How Republicans Can Meld Libertarianism and Populism - Stephanie Slade (usnews.com):
August 14, 2013 - "Amid the search for a way forward for Republicans heading into the 2014 midterm elections, the drumbeat for 'libertarian populism' has been getting steadily louder. That idea, defended by writers like the Washington Examiner's Tim Carney and The Transom's Ben Domenech, asks the GOP to meld two strains within its ranks that have, until now, generally been seen as discrete.
"Libertarianism is characterized by its support for only minimal government intrusion into the free market. Populism, meanwhile, is known for its support of anything that benefits "regular Americans" instead of powerful elites....
"The philosophy's advocates ... call for eliminating governmental programs primarily because those programs give a leg up to large, entrenched interests like super PACs, labor unions, banks and corporations. Libertarian populism is defined less by what it's for and more by what it seeks to do away with – the reality that our current system unfairly privileges big institutions at everyone else's expense.
"There can be no doubt crony capitalism is a problem in America. When the biggest, richest, most powerful institutions can collude with government to rig the game in their favor, the competition that makes free markets the greatest force for freedom in the world begins to break down. Aspiring entrepreneurs are dissuaded from trying to start new businesses, because they doubt they'll be able to compete with existing ones – not on the merits, but in the big firms' ability to buy influence with policymakers. And when producers are able to gain an unfair advantage through subsidies, bailouts, federal loan guarantees or beneficial regulations, consumers are forced to pay more for lesser products."
Read more: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/Stephanie-Slade/2013/08/14/how-republicans-can-meld-libertarianism-and-populism
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August 14, 2013 - "Amid the search for a way forward for Republicans heading into the 2014 midterm elections, the drumbeat for 'libertarian populism' has been getting steadily louder. That idea, defended by writers like the Washington Examiner's Tim Carney and The Transom's Ben Domenech, asks the GOP to meld two strains within its ranks that have, until now, generally been seen as discrete.
"Libertarianism is characterized by its support for only minimal government intrusion into the free market. Populism, meanwhile, is known for its support of anything that benefits "regular Americans" instead of powerful elites....
"The philosophy's advocates ... call for eliminating governmental programs primarily because those programs give a leg up to large, entrenched interests like super PACs, labor unions, banks and corporations. Libertarian populism is defined less by what it's for and more by what it seeks to do away with – the reality that our current system unfairly privileges big institutions at everyone else's expense.
"There can be no doubt crony capitalism is a problem in America. When the biggest, richest, most powerful institutions can collude with government to rig the game in their favor, the competition that makes free markets the greatest force for freedom in the world begins to break down. Aspiring entrepreneurs are dissuaded from trying to start new businesses, because they doubt they'll be able to compete with existing ones – not on the merits, but in the big firms' ability to buy influence with policymakers. And when producers are able to gain an unfair advantage through subsidies, bailouts, federal loan guarantees or beneficial regulations, consumers are forced to pay more for lesser products."
Read more: http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/Stephanie-Slade/2013/08/14/how-republicans-can-meld-libertarianism-and-populism
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