Representative Walter B. Jones Leads G.O.P. Effort to Withdraw Forces From Afghanistan – NYTimes.com.
Here’s an interesting piece illustrating the convergence of the Libertarian Right and Progressive Left on some key issues of war and peace. I had the privilege of meeting Mr. Jones the other day along with several other anti-war Republicans. These folks are smart, tough, and sincere. They are voting to stop the U.S. intervention in Libya, end the war in Afghanistan, and prevent the Patriot Act from emasculating the Bill of Rights. I think people on the left can and should work with them on these issues. But it’s vitally important to begin a conversation with them about the underlying causes of American empire-building and how to alter or abolish them.
Even on the economic issues, many libertarians make more sense than most Democrats. They are, as one Congressperson said to me, “anti-corporatist.” The problem is they dream the old Jeffersonian dream of individual entrepreneurs doing their creative thing without Big Government interference. The dream is seductive, but it’s way more utopian than communism. Even so, when we start to talk seriously — as we will — about alternatives to the global capitalist order, these folks should be asked to participate.
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