If for ANY reason Rush might be away for 30 days...

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

If for any reason Rush might be out for maybe 30 days, if given a choice, who would you select as the four week replacement?

We have heard many different people, from Matthews to Williams. What does the person you selected have to offer over and above the other candidates? And how would Rush be missed?

[Protagoras]

I do apologize for getting snippy earlier.

Apology Accepted.

However, Snow is a Republican.

"Republican" refers to a political party. It is not a philosophy of life.(actually I'm not sure what it represents anymore) "Libertarian" with a capital "L" refers to a political party which takes it's name from the small "l" libertarian philosophy. I never said, nor intimated that he was a member of or a supporter of the Libertarian party.

He wrote speeches for Bush #41 and supported Steve Forbes in the Republican primaries.

Forbes was the most libertarian of all the Republican candidates. I supported Forbes also.

He's also made clear that he voted for Bush and Republicans.

I can no longer do that in general. I would vote for a Ron Paul, for instance, but not a GWB or Dole. They are too far to the left for me and very much in favor of ever growing government and new programs.

He constantly lectures audiences on how Republicans need to be more aggressively conservative.

He is correct in that assessment IMO.

And, he was hosting for Rush during the presidential campaign last summer and he got a call from someone thinking of voting for the Libertarian Party. He said that third parties pull votes away from Republicans and that it was a wasted vote.

The person he was talking to was probably a Republican and he was thinking of voting Libertarian because of his frustration with the leftward drift of the Republican party. I disagree with his opinion about the better course of action in regards to changing the Republican party, but I am not a member of that party and think that it is beyond redemption so it's a mute point for me. Libertarians are for the most part not disaffected Republicans. They are libertarians who long for a polictical party to represent their views in that sphere.

He also said that the Libertarian Party was a joke because it wanted to do away with national defense, to which he replied "most of us think defense is probably a pretty good idea".

IF he said that, he is incorrect. They do not want to "do away" with national defense.

And, again, he talked about his opposition to their social liberalism.

Most of the libertarians I know are socially conservative, including me. They just don't want morality at the point of a gun. Which is itself immoral. There are just as many libertines in the other major parties IMO.

But, he did say that the one good roll they could play is to have even more voices out there putting a smaller government belief into peoples mind.

They are currently the only party doing that. Peace

[Protagoras]

I've seen Thomas Sowell in interviews, and think he's great.

At the risk of annoying you further, you might want to ask Thomas Sowell what his philosophy of governance is.

[Republic of Texas]

I know he won't do it, I think he is too busy, but I'd vote for the smartest man in America, Walter Williams. (Yeah, I blacked out his name, so what?)

[Protagoras]

I was mainly speaking to you, and you alone- because you seem hellbent on bashing everybody else, as though you're morally superior.

Getting personal with me is tricky when you don't know me. Please cite specific instances where I have "bashed everyone else". As to being morally superior, I am not. I am a sinner like everyone else. If pointing out the immorality of certain positions made you think that, maybe it's a matter of perception on your part.

[conservativesoutherner]

Hey, i'm a chick, so I don't want to get into a fight with you. My problem is that i'm 25 and incredibly cocky! But, it sounds like i'm in agreement with you on your assumptions about the Republican party. They always act as if they're dealing from a weak hand. I wish that they'd be more agressively conservative. They just don't seem to have the guts to. It also might interest you to know that last year, which was the first year I was able to vote, I voted for several Libertarians. You would be surprised at just how many offices the Republican Party has not fielded candidates for. I mostly vote for Republicans, but I use my vote wisely. If the G.O.P isn't running somebody or if they've fielded a milktoast candidate or if the guy's a career politician I always vote for the Libertarian. On some of the other things you brought up- I have heard it said before that most Libertarians are social conservatives. But, likewise, most "conservatives" are libertarian not just on fiscal issues, but also most social issues as well. I don't believe that the government should be allowed to tell people that they have to buckle their safety belts, that they can't smoke, that they can't say certain words, or that they can't do this or that, etc.. I consider that a serious invasion of privacy and don't think that most of the things that government does belong in the province of government, anyway. I have even been persuaded to some degree by Bill Buckley and Niel Boortz that the drug war is a danger to liberty because of it's effect on our individual freedoms and that perhaps the trade-off is not worth it. But, I think it's fair to say that even though I, like most conservatives, am a libertarian- I am not a purist. To prove the point, I do believe that once there is concensus, abortion-euthanasia-and the like, should be outlawed. On that particular issue, it meets my threshold for government involvement because I consider such practices forms of murder. Most issues, however, whether I agree with them or not, do not meet that threshold. So, it appears that you and I and most on the Right suffer from the same affliction: the belief that individuals, not government, know better how to create a just, sane, moral and happy society!

[CDHart]

"Walter Williams is my favorite."

Mine, too. He pulls no punches. In fact, I think I prefer him to Rush.

Carolyn

[conservativesoutherner]

Personally, I think that Tony Snow is not only not a member of the Libertarian Party but also isn't philosophically libertarian (as defined by most who consider themselves, such). He has always called himself a conservative and has pointed out his philosophical disagreement with libertarians on things like abortion and gays and religious/moral issues. He is a very culturally conservative man and is without a doubt a conservative. He's far too traditional to ever be mistaken for a libertarian. But, you talk about libertarians and conservatives as though there is a gulf between the two- there isn't.

[Huck]

William Buckley Jr. or Brian Lamb.

[Protagoras]

philosophical disagreement with libertarians on things like abortion and gays and religious/moral issues.

Please tell me what you think the libertarian positions are on those topics. Small "l" not political party.

[conservativesoutherner]

I'm not saying anything in that sentence about my own views of what libertarians' positions actually are on those issues. I'm just relaying to you the reasons that i've heard him give for disagreeing with libertarians philosophically. Ultimately, I dont know what he thinks a "libertarian's" positions are on particular issues, I just know from what he's said that, for some reason, he finds them disagreeable. I can only gleen as a second party that he seems very old-fashioned and maybe in his mind, he confuses libertarians with libertines. Perhaps that would be wrong (it certainly sounds wrong, from everything i've heard you say.) But, it's like I was telling you, he's made quite clear that he's a consevative (philosophically, economically, culturally, etc.), so perhaps he doesn't have a firm grasp of where libertarians stand on all of the issues. As for what I think libertarians' positions are on issues in comparison to "conservatives", it sounds to me as if we're one in the same. We don't seem to disagree on much of anything. I have yet to read one philosophical position that you've taken with which I stridently disagree. So, you illuminate me- what's the difference between you and I? Are there any differences between us?

[Musket]

Buzz off twerp.

[Protagoras]

Are there any differences between us?

It's hard to say because I don't know you and haven't had any other discussions with you. In any case, there is a big difference between conservatives and libertarians. But why should we look for differences when there is so much that we agree upon. The differences between us will be evident from time to time and when it happens I am open to discussion on them as long as we remain honest and civil with each other. Until then, peace.