Wayne -
lewrockwell.com
"Realignment in American Politics: The Prospects for Liberty
by Llewellyn H. Rockwell, Jr.
To restore the ideal of the original republican system, which allows maximum freedom for individuals and communities to govern themselves, should be the sum total of our agenda. I'm convinced that we are in a better position to succeed at this goal now than at any point in a century -- from Rockwell's speech before the Republican Liberty Caucus in Atlanta, Georgia, on December 9, 2000, printed below ..."
"...It has become permissible and even commonplace to express extreme distrust of government leaders. This attitude is essential to a free society. It recalls Thomas Jefferson's admonition. "In questions of power," he wrote in the Kentucky Resolutions, "let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the Constitution." "Confidence is everywhere the parent of despotism. Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence."..."
"...Let me offer some predictions concerning the ultimate outcome of this fiasco, and then point to some strategic implications for libertarians.
First, the Democrats have lost mightily in this struggle. The sheer grasping for power on their part has been more conspicuous than on the Republican side. Those middle-class Americans who supported the Democrats because they believed Gore when he said he would fight for working families now see a party that fights only for power, and at the behest of some of the most dangerous interest groups in America. There is no way Gore could come close to winning the election if it were held again today.
Second, the desanctification of the judiciary will accelerate and prove to be an important step for freedom. The courts are a key means by which the State exercises control over economy and society. Until very recently, most people thought of the courts as somehow above politics, and deserving of more respect than we tend to give the executive or legislature. We have desperately needed some event to trigger a complete rethinking of the role of courts in the American political system. Election 2000 begins this process.
Third, I'm sorry to report that third parties are dead. Call it an unfortunate feature of the winner-take-all electoral system, but the fact remains: there is no hope for any third party gaining power in the polarized environment we have today. There is still room for a third party that seeks to make ideological points, like the socialist party of old. And in that sense, but in that sense only, such a party can wield influence. But let's just set aside, once and for all, the hope that third parties are going to win elections. I don't happen to like this conclusion, but it is a reality, especially now that Republicans and Democrats have become fiercely loyal to their respective parties, and many independents have rallied to one side or the other.
Fourth, and this is the downside of my second point, the Republicans are going to disappoint their grass-roots supporters. They always have before, and this tendency is heightened, not lessened, by the fact that they can count on extreme party loyalty in the aftermath of the attempted Gore coup. It is up to libertarian Republicans to keep their feet to the fire, opposing every attempt to expand the scope of federal power. We must stand firmly in the opposition camp on a range of areas, from social issues like hate-crime legislation, to economic issues like taxes, to foreign policy issues like trade and war. We must be utterly uncompromising.
Fifth, our eventual reform and revolution will come from outside the bounds of conventional politics. Parties respond to public opinion more than they do to their own platforms or their election promises. We are far better off to focus the bulk of our energies on raising up new intellectuals, swaying public opinion, and otherwise telling the truth to the masses. That is my private goal in editing LewRockwell.com, and that is the mission of the Mises Institute that I founded and head. ..."
"...Also learning from this history, let us not be shy about declaring our unswerving allegiance to the economics of the capitalist system. Now more than ever, the free economy is a populist issue. With average people holding stocks and moving their money out of the banking system and into the brokerage system, the public has a strong stake in preserving the freedom to trade and an unhampered competitive marketplace. This is true whether we are speaking about domestic or international issues. Interventionist economics and protectionism benefit only the State and its friends. The Republicans have missed out on emphasizing this.
When freedom is finally secured, and big government brought to its knees, it will be the consequence of a revolution led by the bourgeoisie. The intellectual and political movement that can speak the language of the American middle class – and increasingly it is a radical language that loves the free economy and the prosperity that comes with it, and tolerates no more government interference in family, community, or business – that movement is the one that will own the future...."
Regards, Don |
