Michelle Malkin's former Seattle Times colleague discusses her defunct libertarianism

[emazur]

http://crosscut.com/2009/11/06/books-ideas/19351/

The Times could be a chilly place, so my wife and I tried to make her feel welcome. But Malkin didn’t need much help. In addition to being smart and hard-working, she was a self-starter and supremely self-confident. And her weekly columns were a welcome addition to the Times editorial page. As a student, she had read Ayn Rand, memorizing John Galt’s interminable monologue from Atlas Shrugged. Libertarians believe government should “leave us alone,” she wrote. To that end, she attacked taxes, the war on drugs, affirmative action, the state liquor monopoly, overly zealous police, and environmentalists alike — any regulation she deemed unnecessary.


She’s increasingly partisan and combative. In consecutive columns this fall, she attacks, in order, Obama’s cronyism, ACORN and the hypocrisy of mainstream media, ACORN again, Obama’s message to school kids, Obama’s pitch for the Olympics, Michelle Obama’s pitch for same, Obama’s health-care plan, ACORN again, Obama again, ACORN again …. Day after day, it’s the same targets, the same complaints, the same verbiage — corruption and cronyism, scandal and socialism. She snarls at Democrats, at any Republican (like New York’s Dede Scozzafava) who dares associate with them, and at rival columnists such as David Brooks, whose sin is to harbor some admiration for his president.

This is not the intellectual debate we once engaged in. It’s tribalism, my people versus your people. I’m right and anybody who disagrees is ignorant or corrupt or both.

BTW, do you think I correctly used the word "defunct" in the title? Usually I don't see it used this way (and thought some might interpret it as saying libertarianism in general is defunct rather than defunct to an individual), but thought I'd try it out anyway.

[RevolutionSD]

http://crosscut.com/2009/11/06/books-ideas/19351/




BTW, do you think I correctly used the word "defunct" in the title? Usually I don't see it used this way (and thought some might interpret it as saying libertarianism in general is defunct rather than defunct to an individual), but thought I'd try it out anyway.

She was also one of the original 9/11 truthers, questioning what went on at the Pentagon, then went to say truthers=terrorists.

Let's face it, MM hates herself.

[wizardwatson]

She was also one of the original 9/11 truthers, questioning what went on at the Pentagon, then went to say truthers=terrorists.

Let's face it, MM hates herself.

I always thought she was a tool, but did have a little sympathy for her after AJ went off on her like a mad St. Bernard at that Dem convention.

[Young Paleocon]

I'm a staunch libertarian and believe anyone who doesn't believe like I do is either ignorant or corrupt.....Ignorance just means lack of knowledge....

[lester1/2jr]

She never asked what I thought, but now and then I told her anyhow. America is neither a conservative society, nor a liberal society, neither libertarian nor socialist. We are all of those things. We embrace libertarian ideas such as private property rights and relatively laissez faire economics, and socialist ideas like public education, national parks, and Social Security. .

no thats what YOU are dude

it's amazing how out of touch liberals are circa obama. this guy has probably never heard of ron paul

[Austrian Econ Disciple]

no thats what YOU are dude

it's amazing how out of touch liberals are circa obama. this guy has probably never heard of ron paul

What a tool. You could say that our Founders were conservative in that, they were trying to conserve their traditions of self-government that they've had since colonizing America in the early 1600s. In itself however, Self-Government is wholly a Libertarian ideal. That is what this Confederation was founded upon, Self-Government, Sovereignty, and Natural Law. These are all concepts of Libertarianism, or in a broader sense, Classical Liberalism.

If this guy is saying in effect, our secession from British Rule was merely to institute that same rule here....and that at the heart of it, is what America is..I can only say to him; The day may come for another Revolution, or for another Secession, and I will sleep easy knowing that Thomas Jefferson is smiling upon me.

[Imperial]

I'm a staunch libertarian and believe anyone who doesn't believe like I do is either ignorant or corrupt.....Ignorance just means lack of knowledge....

I think its easy to argue for socialism. Once you accept the premise the state is inherently coercive but still accept its need, you have engaged in hypocrisy. And this is coming from a minarchist not an an-cap.

Why not just expand the definition of rights would be how the argument goes.

Their concerns are valid, their solutions are flawed. But does it have a certain logic? Certainly.

I have alotta respect for Kucinich, Feingold, Grayson and Sanders.

[SimpleName]

I always thought she was a tool, but did have a little sympathy for her after AJ went off on her like a mad St. Bernard at that Dem convention.

That's part of the reason we get a bad rap. These same people have talked to and about Beck this same way. Can anyone imagine why he fears us? People in this crowd toss around Ron Paul's name all the time and it is inevitable we'll get isolated as being THEM. I'm not saying Jones has bad intentions or that he is controlled opposition or any of that, but he REALLY didn't help our case here. Screaming in people's faces usually doesn't get the point across. Instead, it makes the screamers look nuts.

Malkin is indeed a total bag of strange. She has all of these libertarian ideals, but winds up WAY off base on foreign policy. She may just be insane. Any person making "a case for internment" must be.

[messana]

She bashed ron paul on the fox news republican primary debate. Don't care much for her regardless of what she 'believes.'

[Liberty Star]

She used to be top ranking ugliest neocon. Things may have changed, here's been lot of apologies coming lately from neocon mules.

[FindLiberty]

I'm a staunch libertarian and believe anyone who doesn't believe like I do is either ignorant or corrupt.....Ignorance just means lack of knowledge....

+100 Yea. That 'bout sums it up.

Don't forget, ignorance can be cured but stupid is forever. ....Stupid just means mental corruption
(due to rationalization, fear or other intellectual and/or genetic defect) contained within the body.
"Stupid" becomes extremely dangerous if it's externalized, especially when forced upon others
through government.

[HOLLYWOOD]

She used to be top ranking ugliest neocon. Things may have changed, here's been lot of apologies coming lately from neocon mules.


AND... the Chameleons Morph themselves into whatever GAINS them; Power, Wealth, or popularity.

Malkin is a Spineless NEOCON hack running lock step to any MSM outlet that agrees with her.

Now, where's that Michelle Malkin FOX NEWS YouTube calling Ron Paul and his supporters Foul, Viral, Truthers, etc etc.

[Liberty Star]

AND... the Chameleons Morph themselves into whatever GAINS them; Power, Wealth, or popularity.

Malkin is a Spineless NEOCON hack running lock step to any MSM outlet that agrees with her.

Now, where's that Michelle Malkin FOX NEWS YouTube calling Ron Paul and his supporters Foul, Viral, Truthers, etc etc.

Good point.

There are many genuine change of hearts across America but some people naively fail to see some of the MSM pimps and professional chameleons who were at the center of destroying US economy and standing and almost overnight trying to change colors with the season. She's like the scooter libby of tabloid journalism.

[lester1/2jr]

notice that guys like this criticize her about everything EXCEPT what a war monger she is. because he probably is too.

like it's her fault no one wants to pay him for his boring opinons.

[johnrocks]

I used to like her, 9/11 really did change things though, that was the day I woke up from my fog and saw the different "shades" of conservatism.

[Seanmc30]

I think the honorable people representing liberty and free markets need to distance themselves from people like Malkin, Coulter, and Beck. They add an element of extremism that needs to be left behind with the ignorant fear mongering associated with the Bush Administration.