Shifting Tides in the Grand Old Party…
Reason Magazine’s Matt Welch appeared on Fox Business to discuss the battle in the US congress over whether to attack the government of Syria. Host Stuart Varney welcomed Welch thusly:
“Matt Welch is with me. He’s a libertarian. The libertarians are very much part of this debate, and you exercise considerable power within the Republican Party.”
Varney is in favor of attacking Syria because of the argument that allowing them to use chemical weapons would set a bad precedent. Although there is not a strong precedent for a president unilaterally attacking a foreign nation with no congressional authority or approval whatsoever. Despite Bush’s simple resolutions that passed, Obama would face a great hurdle if he attempts to strike Syria if the House of Representatives would vote against his resolution. Although the Senate has approved the resolution, the House is far from decided and estimated vote totals are not weighing in the White House’s favor.
Secretary of State John Kerry has come out as President Barack Obama’s chief advocate in favor of war. Despite John Kerry’s past as an anti-war protestor against Vietnam and Iraq, the secretary appears to have totally given in to Executive Power in waging conflict without congressional approval. Kerry believes that the president has the authority to attack even if Congress were to vote against him.
Public opinion has come out firmly against bombing Syria. A petition circulated by Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL) received over 100,000 signatures in one night and a Reuters poll shows American opinion against intervening despite the use of chemical weapons. In congressional hearings today, Rep. Jeff Duncan (R-SC) tore into the Secretary of State:
Mr. Kerry, you have never been one that has advocated for anything other than caution when involving US forces in past conflicts. Is the power of the executive branch so intoxicating that you would abandon past caution in favor of pulling the trigger on a military response so quickly?
“The U.S. should not fight a war to save face. I will not vote to send young men and women to sacrifice life and limb for stalemate. I will not vote to send our nation’s best and brightest to fight for anything less than victory. If American interests are at stake, then our goal should not be stalemate.” -Paul
Libertarian Republicans such as Senator Paul are wielding incredible influence today. Much of it is due to his father who sparked a reawakening of libertarian ideas in modern American politics. Paul the senior appeared on MSNBC to weigh in on the subject as well.
“I think there’s a historic event going on here and if this vote is won, that is defeat [of] the request to have more military approach to Syria, I think it will be historic because it would be a grand coalition of the Libertarian Republicans and the Democratic Progressives,” the former Republican congressman said on MSNBC’s “NOW with Alex Wagner.
As American opinion has turned more libertarian, naturally the movement has gained more clout on Capitol Hill as a consequence. The behavior of politicians is almost always behind public opinion. Now that opinion has gone towards liberty.
On the Fox Business segment, Varney reiterated:
Look, I think Matt that you have just wrapped up public opinion. I think public opinion is very strongly on your side, for all of the points you just raised….I do believe that you have significant—not you, but the libertarians—have significant power within the Republican Party these days, a great deal more influence and power than you had, say, a year ago, two years ago.
To learn more about the rise of libertarianism:
Watch the interview with Matt Welch and Stuart Varney here.
