The Netroots Are Growing Restless (and Libertarian)

David Weigel | August 15, 2007

RedState's Haystacks gives us Charlie Rose's interview with Markos Moulitsas, the founder of Daily Kos and an avowed "Libertarian Democrat." (He contributed to reason's "Person of the Year" list in 2006.) But how well can he explain what that means under late-nite chat show scrutiny?

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The libertarian bit:

MOULITSAS: You know, if people want to label me, I'm actually a libertarian, of all things. I'm not even a liberal, I wouldn't call myself a liberal. I don't think true liberals...

ROSE: You don't like government at all.

MOULITSAS: It's not at all. There's a difference between traditional libertarianism which says government is evil, can't do no good. I think government can actually do good. I just don't want it in more places than it needs to be. And...

ROSE: You don't want it in personal lives, you don't want it...

Definitely not personal lives. But I also don't want corporations getting in my personal business. I don't want them stealing my information or hoarding my information. I don't want corporations polluting my air and war.

ROSE: Do you think government is not doing enough to regulate corporations?

MOULITSAS: Not now. Clearly not now.

ROSE: You want to see more government regulation of corporations, right?

MOULITSAS: There's two power...

ROSE: More government regulation of corporations?

MOULITSAS: Yeah, to a certain degree.

ROSE: That's not a libertarian position.

MOULITSAS: The key is...

ROSE: That's not a libertarian position.

MOULITSAS: Right, right, no. But to me, when I think of me being a libertarian, I don't want anybody messing with me. I don't want government getting in my way. I don't want corporations getting in my way. And sometimes the only people that can keep corporations out of my face is the government. So it's clearly a modified and twisted around version of libertarianism.

Clearly. I don't take this very seriously except that Moulitsas—one of the savviest and most impactful political operators of this young century—thinks there's strength in associating his party with libertarianism. That's not bad.