The rise of pseudo-libertarians

If you listened to the speeches on the podium at the Democratic National Convention, you might have thought that the Democrats were distributing Friedrich Hayek's libertarian classic The Road to Serfdom to the audience.

In recent weeks, Democrats have made a sharp turn and are now focused on a rhetoric of freedom. This course was particularly pronounced in Chicago.
The convention anthem was Beyoncé’s song “Freedom,” and the Kamala Harris campaign unveiled a new commercial titled “We Believe in Freedom.”

Oprah Winfrey quoted an old Republican saying: “Freedom is not free.”

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, who has long made this issue a central theme of his speeches, called the Democrats “the party of true freedom.”

And vice presidential candidate Tim Walz leaned heavily on this idea, contrasting Republicans' freedom, which is supposedly all about violating privacy and encouraging corporate pollution, with Democrats' freedom, which protects people's free choice and safety. According to the Minnesota governor, his state's Golden Rule is: “Mind your own sh*t.”

There are several things to be said about this rhetorical maneuver: On the one hand, it might work purely politically by linking the Democrats to deeply rooted traditional American values. On the other hand, it is extremely cynical and runs completely counter to the progressive style of government.

It is as if the English socialist pioneers Beatrice and Sidney Webb made up their slogan “Live Free or Die.” Or as if the 20th-century socialist intellectual Michael Harrington insisted he was a fan of the work of Milton Friedman. Or as if Bernie Sanders was flying the flag of the revolutionary-era “Appeal to Heaven” movement once popular with Tea Party activists.

That doesn't add up. Just think of Tim Walz, whose record as governor doesn't exactly fit the motto “live and let live.” This newfound champion of unfettered freedom has done everything he can to expand the scope of action of the Minnesota government.

During the COVID pandemic, he enacted incredibly strict regulations, closed schools and churches, and set up a snitch hotline so Minnesotans could report those who didn't follow the rules. None of this was voluntary. He has imposed countless new taxes that people clearly don't want to voluntarily avoid paying. He signed a law mandating paid family leave—to be funded by taxes on employers and employees—and a law requiring Minnesota's utilities to transition to 100% carbon-free energy by 2040.

Conservative intellectual William F. Buckley Jr. once quipped: Liberals don't care what you do, as long as you do it.

Walz has falsely claimed that the First Amendment allows for the prohibition of “hate speech,” and supports banning the most popular rifle in America, which violates the Second Amendment. He has never seen an economic regulation he doesn't like. Of course, he doesn't support school choice, which allows more parents to decide where to send their children to school, or right-to-work laws, which allow workers to join or pay union dues, or health savings accounts, which give people more control over their health care.

He is clearly not a libertarian.

When Democrats say “freedom,” they usually mean abortion on demand. But that is a legitimate form of freedom only if the unborn child is mistakenly viewed as nothing, without rights or interests of its own. In Chicago, Democrats often referred to the supposed restriction of freedom that comes from government dictating what books children should read. They are referring to decisions about public school curricula or what books should be in public school libraries – decisions that government makes all the time. Walz himself has introduced new ethnic studies requirements in Minnesota schools – that may be bad policy, but it is not an infringement on anyone's freedom.

The other forms of freedom that Democrats defend – quality education, public safety, etc. – are public goods and not true expressions of freedom.

The falsehoods and misconceptions, however, may not matter. Democrats have sensed an opportunity as a more populist Republican Party places less value on freedom. If Democrats get away with their pseudo-libertarianism, it would be a remarkable triumph of the freedom to deceive.

Rich Lowry is a columnist.

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