The Mentality of Beltway Libertarians

Yesterday I wound up in a Twitter exchange with J.D. Tuccille of Reason magazine, which has long been supportive of New Mexico governor Gary Johnson. I was responding to a Tweet in which the Cato Institute’s David Boaz pointed out that Bill Weld, vice-presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party, had praised his book back in 1997. (Yes, he tweeted that.) The exchange below begins with my reply to that Tweet.

I reproduce the exchange below because it speaks volumes about the mentality of the Washington, DC libertarians.

.@David_Boaz And then he had some kind words for John Kasich. Beltway libertarianism ftw!

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz I count four wars he was ready to launch. It’s excusable to have kind words for that? — Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz DC libertarianism: where supporting Kasich is a small matter to overlook. Now get me some pot!!

.@JD_Tuccille Thx for putting DC libertarianism on full display. 4 wars ok to endorse because best option. Why support anyone in that case?

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz Where did Weld stand on Iraq? Let me guess: like Hillary, he’s had a convenient change of heart. Surprise.

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz What an outrageous standard of purity I’m demanding: not supporting mass murder. But he’s good on pot, so…. — Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz You’re the pot people. You can overlook IRAQ as a small matter? But gay marriage can’t be compromised. Priorities.

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz He sided with evil idiots in slaughtering untold numbers, but hey, nobody’s perfect! — Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz You would be less forgiving on gay marriage than on mass murder. Very strange priorities.

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz So the rule is, if you advocate mass killing on laughable grounds and then say sorry, s’ok. — Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz I can find plenty of pro-war people Cato is ok with. No gay marriage opponents. I must be imagining all this. — Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille @David_Boaz That’s why they shouldn’t get the nomination, either. Support for that war shows inconceivably bad judgment.

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille What if he’d made insensitive racial remarks? Would be still be best option? Or is insensitive speech worse than killing?

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@obiwade @michaelamooore9 @JD_Tuccille This matters to no DC libertarian. Freedom of association is embarrassing. Pass the hooch. — Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@JD_Tuccille Fair enough. But your answer makes me suspect that as with the left, insensitive language less forgivable than warmongering.

— Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

.@obiwade@michaelamooore9@JD_Tuccille Woods rule of life: any candidate supported by DC think tankers is zzzzzzzzzzz — Tom Woods (@ThomasEWoods) June 1, 2016

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