You didn’t refer to them mdgr but most of the third parties in America are libertarian, even the Tea Party has a strong libertarian component and these libertarian ideas I’ve referred to are also the bedrock of the Republican Party and I suspect that ‘disaffected’ Dems would not find these ideas objectionable either. While Obama has made his thoughts on unions and workers’ rights absolutely clear and went to the barricades to try to fix the health care nightmare that libertarian ideas had created. Most of the things that are wrong with America have been created by libertarian ideas and in my opinion when someone is hammering a nail into your foot you don’t lean on the hammer and drive it in further which is what splitting the centre left vote will do.

Footnote:

Nor did Naomi Klein, to which mdgr made reference.

Diamond suggested that mdgr was promoting a libertarian third party. Mdgr suggests that diamond take a basic course in remedial reading (or else basic political theory) since, despite diamond’s pedantic bullets, mdgr never refereed to libertarian-anything.

And, as you would expect, Holbrooke was right. But Obama cannot openly defy the Pentagon and has to be conciliatory while slowly advancing his own agenda which is to get the troops out of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Dream on mdgr. Do you know what a third party of libertarians will get you?

From the Libertarian Party Platform

‘2.4   Government Finance and Spending
All persons are entitled to keep the fruits of their labor. We call for the repeal of the income tax, the abolishhment of the Internal Revenue Service and all federal programs and services not required under the U.S. Constitution.  We oppose any legal requirements forcing employers to serve as tax collectors. Government should not incur debt, which burdens future generations without their consent. We support the passage of a “Balanced Budget Amendment” to the U.S. Constitution, provided that the budget is balanced exclusively by cutting expenditures, and not by raising taxes. (No taxes, so who finances government?)

2.5   Money and Financial Markets
We favor free-market banking, with unrestricted (deregulated) competition among banks and depository
institutions of all types. Individuals engaged in voluntary exchange should be free to use as money
any mutually agreeable commodity or item. We support a halt to inflationary monetary policies and
unconstitutional legal tender laws (this is a recipe for another, much worse financial collapse).

2.6   Monopolies and Corporations
We defend the right of individuals to form corporations, cooperatives and other types of companies based on voluntary association. We seek to divest government of all functions that can be provided by non-governmental organizations or private individuals. We oppose government subsidies to business, labor, or any other special interest. Industries should be governed by free markets (Open slather, deregulated Ayn Randian, Friedmanite economics).

2.7   Labor Markets
We support repeal of all laws which impede the ability of any person to find employment. We oppose government-fostered forced retirement. We support the right of free persons to associate or not associate in labor unions, (but, crucially) an employer should have the right to recognize or refuse to recognize a union. We oppose government interference in bargaining, such as compulsory arbitration or imposing an obligation to bargain (the total destruction of unions and the right of workers to take part in negotiations for their wages and conditions).

2.8   Education
Education, like any other service, is best provided by the free market, achieving greater quality and efficiency with more diversity of choice. Schools should be managed locally to achieve greater accountability and parental involvement. Recognizing that the education of children is inextricably linked to moral values, we would return authority to parents to determine the education of their children, without interference from government. In particular, parents should have control of and responsibility for all funds expended for their children’s education. (No public schools only private schools, only the rich deserve an education, and an outbreak of Christian and other religious schools where children are taught that the world is 6,000 years old and evolution is a lie).’

Is this really the country you want to live in?

As the proposed date for getting out of Afghanistan gets closer, expect more push-pull from the Pentagon to thwart the Administrative branch, take away its power,  and put policy more in the hands of the military . It’s typical fascist strategy.  I hope I’m wrong.

Cluster-fu*k just about describes the whole tone of Obama’s cabinet, does it not? Can’t wait for the late night talk shows and for Jon Stewart’s riff on this.

There are those who will say that Obama “tried” to do better, but he still is responsible for his cabinet’s appointments, and this is just another nail in the coffin. He looks like an idiot.

The good news is that (1) the Democrats are toast and (2) the Republicans, in recapturing at least one chamber of Congress, probably will be blamed as much as the Dems in 2012.

That leaves the Tea Party is the position to win the presidency and Congress (+ SCOTUS) in 2012 unless there is a viable third party consisting of progressives, indies and disaffected Dems.

Namoi Klein recently called for just that. If we can make that happen after November, we have a chance. If not, we also are toast.