Brat, who earlier this week defeated House Majority Leader Eric Cantor of Virginia in the Republican primary, is already hedging his positions on issues that he knows full well what the correct stance should be.
A careful political observer tells me that Brat appeared last night on the Chuck Todd Show on MSNBC. When Brat was asked about the minimum wage, he failed to explain why it hurt low-killed workers. Says the observer, "Brat is already sounding like a politician."
Here's how WaPo reported the exchange:
An indecisive economist. When asked whether he’d phase out the minimum wage altogether, Brat responded that he didn’t have a “well-crafted” position on that front.As I reported yesterday (SEE: In Profile the Economics Professor Who Defeated Eric Cantor), Brat is a hard core Chicago school economist, which means he knows the unemployment that is caused by minimum wage laws. If Brat is afraid to say this straight out, now that he is gaining the attention of mainstream media, he is useless as a promoter of liberty.
-RW
Oh Wenzel, give me a break. That's a gotcha question - it's designed to piss off exactly half of the viewership no matter what he says. Better to answer truthfully (I don't have my position mapped into the words I want) than say something that is going to give the bastards more ammo.
ReplyDeleteBottom line; we say we hate politicians and their well-crafted, perma-focused group answers. Here you have a relative N00B, being 100% honest, and you break out the knives. Give me a break.
(Also, if you wanted to argue after winning such a big election the best move might be no press for 48 hours so you can get your sh*t straight, I'd agree w/ that too. Especially after the hangover.)
The guy may be a political noob, but he's a professional economics teacher. The idea that he hasn't yet come to a conclusion on the minimum wage is absurd, and is absolutely NOT "100% honest."
Delete100% honest would be something like: "Yes, the minimum wage is a terrible policy that does more harm than good and should be repealed." But he can't say that because the media would crucify him for it. So he didn't say it.
If you're teaching economics and not talking about price controls, the students should demand their money back. Talk about malpractice.....
DeleteHe needs a focus group or a polling firm, maybe a committee to forge his "well crafted" position.
ReplyDeleteHere we go. Stay away from politics people. It NEVER works.
ReplyDeleteI don't fault Brat for this. Yes, the ideal politician (wow, what a paradox) would unashamedly explain in the best and fewest words possible how the minimum wage hurts the poor. Brat was not ready to do that, and he instead dodged the question. Chuck Todd was not looking to have a real discussion about the minimum wage, he was looking for a soundbite that Brat's opponent can use in the general election. The truth is that we have no idea what Brat is going to do if and when he's in the House, but I don't want his campaign to self-destruct before that.
ReplyDeleteI'm with Wenzel here. We should throw bombs when any politician puts political expediency in front of principle. The statists have already won, so why play by their rules? I'd rather Brat use his 15 minutes of fame to blow up statist myths. Instead he is signaling to the D.C. elites "I can be managed."
ReplyDeleteBesides, I don't trust anyone who calls Adam Smith the founder of free market economics. I'd prefer a politician who touts Turgot and loses over a politician who reveres Adam Smith and wins.
Listen, I understand the arguments put forth by EPJ and some at Lew Rockwell's blog about how Brat is not an AnCap. Oh dear me. But even Saint Ron Paul says this election was, quote, a "net plus."
ReplyDeleteRon Paul educated a lot of people, and lord knows that education is necessary in the end. But you are naive to believe we'll get to a country that meets all of our goals when a significant number of our citizens wake up one morning and praise libertarianism. We can take steps in the right direction, and this election is a step in the right direction.
I don't think you do understand the arguments put forth by Wenzel. He didn't say anything about Brat being or not being an AnCap. The point is, the self-described free marketer Brat declined to articulate the free market view on minimum wage laws - also known as reality. If Brat is afraid to say what is up or down on a basic issue, what good is he to libertarianism or economic freedom?
DeleteThe election is a step in the right direction in that it took out a high ranking corporatist. Guess who will fill that spot. A soon-to-be high ranking corporatist.
The reason Ron Paul was able to educate people is because people paid attention to him. The reason people paid attention to him is because he was the one voice in the wilderness of PC nonsense that was willing to clearly articulate free-market principles. Even *gasp* unpopular ones!
DeleteBy refusing to address the minimum wage, Brat is clearly signaling that the only Paul he has something in common with is Rand.
Brian Doherty is the only writer I can stomach at Reason. He made a good point in an article posted yesterday that David Brat is very ambiguous on foreign policy, which generally means bad. There are stories about him saying he wants to audit the fed, but that can be a political move. Some politicians know that will never happen and even if it did, most likely it would be a Warren Commission type group that would conduct the audit. There are so many scumbag neocons who badmouth Ron Paul that it opens the door for smart politicians just to throw him a few compliments to gain Paul voters. Take Ted Cruz, for example. He compared Ron Paul to Ronald Reagan because he inspired young voters to get involved in the Republican party. However, Paul inspired young people because of his foreign policy views, which Cruz vehemently disagrees with.
ReplyDelete