John, I agree completely with your analysis. I think you could
underscore your point with a review of the recent history. The
progressivist left was at some points enthusiastic about the Soviet
Union and was never excited about opposing it, even when it was
obviously a totalitarian nightmare. They've always been into
Castro's Cuba with defenses based on how many doctors Cuba has or
how many people can read. Never mind the cars are all about 40
years old and buildings are literally crumbling. And what about the
failure of free political discourse, voting rights, property
rights, etc.? "There are other important rights than civil rights.
There are economic rights," the apologists say.
How libertarians could get along with a movement that was
essentially a fellow-traveler to a total government solution is
beyond me. And now oil-fueled communism is rising in our own
hemisphere. Libertarians definitely have to flank to the right.
topics:
Communism, Oil