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New GOP could shake up politics

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STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Editor's note: Eric Liu is the founder of Citizen University and the author of several books, including "A Chinaman's Chance" and "The Gardens of Democracy." He was a White House speechwriter and policy adviser for President Bill Clinton. Follow him on Twitter: @ericpliu. The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.

(CNN) -- Voter turnout was terrible last Tuesday. As President Barack Obama lamented in his post-election press conference Wednesday, two-thirds of voters chose not to vote, making it perhaps the lowest midterm turnout since the 1940s. Conventional wisdom says low turnout favors Republicans, and it did last week. But the days when one party sees low turnout as being in its own interest might be drawing to a close -- and it may be Republicans who will drive the change.

Eric Liu

First, some context. Midterm electorates are typically smaller, whiter and older than presidential electorates. In recent years, the GOP has worked hard to ensure that its shrinking, white, aging base turns out in disproportionately large numbers. And even though there are plenty of Republican leaders who'd like to see their party become younger and more diverse, the practical pressures of here-and-now politics have led them to go into campaigns with the voters they have, not the ones they wished they had.

But on Tuesday, the wishes of those Republicans hoping to expand the base started coming true -- at least on the margins, and enough to suggest a new way forward. While Republicans extended their dominance among older white voters, they also made modest inroads with Latino and Asian-American voters, partly by downplaying the nativist messages of past cycles and partly by exploiting frustration with the Obama administration.

Several new-generation black, Hispanic and Asian Republican candidates were also elected across the country. Meanwhile, GOP leaders such as Sen. Rand Paul have been engaging millennial voters on campuses and elsewhere with an unapologetic libertarianism that resonates with some young people.

As a result, it's possible for a smart Republican to see 2014 not only as a win, but as a hint of how the party could prevail in 2016 as well. To put it simply, the GOP might soon see it as in its own interest to boost turnout among young voters and voters of color, instead of writing them off or, as still happens too often, blocking them from voting at all.

This would be a major departure, to be sure. We're still a long way from a heartfelt and well-executed effort to expand the GOP demographic base. And even if party leaders want it, there are still too many voters who vote Republican precisely because they fear or blame the very people the leaders want to bring into the tent.

Still, it's at least becoming possible now. There is an opening among Latino, Asian and young voters. And it would be fantastic for the country if Republicans pushed to exploit that opening.

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New GOP could shake up politics

Wonkblog: Voters like the GOP and pot. Why Rand Paul may be their answer.

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Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) wasn't on the ballot Tuesday, but he still emerged as one of the night's biggest winners.

It didn't matter that congressional Republicans had sent the government into a shutdown or pushed the nation toward a default.It didn't matter that GOP governors opposed an expansion of Medicaid to help cover poor people in their states. It didn't matter that Republicans ignored the wishes of one of America's fastest-growing demographic groups, Hispanics.

Voters swiftly forgot, or forgave, the GOP, electing Republicans to the House, to the Senate and to governorships. Though the national map favored Republicans, the election went better for them than almost anybody had predicted, or than the normal tides of midterm elections would have suggested.

It's an important lesson for Democrats, who sometimes act as if they cannot fathom why Republicans can do so well atthe polls even as most Americans agree with Democratic views on the issues.

G O P are hardly scarlet letters in America.

And yet, in many cases, Americans registered strong support for left-leaning ballot initiatives.

Voters in Oregon, California, the District and Alaska approved more lenient marijuana laws, while a majority of voters in Florida also backed loosening marijuana regulation(though the measurefailedto achieved the 60 percent necessary to pass). Antiabortion initiatives in Colorado and North Dakota failed, though one succeeded in Tennessee.

If there's a Republican who can thread the needle between the country's growing social libertarianism and the GOP, it might be Paul, whom Time magazine called "the most interesting man in politics."

Paul hasbeen shifting positions to attract broader support, and some of his (former) views may come back to haunt him. But as this election showed, voters' memories are short.

As speculation about a likely presidential bid heats up in coming months, Paul could play a starring role in Congress -- addressing issues on which there is mutual agreement with Democrats and coming off as far less of a firebrand.

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Wonkblog: Voters like the GOP and pot. Why Rand Paul may be their answer.

Students for Individual Liberty conducts outreach

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NEWS Groups discusses Libertarians' broad appeal by Sarah Hainbach | Oct 16 2014 | 10/16/14 1:36am

When he was a University graduate student, Engineering faculty member James Lark founded Students for Individual Liberty in 1987 to promote classical liberal and libertarian ideals on Grounds. Now, as the group nears it 30th anniversary, its current student leaders are working hard to increase its visibility.

Third-year College student Ken McDaniels said SILs goals are to stay active and grow base membership. McDaniels said he thinks most students would agree with the organization's espoused values of social and economic freedom.

Second-year College student Grace Charlton agreed.

Basically everyone agrees with us on at least one issue, she said.

But many people, fourth-year College student Sam Teixeira said, have the wrong idea about libertarianism.

Lots of people lump it under conservatism, he said. But it is its own distinct political philosophy. [It prioritizes] the rights and freedoms of individuals. [That] doesnt mean that we dont care about things like equality or welfare. We do, but the focus is on personal liberty.

As part of SIL's recruitment efforts, McDaniels said the group is planning a series of creative events to grab the student body's attention.

The recent Pot-tition, was one such initiative wherein SIL members sold brownies out of flowerpots to shock people and draw them in, Charlton said.

On Constitution Day, which fell this year on Sept. 17, SIL hosted a free speech wall on which students could write whatever they wanted. Charlton said the wall was intended to teach students about libertarian values.

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Students for Individual Liberty conducts outreach

How the Left and Right Strawman Libertarianism: Honest Liberals are Actually Libertarians – Video

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How the Left and Right Strawman Libertarianism: Honest Liberals are Actually Libertarians
Honest liberals are just libertarians. So are honest paleocons. In fact most people are libertarians, which is why the two parties straw man it- if people knew what libertarianism actually...

By: Styxhexenhammer666

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How the Left and Right Strawman Libertarianism: Honest Liberals are Actually Libertarians - Video

Prof. Sachs speaks on poverty and mentions that Libertarianism is vulgar. Speaking on the Smiley and – Video

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Prof. Sachs speaks on poverty and mentions that Libertarianism is vulgar. Speaking on the Smiley and
Prof. Sachs speaks on poverty and mentions that Libertarianism is vulgar. Speaking on the Smiley and West show 1/6/12.

By: david bigandt

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Prof. Sachs speaks on poverty and mentions that Libertarianism is vulgar. Speaking on the Smiley and - Video

Book review: Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll

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By Chris Klimek October 24 at 11:17 AM

Season of the WitchAt the beginning of Season of the Witch, Peter Bebergal sketches an autobiographical scene right out of the movie Almost Famous: Hes 11 years old and his brother has left for the Air Force, leaving behind a superb, previously off-limits collection of rock LPs for him to discover. He sits on the floor of his brothers bedroom, transfixed by the adult mysteries nested within the vinyl grooves and gatefold sleeves of albums such as Led Zeppelins Houses of the Holy and David Bowies Diamond Dogs.

But this isnt a memoir, its a dissertation a weirdly dry one, given its lurid topic on how the occult has informed a half-century or so of popular music. Surveying artists timeless (the Beatles) and now-obscure (the Crazy World of Arthur Brown), with stops at usual Satanic suspects like Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne, Bebergal argues that the artists openness to the supernatural made their music more adventurous and imaginative, and that the coalition of parents and politicians who have periodically sounded the alarm about this are hysterical and silly.

Despite the rich material, Bebergal repeatedly drains any sense of urgency from his work. Barely a third of the way through, he says that Jimmy Pages insistence that the maxim Do What Thou Wilt be inscribed in the lacquer of the master recording of Led Zeppelin III serves as a microcosm of the entirety of the influence the occult would have on rock and roll. If the invocation of dark forces is just libertarianism with the occasional bit of blood-drinking, why should we keep reading?

Occasionally, Bebergal rewards the dutiful reader with a zinger, as when he describes the Age of Aquarius as having ended not with a whimper but with a stabbing at the Rolling Stones 1969 concert at the Altamont Speedway. But he doesnt drop nearly enough of those gems to make up for his annoying habits his abuse of groove as a verb, for starters. His halfhearted discussion of Jay Z (At one time his clothing line offered a number of shirts with unambiguous Freemasonry symbols ) feels like a desperate explanation of why his book wasnt published in 1984. Likewise, his evaluation of Madonna via her Super Bowl halftime show in 2012 easily 20 years after her peak.

The musicians whose work Bebergal dissects with the greatest vigor the Beatles, the Stones, Pink Floyd, Bowie, Black Sabbath are dinosaurs, not dragons, no disrespect intended. Meanwhile, the 21st-century popularity of Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and Game of Thrones has done more to drag the occult into the light than the 30-plus years of heavy-metal albums that preceded them ever did. Bebergal grew up lighting black candles and playing Dungeons & Dragons, he says, but somewhere in the writing of this book, his adolescent enthusiasm got replaced by a deadening academic scrupulousness. Dr. Strange, heal thyself.

Klimek is a freelance writer based in Washington.

Season of the Witch

How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll

by Peter Bebergal

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Book review: Season of the Witch: How the Occult Saved Rock and Roll

David Gordon: The Life and Times of Murray Rothbard

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Jeff Deist: This week were joined by Mises Institute Senior Fellow Dr. David Gordon, the man who Rothbard claimed knows everything about everything. Our topic is the life and times of the late Dr. Murray Rothbard. David Gordon was both his friend and associate and if you are a Rothbard fan, youll really enjoy this weeks show. We discuss Rothbards life from an insiders perspective, touching on his experience founding the Cato Institute, his relationship with Mises and the areas where they disagreed, his time with Ayn Rand and her objectivist followers and much, much more. Stay tuned.

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome once again to Mises Weekends. Im Jeff Deist and Im very pleased to be joined this weekend by none other than our own David Gordon who is visiting us from Los Angeles, so hes in the studio here. Im face-to-face with him and David, thank you very much, its great to see you.

David Gordon: Great to see you too, Jeff. Thanks for inviting me.

JD: David, last weekend we spent some time with Guido Hlsmann, going inside the mind of Ludwig von Mises. This week, wed like to talk to you in a similar vein about Murray Rothbard. So tell us first and foremost about your relationship with Murray.

DG: I met Murray in 1979. Id actually read Man, Economy and State when it came out in 62 when I was in junior high and I didnt get to meet any of the major libertarians till 79. I met him in 79 when I attended a conference at the Cato Institute in Eugene, Oregon in June and he and I hit it off right away and I met also his great friends, Ronald Hamowy and Ralph Raico and right after that conference, thanks to Murrays influence, I was offered a job at the Cato Institute and I was there briefly. As you probably knew, Murray split with the Cato Institute and I went with him, but I always got along very well with Murray.

What impressed me the most about him was he had an endlessly curious mind. He was always absorbing new information and he would keep up with the latest books and of course, hes best known for his libertarianism and his work as an economist. He kept up with all sorts of subjects. He knew philosophy, history, trends in art and music, anything you wanted to talk to him about, he would have new ideas and know all the new books on it and he would be very fast in the way he talked and want you to have to keep up with him and sometimes hard to do it. Id always be on the phone with him, sometimes several times a week and I knew him for 17 years.

JD: So, did you ever spend any time in his New York apartment and did you know Joey Rothbard as well?

DG: Oh yes, well I knew Joey very well. She was very protective of Murray. They had met when they were both at Columbia. She was very, very smart, very well read. She knew American history very well.

JD: And of course, she was protective of him and then he ultimately found himself in hot water with the Ayn Rand circle over the fact that Joey was not rational enough for them in the sense that she was religious.

DG: Oh yes, yes. I remember she told me that one of the things they wanted her to do, they didnt want him to divorce her right away because she was religious, but they wanted her to listen to their stuff and they thought if she did, then she would convert to their views. Nathaniel Branden apparently had done a series of tapes on the existence of God and proofs of God and they wanted her to listen to them and she didnt do it. She said something like, why do I need to listen to these tapes? She was a quite devout Presbyterian. She kept up with that all of her life. There was a minister, I think Dr. Reed in the church in New York she thought very highly of.

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David Gordon: The Life and Times of Murray Rothbard


  1. Libertarianism