column. There is a near-global  revolt against the elites.

But I am a bit more cautious in expecting a lot from these revolts. The appreciation by the revolting masses for private property and freedom isn't there that will guarantee these revolts will lead toward liberty.

I am far less optimistic than Justin when it comes to Donald Trump. I think he has the potential to be horrific on both the domestic and foreign policy side. But we will see in time.

I am most optimistic about the emergence of François Fillon, who is the French Republican Party's presidential nominee in the 2017 French election versus the National Front candidate Marine Le Pen.

Fillon is far from a libertarian but he does have strong free market leanings.

Revolts and secessionists movements are exciting things and it does keep the establishment off balance but such movements that do not also mix in a good thirst for freedom could go very bad. Mao's revolution in China and Lenin's revolution in Russia led to, at a minimum, tens of millions dead.

Libertarians have a lot of work to do before we can rest comfortably and know that revolution will lead to more freedom and liberty. Right now it is a toss up with a coin weighted against us.

-RW

5 comments:

  1. I agree with Justin's optimism. Not because Trump is a savior but because he is a manager and any his manager knows how to delegate. This is a global reaction to overreach and a decade and a half of remote wars. And I see that Ron Paul played a huge role in this by preaching his gospel of freedom, peace and prosperity. Trump is a man of instincts, not a great thinker but he is no dummy either. I think this is the hinge point of Justin's....

    | That’s because these nationalist movements are not expansionist, for the most part: they don’t dream of empire-building, but rather of maintaining and strengthening their respective homelands. France for the French – Britain first – Austria for the Austrians – America first: these are the bywords of the new rebels who are challenging the “New World Order” of our transnational elites. |

    The new nationalism represents a decentralizing effect and it's content to operate within its locale. In the debates when the neocons were trotting out the same worn out alarmist crap, the people were too fatigued to hear it. Rubio said that the Chinese were taking over the south China Sea. Lions and tigers and bears, oh my! It was a non starter from the onset as was his shibboleth "a new American century". When Trump winged it on instinct and said that China should take care of North Korea because that's "their neighborhood and they've got the money", it was well received. The masses just can't muster up the energy to be concerned and have more pressing matters to attend to, such as making ends meet and dealing with unresponsive and hostile local gov'ts from the school board to town business licensing outfits etc. Consistent with this was Trump's eagerness to let Russia bomb ISIS and do some of the heavy lifting. And that too was well received by the masses. A worn out populous is longing to hear "America first" and they are in no mood to hear scoffing from the chattering pundits on the MSM. They are hurting and want some attention paid to their plight. They really could not care less about geopolitics at this juncture. Trump might just be a great president because he is an effective manager and he is a fighter who will go around and over the media to speak directly to the people.

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  2. A fair perspective and it's appreciated. Libertarians who refuse to ride the populist right wing wave out of stubbornness are throwing away the opportunity of their lifetimes.

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  3. Justin Raimondo is simply the most underappreciated libertarian. His columns are erudite. He isn't a keyboard typist blogger, Wenzel-Weld-tarian, who shills for Hillary Clinton. This man is a scholar. Thank GD he is on our side. I just bought his book on Rothbard.

    The Wenzel-Weld-potheadtarian-Hillary-Cheerleaders can learn a thing, or 20, from the Raimondo.

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  4. If only the huckster bleeding heart libertarians would be honest about what they really want. They want open borders (in one direction only) as far as the eye can see so that the whole country can be Californicated. That way they get to stick by their pigheadedly purist anarcho-capitalist views without any apparent regard for the real world, short term consequences. All the while receiving the dubious benefits of cheap domestic help and lots of good exotic food restaurants. And by all means don't forget the legion of illegal street peasants trying to sell you effing flowers on every effing street median and freeway off ramp. 'Cause that is what America really needs.

    What could be more insane than wanting hundreds of millions of barbarian invaders and ignorant, unskilled 3rd world peasants flooding a welfare-warfare state that is rapidly automating it's industries and can't even employ it's own technically trained people? How many toilet cleaners and socialist reconquista agitators does the country need?

    If the whole country goes the way of Wenzels beloved San Francisco then it's all over for America. The Bi-Coastal Overlords will have a political monopoly for a century and the concept of limited republican government will be replaced with a "therapeutic" totalitarian state whose primary goals will be the extinction of white people, ruthless suppression of all political dissent, the complete destruction of American sovereignty and microscopic control of every aspect of everyday life. And don't even think about protesting the Overlords, because they will unleash a vast army of DNC funded Hispanic, Marxist street thugs to cave your foolish head in you stupid gringo.

    Anyone ever notice that the Bob Wenzels of the world never spend any effort criticizing Mexico, which is a Narco Kleptocracy run by zenophobes, hyper-nationalists and just plain greedy crooks. Why does the U.S have to take in unlimited numbers of hispanic economic refugees that ruin our local schools, infest our local jails like cockroaches and vote DemocRat in overwhelming numbers at the earliest opportunity (which apparently means before actually bothering to obtain citizenship)? If you want less political competition and a permanent DemocRat political hegemony then by all means take Wenzels purist open borders position. Then bend over backwards and kiss your ass, your liberty and your prosperity goodbye Whitey.

    The Republican Party is run by a pathetic cabal of corporatist, rent seeking surrender monkey frauds with the same immigration views as these infuriating, utopian-leftarians. However, it's unfortunately the only game in town when it comes to opposing Americas Californication. If you think a national one party state run by Jerry Brown clones (or much worse) is a good idea than you are too insufferably dunderheaded to argue with. Hopefully Trump will be able to stem the tide of the Barbarian Invasion. But even if he turns out to be a complete fraud he will still have accomplished the destruction of the awful Bush and Clinton dynasties and the disruption of the MSM media stranglehold. Personally, I'm good with that.

    P.S. Justin Raimondo has done more for individual liberty, world peace and limited government than Mr. Wenzel and all of his barbarian invader hugging fellow travelers put together. And he is a much better writer too.

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    1. @Anon 2:23pm, Although some libertarians are in favor of open borders, the majority including RW are not.

      Certainly all libertarians can agree that part of the attraction to illegals is tax payer funded healthcare, schools etc and this should end.

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