Wednesday, February 28, 2018

The False Dichotomy of Having to Choose Between Trump and a Democrat in 2020

As it approaches election day 2020 it will be interesting to see how I feel about the concept of "Trump is still better than Clinton". Will Trump be better than whatever Democrat is inspired to run.. probably. 
This is a false dichotomy.  Libertarians don't have to support either. I argued during the 2016 election that that from a strategic perspective that a Hillary victory would have resulted in an easier target for libertarians to attack, and I think this has proven to be accurate. Trump has co-opted a lot of libertarians and conservatives who seeminmgly don't want to attack his many horrific positions.

You can be sure I would have had no problem in attacking the hag Hillary if she had one. And I would have plenty of libertarian help. much more than I am getting with Trump in the White House.

But please, there is really no need to support Trump in 2020 or anyone else.

In fact, my default argument here in the People's Republic of San Francisco, during the few times the 2020 election is already raised, goes something like this:
I am not supporting anyone in 2020. Whoever the candidates are they will be horrific. I'm playing a higher intellectual game aimed at the people that influence you. From our discussion, it is clear that although you don't know it, you are influenced by the Frankfurt School social philosphers. I'm trying to knock out the Frankfurt School influence so that a Private Property Society influence gains and that this influence will trickle down to you instead of Cultural Marxism.
That gets them thinking.

-RW 

8 comments:

  1. From the Gospel reading today:

    "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
    and the great ones make their authority over them felt.
    But it shall not be so among you.
    Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;
    whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.
    Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve
    and to give his life as a ransom for many."

    Along with 1 Samuel, chapter 8, I take this to mean that Christians should not support rulers per se (hence, anarchist). "It shall not be so among you" sounds like a command to me.

    http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/022818.cfm

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    1. We need our Bishops teaching local Subsidiarity and not wasting so much time on continental-wide schemes like borders and health care.

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  2. "Libertarians don't have to support either."

    Quite but come 2020 unless candidate Kokesh is given fair playing field with Trump and lets say Corey Booker the media powers that be will provide a two candidate ballot. There will be states that aren't California and aren't Arizona that will be on the edge. People have 3 and a half years of Trump to remember and if he manages to continue the not-awful job he is currently doing and ask for another four years of that. Electoral college edge states create behavior like Libertarians for Trump.

    I sure see Kokesh doing all he can to be the best Libertarian candidate in quite a while. It may not be enough. Until Libertarians get on par coverage for US House and US Senate they (we) are still not going to get a fair consideration for the office of President.

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  3. Rothbard argued against the "non-voting" tactic - but in a limited sense. He said "supporting" is different from voting.

    https://mises.org/wire/rothbard-voting

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  4. As a Libertarian, I don’t want any president, and I sure don’t want to vote for one. They may force somebody on me, but I sure don’t have to participate with them, and I sure can resist them on any level I feel comfortable to do so.
    Dwight, I also find encouragement from Judges 9:8-15. Only the worse rise to the top. And Micah 4:3-4.
    My personal belief is that we will never see a change until Libertarians quit, reject, oppose, and resist their political system completely. Too many say they are against the State, but want their own version of president. Too many are playing both sides, wanting it both ways, thinking if only “we” had the power, we would really show them Liberty, by not using it?
    No man can serve 2 masters, he will either love one, and hate the other, or hate one, and love the other.
    When you hate something, you don’t sit and have tea or play it’s games with it.
    State politics is evil. Have nothing to do with it.
    But instead, we will argue about who is less evil, or dream about a so called Libertarian president. What makes us different from them?

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  5. IMO being able to articulate a libertarian critique of the policies of each major candidate is much more important than who you choose to “support” of vote for.

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  6. It's up to the Libertarian Party to put up a better candidate than Gary Johnson. The Republican Liberty Caucus is unlikely to beat Trump in the Republican primary. Not voting or participating accomplishes nothing.

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  7. So America is in the shape it’s in because not enough participation wags? We will just vote our way to freedom and prosperity?
    Yeah that has already worked great hasn’t it.

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