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Mr. Right?
"The largest group of Obamacons hail from the libertarian wing of the movement," reports The New Republic's Bruce Bartlett. "And it's not just Andrew Sullivan. David Friedman, son of Milton and Rose, is signed up with the cause on the grounds that he sees Obama as the better vessel for his father's cause. Friedman is convinced of Obama's sympathy for school vouchers -- a tendency that the Democratic primaries temporarily suppressed.
"Scott Flanders, the CEO of Freedom Communications--the company that owns the Orange County Register -- told a company meeting that he believes Obama will accomplish the paramount libertarian goals of withdrawing from Iraq and scaling back the Patriot Act.
"How substantial is the Obamacon phenomenon? Well, it has even penetrated National Review, the intellectual anchor of the conservative movement. There's Jeffrey Hart, who has been a senior editor at the magazine since 1968 and even wrote a history of the magazine, The Making of the American Conservative Mind; and Wick Allison, who once served as the magazine's publisher.
"Neither man has renounced his conservatism. Both have come away impressed by Obama's rhetorical acumen. This is a particular compliment coming from Hart, who wrote speeches for both Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan. They both like that Obama couches his speeches in a language of uplift and unity.
"When describing his support for Obama, Allison pointed...in the direction of a column that his wife (who has never supported a Democrat) wrote in the Dallas Morning News: "He speaks with candor and elegance against the kind of politics that have become so dispiriting and for the kind of America I would like to see. As a man, I find Mr. Obama to be prudent, thoughtful, and courageous. His life story embodies the conservative values that go to the core of my beliefs."
Posted by Jeffrey Wells on June 14, 2008 at 11:17 AM
comment #1
Josh Massey
says ...
I don't see how a libertarian could support Obama or McCain. I certainly can't.
Posted by Josh Massey
at June 14, 2008 12:32 PM
comment #2
Arizona Joe
says ...
Obama may have planks in his platform that these conservatives or libertarians admire.
But Obama is a liberal, and when he initiates plans for social programs, or what some might call entitlements, this support will turn viciously against him. Imsupport Obama now, and I will in the future.
I discount any story mentioning Andrew Sullivan, a twerp hyped up on testosterone injections. This pseudo masculinity led to his complete tub-thumping for George Bush and the Iraq War in the name of "Democracy." Although he has since renounced his support, Sullivan is objective about nothing.
Posted by Arizona Joe
at June 14, 2008 12:50 PM
comment #3
Walter Sobchak
says ...
"...Obama's sympathy for school vouchers..."
Uh oh. Wait till the Teacher's Union gets wind of that.
CUT TO:
Obama appears at the podium, wearing a cast and holding a bag of ice over what appears to be a swollen left eye.
OBAMA:
"On second thought, the idea of school vouchers is, indeed, a bad one. We must instead poor millions more in cash, er, I mean resources into failing, er, I mean, struggling inner-city public schools. We must also promise not to hold ANY public school teachers or administrators to any standards what so ever. I've seen the light."
Posted by Walter Sobchak
at June 14, 2008 1:02 PM
comment #4
D.Z.
says ...
Josh: "I don't see how a libertarian could support Obama or McCain. I certainly can't."
I dunno. Being against spying and phone-tapping and mismanagement of defense money sounds fairly libertarian to me...
Arizona: "But Obama is a liberal, and when he initiates plans for social programs, or what some might call entitlements, this support will turn viciously against him."
Doubtful, since the people who call themselves libertarian while having a guy who prosecuted a President for oral sex as their candidate, and the people who call themselves conservative, while turning America into a giant auction-house, don't really have a leg to stand on at the moment.
Walter: Of course, the reason that inner-city schools are failing is that they're not actually getting money in the first place. And the teachers are horrible, because the stringent accountability is limited to test scores, rather than whether students actually understand the concepts being taught to them.
Oh, yes, and given the choice between vouchers and public schooling, a red state chose the latter. http://www.crooksandliars.com/index.php?s=Utah+voucher
Posted by D.Z.
at June 14, 2008 1:20 PM
comment #5
Edward
says ...
We all know how well No Child Left Behind is working.
Posted by Edward
at June 14, 2008 3:54 PM
comment #6
SaveFarris
says ...
Walter, he's thrown everyone else under the bus. Why not himself as well? "That's not the education position I knew..."
Posted by SaveFarris
at June 14, 2008 4:38 PM
comment #7
bb
says ...
This only provides evidence of Obama's superficial appeal. People openly admit to voting for him in spite of policies that contradict their basic political philosophy.
Jeez, where's the kool-aid? I didn't get mine.
Posted by bb
at June 15, 2008 6:06 PM
comment #8
Josh
says ...
No real libertarian will ever vote for Obama.
he is a socialist and as far left as one can be in politics.
These are stories put out there by the campaign to make him seem more ok to independent voters.
wont work
Posted by Josh
at June 16, 2008 7:52 AM
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