Is Donald Trump the Golem We Assume or Will He Usher in Some Good Policies?
He's a reality-show weirdo with terrible hair and many awful ideas. Libertarians should be cautiously optimistic - and subscribe to the Reason Podcast!
So the latest election was the most important of our lifetimes.
So much so, in fact, that it didn't even generate record turnouts.
And yet, we must ask: Is Donald Trump bad for the libertarians, that weird, growing, dominant tribe of folks who increasingly comprise a plurality of all Americans?
At Reason, we define libertarianism in terms of "Free Minds and Free Markets," of letting people have maximum ability to live how they want, eat what they want, marry whom the want, create business that they want…. You get it, right, we're pro-choice in EVERYTHING.
Let's stipulate two things. First, that Trump is kind of an awful human being, just based on what he promised on the campaign trail. And that Hillary Clinton, the major-party alternatives, was in virtually all ways even worse (I miss Gary Johnson already!). For instance, Clinton has a proven track record of supporting the invasion and occupation of countries we have no business invading and occupying, pushing dumb regulation of business and health care, and being objectively anti-free speech.
This is all a long wind-up to say that you should subscribe to the Reason podcast, a near-daily half-hour of talk with leading libertarian thinkers about just WTF is going on regarding Donald Trump, the two-party system, and even more importantly, the incredible profusion of freedom and permissionless innovation that is happening far beyond the confines of godawful, zero-sum politics. You do realize, don't you, that as bad as Donald Trump might be that politicians have never had less control over our lives? Because of massive and ongoing increases in wealth, education, and technology—and the breakdown of gatekeeper institutions regarding public morality and regulation—we are more free than ever to live however the hell we want to.
THAT'S the territory we cover in the Reason podcast, to which you should subscribe, rate, and review at iTunes! And if you don't want to get on bended knee before the Great God Apple, then listen to us at SoundCloud or via this easy-peasy RSS feed.
You can listen online, download for your commute (sucks to by YOU), or bookmark for later listening. We're hosting conversations with fascinating people about fascinating topics: Shikha Dalmia on how the War on Immigration Will Reprise the War on Drugs, Rep. Thomas Massie on how Trump Wasn't Elected King, and Baylen Linnekin Talking About How Stupid Food Make Our Food Supply Less Tasty and Less Sustainable.
Please subscribe to the Reason Podcast:
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And here's a taste of the smart, contrary thinking we word towards. Yes, Donald Trump is a protectionist xenophobe with crony-capitalist tendences. But are there reasons for optimism? Yup, especially if you care about non-interventionism, school choice, infrastructure upgrades, and more.
