Why Democrat vs. Republican is the Wrong Way to Look at the 2012 Election: Nick Gillespie and Matt Welch at Reason Weekend

"We had a non-Obama president recently, his name was George W. Bush, it wasn't all puppy dogs and rainbows," says Reason's Matt Welch. "Being Republican is not enough to counter Obama. Mitt Romney is not offering an alternative to Obama," adds Reason.tv's Nick Gillespie.

From Newt Gingrich's inexplicable campaign chatter about a taxpayer-subsidized colony on the moon to Mitt Romney's refusal to discuss any specific spending cuts he would implement as president, Republicans continue to offer no real substantive alternative to President Obama's spendthrift economic policies. 

Welch and Gillespie, the co-authors of "The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America," hosted the discussion "Why Democrat vs. Republican is the Wrong Way to Look at the 2012 Election" at Reason Weekend, the annual donor event held by Reason Foundation (the nonprofit that publishes this website).

Runs about 30.41 minutes.

Produced by Anthony L. Fisher, shot by Josh Swain and Fisher.

Go to Reason.tv for downloadable versions of this video and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notification when new material goes live.

Comments

[DengFing]

You have to admit those guys seem to know what the scope is for sure.

http://www.Get-Anon.tk

[Suki]

If you guys have a book out you should mention it more often in your videos.

[sarcasmic]

Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!

You pimped the book!

Pimp it, yo! Pimp it!

[Solitudinarian]

Enough already, you magnificent bastards — I bought your book.

Seriously though: Matt, beer is your friend, but — as we see — can also be a terrible enemy.

[shrike]

I like Welch and Gillespie and their approach fairly well. But Bill Maher has the bigger balls as usual – you want to CUT? Start with defense, SS, and Medicare! The big three. Neither party will – so fuck them both.

So Matt and Nick – Bill Maher is fucking your game up.

[Joe Esty]

Wishful thinking on Welch’s and Gillespie’s part. There are as many socialist independents as libertarian. In democracies or representative republics, coalitions still must be formed; compromises must still be made. Decisions made through the political process always lead to misery and discord. It doesn’t matter if its Republicans and Democrats, Tories and Labour, Libertarians and Quasi-Libertarians (don’t overlook the debilitating impact of the narcissism of small differences). The political process is the problem, not the parties. (Han Herman Hoppe’s Democracy: The God That Failed lays bare Welch’s and Gillespie “independents” chimera.)