Former FEC Chair Brad Smith on 'why this libertarian plans to vote, with enthusiasm, for Mitt Romney'

Former Federal Elections Commission chairman and steadfast champion of free political speech Brad Smith has reacted to Reason's (still-lonely!) vote-disclosure exercise by explaining "why this libertarian plans to vote, with enthusiasm, for Mitt Romney." Excerpt from Smith's eight-point (and multiple sub-point) list:

3. Entitlements and Spending. [….]

Beyond the possibility of repealing the massive entitlement of Obamacare if Romney is elected, Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan, has been a congressional leader in attempting to reform entitlements. No, he is not the Randian that the Democrats wish to make him out to be, much as many libertarians wish he were. But let's be clear. No politician is going to be elected President in the near future on a pledge to abolish the entitlement state.

The Romney/Ryan plan for entitlement reform is the closest thing we have to a meaningful first step at reform – indeed, it is meaningful reform. There may never come a time when a majority of Americans are prepared for more radical reform, let alone an end to entitlements. If this is the reform we can get, it is necessary and good, and consistent with libertarian values. If an end to entitlements is one's goal, successful, incremental reforms are probably a necessary step toward reshaping Americans' mindset.

Obama currently stands as the single biggest obstacle to any consideration of entitlement reform. Romney and Ryan have taken on the issue in as strong a manner as any presidential ticket since Barry Goldwater in 1964. Libertarian voters need to reward such politicians, not ignore them because their proposals are deemed insufficiently libertarian. 

Whole thing, including an enthusiastic Supreme Court analysis ("I have no doubt that Romney's appointees will be MUCH better than Obama's") here. Smith's kicker:

Romney may not be a libertarian, yet Romney not infrequently launches wonderful verbal defenses of hard core libertarian views. I can scarcely imagine another major party presidential candidate who would take on leftist hecklers about the rights of individuals organized using the corporate form; or defend the value of being able to fire people for incompetence; worry openly about individual dependency on government; or demand that voters "take personal responsibility and care for their lives."

I interviewed Brad Smith for Reason.tv back in 2008: