There is a heated gubernatorial race underway in Virginia, with President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden coming out to support Democrat Terry McAuliffe, the TEA Party throwing its support behind Republican Ken Cuccinelli, and a growing group lending its support to so-called libertarian Robert Sarvis.
In fact, Sarvis has amassed so much support and fractured the Republican, conservative, libertarian voting block so greatly, McAuliffe may very well come out on top. While Glenn is certainly not opposed to third-party candidates, he warned his listeners in Virginia to do their homework on the candidates before casting their vote tomorrow.
“Terry McAuliffe looks like he may win in Virginia, if conservatives don't come out in droves. If you don't do everything you need to do,” Glenn said on radio this morning. McAuliffe’s Republican opponent, Cuccinelli, gained a tremendous amount of favorability in Virginia as attorney general after he was the first litigator to file a lawsuit against Obamacare, but a victory in tomorrow’s election is anything but certain.
“And so the first litigator against it you would think would be a shoo-in but, no, not necessarily,” Glenn said. “And here's why: Because you got this libertarian who has taken nine points off, but he's not really a libertarian… Do not be fooled… Libertarians, if you indeed are voting for this guy, you need to know who he is, at least what he's saying because he doesn't sound like any libertarian I have ever met.”
Last week, Charles C. W. Cooke, a columnist for National Review, wrote a fascinating piece, “Sarvis a Libertarian? Nope,” about Sarvis and his past that seems to indicate he is a far cry from libertarian. In the article, Cooke describes Sarvis a “social liberal.”
As evidence, Cooke cites interviews Sarvis did with Reason magazine and NBC’s Chuck Todd, in which he describes his economic policy:
In a recent Reason interview, Sarvis explained that he was “not into the whole Austrian type, strongly libertarian economics,” preferring “more mainstream economics” instead. The candidate expanded on this during an oddly defensive interview with MSNBC’s Chuck Todd, in which he seemed put off not so much by “strongly libertarian economics” as by libertarian economics per se. As governor, Sarvis told Todd, he would be hesitant to cut taxes, unsure as to how he might “reduce spending,” and open to indulging the largest piece of federal social policy since 1965 by expanding Virginia’s Medicaid program.
“A libertarian that doesn't want to cut taxes,” Pat asked.
During an interview with the Virginia Prosperity Project, Sarvis as also expressed interest in increasing gas taxes and for establishing a “vehicle-miles-driven-tax.”
“Totally libertarian, Glenn joked. “Someone should have exposed him a long time ago… And I have no problem winning or losing on principle, but a guy who says, ‘Well, Austrian [economics] sounds kind of harsh. It's cold, those Austrians and their economic theory.’ What is libertarian, at least financial libertarian, what is that if it's not Austrian economics? I mean, jeez, for the love of Pete. A libertarian that doesn't believe in Austrian economics and likes taxes, and wants, you know, GPS tracking to be able to find you – that's not a libertarian. That's a liar. No seriously, do you know of a libertarian that is for that?”
“Don't be fooled in Virginia,” Pat concluded. “Don't be fooled.”
