Deliberate Ambiguity

John McCain asks a Question on LinkedIn

I was adding a colleague on LinkedIn earlier today and noticed a question from John McCain.  He essentially asks: "What new technologies or new ideas should we be investing in today?"

Though I obviously disagree with Mr. McCain on his desire to have the government solve the problem, I do think that it's an interesting strategy for a candidate (or anyone famous) to ask questions like this on LinkedIn.

I responded with the following and encourage you to join in the debate, especially with a Libertarian perspective!

“You are absolutely right that the government has thrown around too much money in subsidies. So who is the "we" you reference? "The fatal conceit" is to assume that you, Obama, or any other government official can divine a solution to the energy crisis. You might be right when you bet, but more likely, you'll be wrong. To maximize success trust in and encourage a free market. The profit motive is stronger than any kind of subsidy or reward that the government artificially creates.”

Oh, and you can always connect to me (Mark Johnson) on LinkedIn.

Bob Barr in 2008?

I hosted an event at my house in late 2007 that featured former Georgia Senator Bob Barr speaking to a group of libertarian-minded leaders.  The group included representatives from libertarian think-tank Pacific Research Institute, the Federalist Society, the EFF, the Ron Paul campaign, and of course, the Libertarian Party.  Barr gave an inspirational speech on his journey from the Republican to the Libertarian Party.  What impressed me the most was Barr's ability to channel the energy of the gathered crowd: though most people present were "small-l" libertarians, Barr carefully explained the Libertarian position in a very approachable way.  Too often members of the LP seem caustic and opinionated when talking about libertarian issues, which doesn't win any converts.

Therefore, I was pleased to see that Barr recently announced his intention to explore a bid to run as the Libertarian candidate for president.  Barr's political experience is evident in the way he deftly answered questions from Hannity and Colmes.  Instead of diving deep into the LP's platform, he stayed appropriately high-level: focus on Federalism and smaller government.  I'm sure that he'll get flack from dogmatic Libertarians who criticize his position on heroin, but I'd challenge them: the libertarian's concern shouldn't be specific (and debatable) issues like heroin, but the larger problem of government encroaching our lives.  Hats off to Barr for recognizing this crucial difference in communicating the libertarian message to the US electorate.

At one time, I was heavily involved in the Libertarian Party, but I've completely pulled out to focus on my career.  Once I have more financial resources and time, perhaps I'll return, but for now, I just can't be satisfied with a party that's happy with infighting and squeaking by with 2% of the vote.  However, if people like Barr start to make their mark in the Party, that might accelerate my return. . . we'll have to see how the 2008 Libertarian Convention shakes out.  I'd love to see a Paul-Barr ticket, but that's probably unlikely.