"Rising wealth inequality is a wonderful thing. It isn't just great for the individual, it is compassionate."
John Tamny, speaker at the Western Liberty Conference, in Lake Oswego, Oregon
There are contradictions galore. But it is still Trump's party and the good old GOP. They have the glue of disliking Democrats, liberals, and the government.
 |
| John Tamny |
A close look at a gathering of freedom-oriented political activists.
I am at the Western Liberty Conference, sponsored by the Western Liberty Network, a political organization set up to advance conservative-libertarian-Republican issues.
They are political advocacy group. They also manage to be a 501-C-3 organization, allowing it to be considered an "educational" organization funded with tax deductible contributions, a public charity like a food bank, and yet unlike a campaign organization.
The executive director Richard Burke in opening remarks called on the gathering audience to run for office and take charge of America, observing that liberals believed in government and therefore filed for offices, while conservatives were busy building businesses or playing with their grandchildren. Run for office, he said. Fill the spots on school boards, city councils, mosquito districts, everything. Advance conservative principles, he said.
He did not say "vote Republican." I see "Freedom" tee shirts, but not MAGA hats.
Donald Trump's takeover of the GOP reveals a fissure between the Trump populist impulse and the libertarian free market impulse within the GOP. I am seeing two things simultaneously. One is that freedom-emphasizing Republicans have different policies than Trump. The second is that it doesn't matter to them and they aren't interested in pushing the issue.
Small government trickle down libertarians that I talked to here like Trump. I suspect they would howl if a Democrat suggested what Trump does, but since it is a Republican, they accept it. (It is another iteration that only Nixon could go meet with China. Had a Democratic president suggested it in 1972 he would be condemned as a communist and traitor.)
Areas of disagreement and tension are surfacing. John Tamny, an inspirational speaker from the right actively defended the value of inequality and the rich keeping their power and money. He did not describe them aa system riggers or the swamp. They were heroes. We should be grateful.
"Inequality is under attack," he said, and we needed actively to defend the trend of rising wealth inequality.
"Surging wealth inequality is good. The rich are so necessary to progress. When Phil Knight gets to keep every penny that he has, we all get a raise. His wealth is being re-distributed when he invests. Get rid of the estate tax altogether."
This is a trickle down free enterprise message, not a populist one. Tamny was sensitive to what this audience was willing to hear. He spoke passionately about the value of the rich getting richer, a welcome subject here, but as a free-enterprise conservative, not a populist, he wants trade, capital, and labor barriers ended, not created. He soft pedaled areas where GOP orthodoxy changed to Trump-style protectionism.
Tariffs are taxes and barriers to free trade. He never mentioned them.
He said free trade was wonderful, and that competition enriched everyone. He didn't linger on the subject.
He said free trade was wonderful, and that competition enriched everyone. He didn't linger on the subject.
Immigration. He said labor should be free to move where it can be most productive, and we all are better for the freedom. This is now an unwelcome topic. He said, briefly, that freedom for enterprising hard working people to immigrate to America enriches us. "I know this may be controversial," he said. He didn't linger on the subject
The area of agreement between libertarian pro free enterprise conservatism and Trumpian populism is to cut taxes. Don't tax the rich, don't tax the middle class, No one mentioned a budget deficit. That principle has dropped from the GOP agenda.
The main conference is today, Saturday.
Sam Carpenter and Bill Currie, the leaders of two factions hoping for control of the Oregon GOP will be speaking. Sam Carpenter said to me he is confident he has the votes to take control of the party with his insurgent pro-Trump supporters. Republican State Representative Mike Nearman, an attendee, told me that Bill Currie is more widely respected, that Sam Carpenter got into trouble with the Oregon Right to Life people and seemed an unreliable champion of a pro-life point of view. His opinion was that Bill Currie would win handily. The showdown and vote counting is on February 16.
Democrats who despair that their party is in disarray may take comfort in realizing that there are unresolved conflicts within the GOP. The party of Trump is very different from the party of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. Still, Republicans have a touchstone that reunifies them: dislike of taxes or anything Democratic or "liberal."
Democrats had lacked a unifying glue in 2016, but perhaps in 2002 Trump is providing it.
2 comments:
Sounds like a Chamber of Commerce meeting.
So I'd just comment that as Trumpism is flushed out of national politics it may spill over into vulnerable states and stick to the shoes of Republicans. We'll see.
Western Liberty Network supports limited government principles and trains activists to run for local non-partisan offices. There are Libertarians, Republicans, non-affiliated voters, and even a couple of conservatiive Democrats at our meeting. All are welcome and the training is largely generic. WLN does not endorse or oppose any candidate (including the ones we train), any legislation, or any ballot measure.
Post a Comment