Kevin Price writes Sept. 1, 2015:
Dr. Charles Murray of the American Enterprise Institute is one of the most popular of public intellectuals among libertarians today. Furthermore, he is one of the more popular guests I have on my program. He never disappoints as he brings unique perspectives to every public policy and even political discussion. Recently on my radio show, we talked about the 2016 elections. He warned me quickly “I’m not known for my insight on political campaigns,” however, he wasn’t at all shy in providing his thoughts. His views had to be surprising to anyone who share his libertarian bent.
Although Charles Murray is a self-described libertarian, he is more of a classical liberal that believes government should do as little as possible and that its political subdivisions that weaken it actually make it more effective in how it serves the people. He has an entrepreneurial view of government, in which it should constantly be moved towards decentralization and a strong commitment to what simply works.
I was shocked by whom he referred to on how to choose a presidential candidate. He quoted the conservative intellectual, William F. Buckley, who essentially argued that those with conservative values should choose the candidate who best reflects those values, yet also has a chance to win. The general idea being that conservatives will have a bigger say in that selection process if they quickly get behind a winning candidate who has views close enough to their own, even if not the best representation of that philosophy. Coming from Buckley, this does not surprise me. Buckley was an intellectual giant, but his conservatism pales against the bold views expected today.
Murray, on the other hand, is still very much a libertarian. So when he said that his choices were either Marco Rubio or Scott Walker, I was quite surprised….
On Trump, Murray said that the surge of the billionaire was a reflection of the “dysfunction” in the electorate. The fact Trump has never held office, “cannot be bought” because he is rich, and has incredible candor, many Americans ignore the obvious which is a history of taking liberal and extreme positions on a number of issue. Trump supported a single payer system for Obamacare (which is even more extreme than what we have) and his proposed trade policies would create a situation like we had with the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of 1930, which contributed significantly to the Great Depression.
