In search of a populist GOP

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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Krugman’s nasty and inane attack on ‘Libertarian Populism’

Paul Krugman’s Nasty and Inane Attack on ‘Libertarian Populism’ - The Daily Beast - Nick Gillespie:

July 19, 2013 - "It’s got to be a pretty good gig to be Paul Krugman.... He’s got tenure at the second-best college in New Jersey, an equally secure gig at the second-best newspaper in New York, and he’s even copped a Nobel Prize.... Best of all, Krugman has attained that rare level of eminence where he doesn’t even have to engage the very opponents he dismisses as beneath contempt....

"Krugman’s latest target is 'libertarian populism,' which he summarizes thus: 'The idea here is that there exists a pool of disaffected working-class white voters who ... can be mobilized again with the right kind of conservative economic program — and ... can restore the Republican Party’s electoral fortunes.' This ain’t gonna happen, chuffs Krugman, because ... Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.)! Despite the fact that the former Republican vice-presidential nominee and marathon-time amnesiac is nobody’s idea of a libertarian or a populist....

"Had Colonel Krugman ventured outside his ideological compound, he might have happened upon the writings of Tim Carney of The Washington Examiner. To the extent that libertarian populism has a policy agenda, it’s mostly thanks to Carney, who likes to write books attacking right- and left-wing crony capitalists. He’s libertarian in that he consistently believes that freer markets function more fairly and more efficiently, and he generally thinks people should be left alone when it comes to economic and personal freedom (he’s not an absolutist on most things). He’s populist in that he is basically obsessed with what he sees as concentrations of power and wealth among elites who rig markets, status, and more against the little guy."

Read more: http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/07/19/paul-krugman-s-nasty-and-inane-attack-on-libertarian-populism.html
Also at: http://reason.com/archives/2013/07/22/paul-krugmans-nasty-and-inane-attack-on
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Also see: Krugman and "Eliminationist Rhetoric" by George J. Dance

Libertarian populism won't save the GOP

Libertarian Populism, Trashed by Krugman, Won't Save Republicans - Bloomberg - Ramesh Ponnuru:

July 18, 2013 - "New York Times columnist Paul Krugman has gone on the attack against a tiny conservative political movement before ... it has really come together as a movement.

"Krugman’s column trashing 'libertarian populism,' which showed no evidence of first-hand familiarity with the work of anyone who might claim the label, ran on July 11. It was not until Monday that Tim Carney, a libertarian-populist writer (and a colleague of mine at the American Enterprise Institute), got around to publishing a manifesto for the group. It is a document that contains several good ideas -- but not a viable political strategy for conservatives.

"The main focus of Carney’s work is that big government and big business collude at the expense of the little guy, and he recommends that Republicans run against that collusion in order to win working-class votes. In particular he wants them to break up the big banks, end corporate-welfare programs, clean up the tax code so that powerful interests no longer profit from it, and end regulations that protect established businesses from competitors (regulations that stifle food trucks, for example). He would also cut the payroll tax and end government policies that favor employer-based health insurance.

"I’m sympathetic to most of the items on Carney’s list -- and those on the list that fellow populist Conn Carroll has compiled. Taken together, though, they do not seem to amount to a winning political platform."

Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-18/libertarian-populism-trashed-by-krugman-won-t-save-repubicans.html
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'Libertarian populism' is no gimmick

Liberals bash 'libertarian populism,' but it's no gimmick | WashingtonExaminer.com - David Freddoso:

July 14, 2013 - "The District of Columbia Council members passed a 'living wage' law on July 10, forcing certain large businesses to pay a minimum wage of $12.50.... The measure's sole target is Wal-Mart, which in response threatened to open just three of its six planned stores in D.C.... Three Wal-Mart stores and 900 new jobs could go down the drain. That's an expensive luxury — the city lost 4,000 private sector jobs in May....

"The opponents of Wal-Mart's market entry from the day it was first announced — especially local labor unions and Wal-Mart competitors in the District — have adopted Wal-Mart's playbook. As Wal-Mart has done elsewhere, they are using government to increase or protect their own market share and to wound or destroy the competition....

"The damage such behavior causes to the economy and society has long been a concern of Washington Examiner columnist Tim Carney's. Today, people have taken to calling his critique 'libertarian populism.'

"Despite its growing relevance, some voices (such as the New York Times' Paul Krugman) simply dismiss it as a political gimmick, without even exploring its merits. They are making a big mistake.

"Here's the problem: Government too often is for sale, and it's become so powerful that everyone must either bid on it or become its victim. As Carney has repeatedly shown since the publication of his 2006 book, The Big Ripoff, this is a large and growing societal problem."

Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/liberals-bash-libertarian-populism-but-its-no-gimmick/article/2533020
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Reform Conservatism and Libertarian Populism: Two great tastes that go great together

Reform Conservatism And Libertarian Populism: Two Great Tastes That Go Great Together - Forbes - Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry:

July 16, 2013 - "The two most interesting schools of thought reforming the conservative movement are 'libertarian populism' and what I’ve called 'lower-middle conservatism'....

"I see myself as 60% lower-middle conservative and 40% libertarian populist. One of the (perceived) problems with libertarian populism is that it’s more of a feeling or a sensibility than a real policy agenda. Thankfully Tim Carney, one of the standard-bearers of libertarian populism, has stepped up to the breach and outlined a libertarian populist agenda in a great recent column.

"Here’s the outline, in bullet points:

• Tough anti-Wall Street reform.
• “Cut or eliminate the payroll tax.”
• “End corporate welfare.”
• “Cleaner tax code.”
• Less corporatist health care reform.
• “Kill anticompetitive regulations.”
• “Address political privilege.”

Read more: http://www.forbes.com/sites/pascalemmanuelgobry/2013/07/16/reform-conservatism-and-libertarian-populism-two-great-tastes-that-go-great-together/
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