Comments on: Teaching The Three R’s: Reds, Republicans and Randroids http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/225 the bottom of the rabbit hole Mon, 15 Mar 2010 06:10:07 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.7 hourly 1 By: BradSpangler.com » Blog Archive » Against voting http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/225/comment-page-1#comment-11229 BradSpangler.com » Blog Archive » Against voting Mon, 04 Sep 2006 17:21:44 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/?p=225#comment-11229 [...] The fact also remains that a lot of well-intentioned libertarians who aspire toward principled behavior, including some who see themselves as more Left than Right, remain attached to counter-productive electoral reformist strategies. As I’ve said before, if we (agorists and radical left-libertarians generally) are the new Reds, there will be shades of pink. Such is the natureof the batlle of ideas. There will be a spectrum of incomplete acceptance. [...] [...] The fact also remains that a lot of well-intentioned libertarians who aspire toward principled behavior, including some who see themselves as more Left than Right, remain attached to counter-productive electoral reformist strategies. As I’ve said before, if we (agorists and radical left-libertarians generally) are the new Reds, there will be shades of pink. Such is the natureof the batlle of ideas. There will be a spectrum of incomplete acceptance. [...]

]]> By: BradSpangler.com » Blog Archive » Rothbard’s Reds http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/225/comment-page-1#comment-5292 BradSpangler.com » Blog Archive » Rothbard’s Reds Thu, 13 Apr 2006 15:17:36 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/?p=225#comment-5292 [...] I’ve said it before and more than once — and others have both alluded to it and magnificently expounded upon the underlying ideas in scholarly terms… We’re the Libertarian Left, and we’re the new Reds. [...] [...] I’ve said it before and more than once — and others have both alluded to it and magnificently expounded upon the underlying ideas in scholarly terms… We’re the Libertarian Left, and we’re the new Reds. [...]

]]> By: BradSpangler.com » Blog Archive » The New Reds, Part Deux http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/225/comment-page-1#comment-3209 BradSpangler.com » Blog Archive » The New Reds, Part Deux Thu, 05 Jan 2006 03:53:41 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/?p=225#comment-3209 [...] I doubt that it’s just my own wishful thinking, or that of others, that caused me to say “…we’re the new Reds“. Rather, I’ve been persuaded by mounting evidence that, in slow motion perhaps, there is a discernible paradigm shift now underway that will redefine the political meanings of “Left” and “Right” and, ultimately, rock American and global politics to its very foundations. [...] [...] I doubt that it’s just my own wishful thinking, or that of others, that caused me to say “…we’re the new Reds“. Rather, I’ve been persuaded by mounting evidence that, in slow motion perhaps, there is a discernible paradigm shift now underway that will redefine the political meanings of “Left” and “Right” and, ultimately, rock American and global politics to its very foundations. [...]

]]> By: BradSpangler.com » Blog Archive » More on the topic of GOP libertarians http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/225/comment-page-1#comment-3022 BradSpangler.com » Blog Archive » More on the topic of GOP libertarians Tue, 27 Dec 2005 04:31:30 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/?p=225#comment-3022 [...] I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I favor a revolutionary rather than a reformist approach. That doesn’t prevent me from observing that some reformists are more or less hypocritical than others. In fact, it puts me in an excellent position to observe exactly that. [...] [...] I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I favor a revolutionary rather than a reformist approach. That doesn’t prevent me from observing that some reformists are more or less hypocritical than others. In fact, it puts me in an excellent position to observe exactly that. [...]

]]> By: LoganFerree http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/225/comment-page-1#comment-2944 LoganFerree Thu, 22 Dec 2005 21:17:40 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/?p=225#comment-2944 I see your point about the past failures of political reformism. However, I can't help but think that perhaps it was because they were naive and optimistic about the ability of political reformism as a means to the end they wished to achieve. Learning from these lessons, one may take part in political reformism without any delusions and see it only as a feint or a diversion to keep the state distracted. No, the state isn't going to go away through political reform. But it can perhaps be kept at bay long through political reform so that what will bring it down can get a chance at growing and developing before the state squashes it. I see your point about the past failures of political reformism. However, I can’t help but think that perhaps it was because they were naive and optimistic about the ability of political reformism as a means to the end they wished to achieve. Learning from these lessons, one may take part in political reformism without any delusions and see it only as a feint or a diversion to keep the state distracted. No, the state isn’t going to go away through political reform. But it can perhaps be kept at bay long through political reform so that what will bring it down can get a chance at growing and developing before the state squashes it.

]]> By: Brad Spangler http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/225/comment-page-1#comment-2943 Brad Spangler Thu, 22 Dec 2005 21:08:54 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/?p=225#comment-2943 While I obviously recognize that there are degrees of evil, I also believe that the central lesson of these past few decades has been that political reformism as a strategy for the libertarian movement contains the seeds of its own downfall. I attempted to illustrate this above. The closed mindedness you encountered at DailyKos, and which <a href="http://mutualist.blogspot.com/2005/12/vulgar-liberalism-watch-yeah-you-read.html">Carson discusses</a> is a result of not merely the nearly Pavlovian way that the mythology of big government liberalism is ingrained. It is also a result of reformism distorting what libertarianism even is in the eyes of the common man, allowing vulgar libertarian opportunists to aid in bringing libertarianism into disrepute. Your mileage may vary. While I obviously recognize that there are degrees of evil, I also believe that the central lesson of these past few decades has been that political reformism as a strategy for the libertarian movement contains the seeds of its own downfall. I attempted to illustrate this above.

The closed mindedness you encountered at DailyKos, and which Carson discusses is a result of not merely the nearly Pavlovian way that the mythology of big government liberalism is ingrained. It is also a result of reformism distorting what libertarianism even is in the eyes of the common man, allowing vulgar libertarian opportunists to aid in bringing libertarianism into disrepute.

Your mileage may vary.

]]> By: LoganFerree http://bradspangler.com/blog/archives/225/comment-page-1#comment-2942 LoganFerree Thu, 22 Dec 2005 16:35:04 +0000 http://www.bradspangler.com/blog/?p=225#comment-2942 Here's my thought on being pink and going the route of political reformism. It may be futile in being able to bring about the ultimate goal of anarcho-capitalism. But I think there is a clear case of being able to distinguish between 'least bad' options when talking about government. Political reform will never be able to make the jump from government to no government. But it can move from bad government to less bad government. At least I think so. Government can be so authoritarian it squashes any agorist movement that would undermine it. Political reformism has as its goal keeping government small enough so that the switch from government to no government can occur from other non-political spheres. This influences my opposition to pseudo-libertarian ideas like school vouchers or social security privatization. I don't see them reducing dependency on the state, just modifying how we are dependent. My political reformism focuses on reducing dependency. Here’s my thought on being pink and going the route of political reformism. It may be futile in being able to bring about the ultimate goal of anarcho-capitalism. But I think there is a clear case of being able to distinguish between ‘least bad’ options when talking about government. Political reform will never be able to make the jump from government to no government. But it can move from bad government to less bad government. At least I think so. Government can be so authoritarian it squashes any agorist movement that would undermine it. Political reformism has as its goal keeping government small enough so that the switch from government to no government can occur from other non-political spheres. This influences my opposition to pseudo-libertarian ideas like school vouchers or social security privatization. I don’t see them reducing dependency on the state, just modifying how we are dependent. My political reformism focuses on reducing dependency.

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