-smear names that cut off thought In contemplating the current ing the Democrat; and even and engender emotive hate re- generation of Big Government though Democrat incumbent sponse: "racist," "sexist," libertarian turncoats and rene- Robert Krueger tried to run to "homophobic, " "anti-Semitic, " gades, the case for retrospective- the right of Clinton, the Presi- "mean-spirited, " and perhaps or even retroactive-abortion be- dent sent his Number 2 cam- the rest of the panoply: gins to seem overwhelming. I paign honcho, Paul Begala, to

/Iageist," "lookist," "logist," Texas to run the Krueger cam and what have you. It doesn't paign, and it was a particulai matter: in the mouths of this joy to see Begala end up with generation of vipers, smear The Anti-Clinton egg on his face as he engineered labels become a badge of honor. disastrous TV spots that made It all reminds me of two char- Election Krueger look like an idiot. And acters in a Dostoevsky novel. by M.N.R. in the last race before this No- One insults the other at length, vember, militant Christian con- and the other guy says in effect: There have been seven major servative Mike Huckabee-the "You are so low that nothing you elections since the black day in other man from Hope, Arkansas say could insult me!" November that the monster -pulled the remarkable feat of Is there anything left except Clinton was cho- beating the odds- the name "libertarian" to dis- sen President; on favorite, Presi- tinguish these Official Libertar- and every single dent Clinton's ians from regular, honest-to- one has been a hand-picked God leftists?The answer is: not thumping repudi- buddy, for Lieu- much, and less and less, as time ation of Slick tenant-Governor goes on. Probably the average Willie and all of of Clinton's home leftist is, by now, less anti- his works. Soon state of Arkansas. Christian and perhaps less egal- after the presiden- That was four for itarian than Modal Libertarians. tial election, mod- four against Clin- Since the economists among erate conservative ton. them still have a vestigial affec- Paul Coverdell up- This November tion, on efficiency grounds, for set the Clintonian there were three cutting marginal tax rates of up- incumbent Sena- major races, each per income groups, we will prob tor from Georgia, a test of the Clin- ably see the better-heeled Of- Wyche Fowler. ton Administra- ficials opting for their bosom Then the moder- tion. In New York buddy, the left-neocon Jack ate conservative City, the nerdy di- Kemp, although their hearts may Riordan upended saster David Din- be for Bill Weld, while the more the multicultural kins, the city's nomadic types opt for Nancy leftist Woo to be- first black mayor, Lord on the Libertarian ticket in come mayor of though running '96. But it makes little difference: Los Angeles; and moderate con- on the Democratic ticket in an the entire crew is as scurvy a servative Kay Bailey Hutchison overwhelmingly Democrat city, lot, both in person and in print, captured Lloyd Bentsen's seat was beaten by 2.5 points by as one is ever likely to meet. as Senator from Texas. It was Republican nominee Rudy In the continuing argument all very well for the Clintonian Giuliani. The Giuliani victory over abortion, pro-lifers like to media to claim that all these came even though President twit pro-choicers about all the races were local and constituted Clinton stumped the city several wonderful people the world no referendum on Clinton; but times for Dinkins, even stooping would have lost if their mothers in each case, except L.A., the to condemn whites who failed had chosen to abort them. But Clinton Administration urged to vote for people differing the argument can cut both ways. the voters to support it by back- from them. This racist remark by 9 December 1993 Clinton was particularly nervy campaign manager. Jerseyites sent us all a message, because, in the previous Din- Not only did Clinton stump all right, by sending High Tax kins-Giuliani race in 1989, about New Jersey for Florio, but so Florio packing by a margin of tlurty percent of whites had too did the Boss Lady Herself, two percent, snatching victory voted for Dinkins, whereas Din- Hillmy Rodham, who called on from the jaws of defeat. A key kins corralled about ninety-five New Jerseyvoters to “send the move that turned the election percent of the black vote. Which nation a message” in the Florio around was when Mrs. Whit- racial group was failing to vote election. Hillary made no bones man roused herself last summer, for different folk? about proclaiming Florio as her deposed her inept brother, and Particularly sweet was the kind of Democrat. Well, New brought aboard. the savvy con- New Jerseyvoters’ repudiation of their monster Governor Jim Florio, who went back on his “no new tax” pledge when elected four years ago by promptly Though Alexander Cockbum and Patrick Buchanan approached the sub- socking New Jerseyites with ject somewhat differently. . .they had total agreement, an amazing feat in itself, the biggest tax increase in the on one point: Yeltsin is a dictator. Considering the extra-constitutional(read state’s history. While Florio’s illegal) measures Yeltsin continues to take to eliminate his political opposi- tion. . . , it is even more amazing to see how everyone (including our own popularity plummeted for a democracy-loving government and free press) continues to see this man as while, popular amnesia, coupled the only hope for democracy in Russia.-A. Jan, Los Angeles Times with a continuing barrage of An English professor at Penn State causes a reproduction of a Goya female pro-Florio propaganda by the nude to be removed from her classroom because she feels oppressed by it. media, hailing the thuggish As a feminist student activist tells us, paintings like Goya’s are “a form of por- Florio’s “statesmanship,” nography” that rose because “Playboy wasn’t around back then.“-Rod seemed to revive the governor’s Dreher, Washington Times approval rating. This summer, The Russians and we produced nuclear weapons to flourish at one another indeed, Florio’s Republican op- and played the game of calling bad names when there had been nothing at ponent, Christine Whitman, issue between us that need have prevented our living in the same world and when we were actually, for better or worse, becoming more and more alike- ran such an abysmal and bum- the Russians emulating America in their frantic industrialization and we in bling campaign that Florio imitating them in our persecution of nonconformist political opinion, white spurted way ahead in the polls, both, to achieve their ends, were building up huge governmentalbureaucracies in the hands of which the people have seemed helpless.-Edmund Wilson, and the Democracy and the The Sixties: The Lust Journal media were hailing the idea that high taxes and repudiating In Patriotic Gore, [Edmund] Wilson questioned the central myth of the American republic, which is also, paradoxically, the cornerstone of our subse- a no-tax pledge was, happy quent empire-e pluribus unum-the ever tightening control from the center day!, no longer poison at the of the periphery. Wilson is pre-Lincolnian. . . . He sees virtue, freedom, in polls. La Whitman, a country- a less perfect union. Today’s centrifugal forces in the former Soviet Union and club moderate, was unhappy Yugoslavia he anticipated in Patriotic Gore where, through his portraits of various leaders in our Civil War, he shows how people, in order to free with proposing tax cuts or with themselves of an overcentralized state, are more than willing, and most attacking Florio’s tax record. tragically, to shed patriotic gore.-Gore Vidal, The New York Review of Books Refusing to attack the incum- Wilson’s meditation on the Civil War and wa and the nature of our state bent, Whitman passively al-, was published and: “There is shock after shock,” as Penn Warren put it, ”to lowed the Florio forces, led by our official versions and received opinions.” But. . .unhappily, many others Number 1 Clinton campaign are in place to act as shock-absorbers. They also ,shroudthe martyred Lincoln with his disingenuous funeral address at Gettysburg in order to distract atten- maven James Carville, to por- tion from the uncomfortable paradox that his dictatorship-forbidden word tray her as ignorant and out of in a free country-preserved the union by destroying it.-Gore Vidal, The New touch with the New Jersey York Review of Books masses. She also surrounded One does get the impression that the Jews regard themselves as having a herself with incompetents, led monopoly on suffering, and do not want the Negroes to muscle in.-Edmund by her left-liberal brother as her- Wilson, The Sixties: The Lust Journal 10 December 1993 servative campaign manager, minors could have an abortion. to their faith. Rather than a Ed Rollins. Rollins’ stress on ac- To the average person, it seems ”theocrat,” Christian paleo tivism and positive ideas led bizarre that minor children Farris wants the State off the Whitman to adopt and push must have parental consent back of himself and fellow Chris- the thlrty percent tax-and-ex- before getting any surgical pro- tians. What’s wrong with that? penditure-cutting plan of editor cedures in general, but don’t Unfortunately, Farris’s race Steve Forbes and free-market need to when it comes to an im- was sabotaged by liberal Re- economist Larry Kudlow. Pos- portant operation such as abor- publicans from the very be- itive emphasis on tax-cutting by tion. Even women, who seem ginning. They were incensed- Whitman pulled out the elec- these days to be far more leftish when Farris, backed by the relig- tion, and this redoubled the im- than men, voted for Allen, per- ious right, won the Lieutenant- portance of the ”message” of haps aided by the fact that Governor nomination at the the New Jersey election. Allen is a handsome family man June GOP convention, beating Finally, in Virginia, the ro- whereas pro-Allen militants like left-wing Republican Bobbie botic former State Attorney- Ollie North pointedly claimed Kilberg, former Bush White General Mary Sue Terry was that the Virginia governor’s House aide. Farris pointed out literally crushed for the gover- mansion needs to be filled by a that the Republican liberals’ call nor’s race by the youthful con- happy family with children-a for a ”big tent” has to work both servative and religious rightist pointed reference, not merely ways: neither wing should be George Allen, by a vote of 58 to to existing bachelor Governor driven out of the party, and 41 percent. Mary Sue Terry suf- Wilder, but to the fact that the each should support the others’ fered by being a part of the rul- rather severe and unsmiling candidates. But while Repub- ing Democratic establishment Mary Sue Terry is both unmar- lican rightists loyally supported in Virginia, and by being in the ried and childless, a fact calcu- Coverdell and Hutchinson when same party as the hated Presi- lated to raise eyebrows in so- they won the primaries, the Re- dent Clinton, even though Terry cially conservativeVirpua. And publican left, put to the test, tried her best to ignore the pres- so it’s a consistent seven for viciously sabotaged the Farris idential scene. Once again, Terry seven against Clinton. The only campaign: including Kilberg began far ahead, and then Allen disappointment of the Novem- and the Republicans for Choice. came up in a marvelous surge, ber election was the defeat for Liberal Senator Warner (R., Va.) to become the first Republican Virginia Lieutenant Governor viciously refused to support governor of Virginia in many of the heroic young Christian Farris, but Allen, to his credit, years. paleolibertarian Mike Farris. backed his running mate. The While Terry tried to distance Farris, a bright 42-year old at- result of this liberal sabotage is herself from Clinton, she flop- torney and Baptist minister, a that Democrat Donald Beyer ped by being ”tough on crime” prolifer and religious rightist, is defeated Farris by 54 to 46 per- the Clinton-liberalway: that is, a major leader of the wonderful cent of the vote. But this is on- by calling for more severe gun home schooling movement, ly Farris’s first race, and he did control. Virpans were easily author of books on home school- commendably well, getting con- able to see through this ploy, ing, and founder and president siderable more votes (785,000) and to back the conservative of the Home School Legal De- than Terry did in her guberna- Allen route of being tough, not fense Association. Smeared by torial race (730,000). So we can on ”guns,” but on criminuls- liberals and ”moderates” as a expect to hear more of young in his case, calling for an end to religious theocrat, and a school Farris in the future. But the Re- parole, and for keeping violent censor, Farris simply is pro- publican Left should be put on criminals in jail. Allen also took moting home schooling and the notice; any more of these a sensible stand on abortion. right of public school parents to shenanigans, and conservatives Whereas Terry was an all-out pull their kids out of com- will walk anytime a Republican abortion rightser, Allen called pulsory condomization or from liberal is nominated; and then for parental notification before having to study books offensive it will be war to the knife. 11 December 1993 ~ ~ I The New York City election weekly trip to his wife’s grave, and his black Police Commis- bears more detailed analysis. touched off a massive three- sioner, Lee Brown, do nothing Giuliani’s 34,000 vote majority clay black riot. It began when for these three fateful days? was made possible by victories the Hasidic Jewish driver of the (This is the very same Brown in the conservative boroughs of offending car was beaten, robbed, who was promoted, from this Queens and Staten Island, the and almost killed by a black egregious failure, to become latter alone providing the margin mob, which, for three ensuing President Clinton’s Drug Czar.) of victory. The usually heavily days and nights, roamed the The official view is that Dinkins Democratic borough of Brooklyn streets of the area shouting and Brown suffered from a only carried for Dinkins by a “Kill the Jews!,” by which they strange lanb‘uor and passivity, small majority, the Italian dis- meant the identifiable black- a sort of folie a deux. Continuing trict of Bensonhurst going for frock-coated Hasidics who had Jewish agitation in New York, Rudy by nearly 7 to 1. remained in the Crown Heights coupled with the unavenged The centerpiece of the New neighborhood. Finally, a visiting murder of Yankel Rosenbaum, York election was the intercon- Australian Hasid, Yankel Rosen- spurred Governor Cuomo, in nected issues of crime and ”qual- baum, was indeed killed by a late 1992, to appoint state in- ity of life”-the black mob, and vestigator Richard Girgenti to latter meaning his brother Nor- head a one-man investigation domination of man has popped of the Crown Heights riot. the New York up from time to This summer, as the mayoral streets by mug- time as an aveng- campaign was heating up, parts gers, robbers, ag- ing angel, seek- of the Girgenti Report, in the gressive begging ing justice. One time-honored manner, were burns, crack deal- problem for Din- leaked to the press, and the ers, and piles of kins is that the news was not good for Mayor rotting garbage. festering sore con- Dinkins. It turns out that Din- Things had got- tinues, since the ins and Brown only moved ten far worse alleged killers of when the police, sickened at under the four Rosenbaum were being ordered to do nothing to years of Dinkins, freed by a mostly stop the carnage, finally threat- a passive boob black jury, despite ened to mutiny, and not to who only stirred seemingly over- report for work unless they himself every fall whelming evi- were permitted to move against to reroute air- dence against the rioters. It was only then that planes out of them. Dinkins caved in. While the of- LaGuardia Air- An even deeper ficial Girgenti report was ap- port to make sure problem out of parently softened to avoid con- that no noise Crown Heights demning Dinkins and Brown would disturb his beloved na- for. Dinkins was the fact that his for anything more than their tional open tennis tournament police force surrounded the curious languor, rumors persist at Flushing, Queens. Crown Heights area, and for that the policy of passivity was The biggest single black mark three days stood there doing a deliberate one: designed to against the Dinkins regime was nothing to interfere with the permit the black masses to the disastrous race riot in Crown rioters, even retreating when ”vent” their frustration at the Heights, Brooklyn in August the mobs taunted them and accidental death of the black 1991. In the Crown Heights riot, threw rocks at the police. It was boy, plus, of course, at four an accidental killing of a black only on the third night when the hundred years of oppression child by a car in the entourage police finally moved in, cracked and racism. of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Men- down, and put an end to the con- As a result, Crown Heights achem Schneerson, on his tinuing riot. Why did Dinkins was uppermost on New Yorkers’ I 32 December 1993 minds this summer, and the came over to Shrum: ”Well, cluding gay rights. Marlin re- result was a considerable weak- kid, you may be a better debater ceived glowing coverage from ening of Jewish enthusiasm- than I, but I’m going to win on the liberal press, enchanted even by the traditionally left- Nov. 2.” And of course Garth both by his personal qualities liberal Jews of Manhattan-for was right. and his neocon backing- the Dinkins regime. Long-time An important lesson for backing that included ardent Jewishliberals were slow in en- rightists has also emerged from endorsementsfrom Bill Bennett dorsing the Mayor, or even in the Dinkins-Giuliani cam- and the Wall Sf. Journal, as well signing his petitions. And while paign. Many conservatives and as from the heroic Mary Cum- liberal Jewish districts in Man- libertarians have been hanker- mins, who stopped compulsory hattan still went for Dinkins, ing for a rightist third party, not multigenderededucation in the they were not with the huge ma- a sectarian one like the Liber- public schools, and brought jorities, or turnouts, of yester- tarians, but a broad coalition for down leftist School Chancellor year. right-wing populism. The idea Joe Fernandez. There was little enthusiasm of such a party would be to act Given all these advantages, for the liberal Republican as an implacable club upon the how did George Marlin do? Did Giuliani, but, as a long-time Republicans, so that if the Re- he provide the balance of power, prosecutor, his image of being publicans nominated another or even get a decent percentage tough on crime stood him in Rockefeller-Bush type, the new of the vote? On the contrary, good stead. Giuliani’s victory party could nominate one of its George Marlin, despite his ballot was made possible by the return own people, and break the Re- status on two party lines, re- of the legendary founder of publicans until they wised up. ceived only 16.9 thousand votes, campaign consulting, Little Na- As a veteran third-party person a disastrous 0.95% of the vote. poleon Dave Garth. The cam- myself, I confess to a sneaking Less than one percent makes paign of the liberal Garth re- fondness for such a tactic. the typical Libertarian Party vote pelled conservatives, but it suc- But the Conservative Party seem bountiful! ceeded in humanizing Giuliani’s has been pursuing this tactic in Well-if George Marlin can get image. New Yorkers now want New York for many years, and only less than one percent on a tough Mayor, but not a mean with considerablesuccess. The an established party line under one, and Garth got Rudy to Conservative Party was founded ideal conditions, there is no hope change his severe hairdo, smile on such a strategy, it has long- whatever for a national third more, and walk the streets kiss- time name recognition in New party in the foreseeable future. ing babies of every ethnic hue. York, and it has no trouble get- The broad right-wing masses Indeed, in playing the unity card ting on the ballot. It has, in the are, for good or for ill, commit- to the hilt after his victory, past, obtained hundreds of thou- ted to the Republican Party, and Rudy Giuliani uttered what was sands of votes for its candidates. it is within the ranks of the Re- probably the Repellent Phrase In this mayoral election, the publican Party that the battle of of the Year from any politico: “I Conservative Party, joined by right-wing populism against promise that no ethnic group in the fourth or fifth leading state country-club liberalism will have this city will escape my care.” party, the Right to Life Party, to be fought. It is all very well No, no, let them “escape your nominated the intellectual and for the Republican Party to be a care, ” Rudy! municipal bond expert George Big Tent, but it is a tent that the A great campaign consulting Marlin for Mayor. Marlin en- right-wing must dominate, not story has emerged from this joyed seemingly ideal conditions just for platform disputes, but campaign. Shortly before the for his race. A tall, humorous, for candidates as well, from the election, Dave Garth had a pub- articulate intellectual, an expert President on down. lic debate with the almost on Chesterton, Marlin was run- On the ballot propositions in equally legendary top consul- ning against a Giuliani who is the election, the big news is the tant for Dinkins, the leftist Bob a committed liberal, a cham- crushing defeat of the school Shrum. After the debate, Garth pion of every liberal cause in- voucher scheme in California, I 13 December 1993 L a welfare-state Trojan Horse the state a fighting chance to bodied in this paradox: we are prepared for us by Left-Lib- opt out of the failing govem- forced to cheer because the ertarians and deluded conser- ment system.” peace agreement failed in vatives. The voucher plan, which Giving parents ”a fighting Bosnia, while the bloody con- received fervent and indeed chance” is of course a euph- flict continues and expands. hysterical endorsements from emism for welfare payments Why? Because our top priority the entire media panoply of extracted from long-suffering is keeping U.S. troops out of left-libertarians and neoconser- taxpayers. In a free society, there the mess, and Slick Willie is vatives, was totally crushed by is no call for ”vouchers” or for pledged to send 25,000 U.S. a vote of 70 to 30 percent, los- “expanding choice” by robbing troops into Bosnia as soon as a ing in every one of California’s taxpayers. The only good “vou- peace agreement is signed. The 58 counties. The voucher scheme cher” is a dollar, a dollar that troops would be there to ”keep would have brought the private one can spend on any desired the peace,” whatever that may schools of the state under gov- good or service, but of course mean, and so that means no ernment control, but the mea- the dollar, in a free society, must peace, no ”peacekeeping” sure was defeated because af- be earned by one’s own merits, troops. No peace for Bosnia, fluent suburbanites-the heart and not gained by robbing pro- means no war for the U.S.A. of the California electorate- ductive taxpayers. No one de- The UN mediators had worked came to realize that the voucher serves more of a “choice” or a out a peace agreement, which scheme was an updated com- ”chance” or “voucher” than the Croats, and the Bosnian pulsory school busing plan, that he has earned on the market by Serbs, finally signed. The Serbs would have wrecked the fairly productive effort. signed with great reluctance, workable suburban schools by Bock goes on with this re- for they would have had to give compelling them to accept inner- crimination that reeks of wel- up the greater chunk of the city youth who are often in- farism and egalitarianism at its Bosnian land that the Serbs had educable and criminals to boot. most blatant: won on the ground, and cede it Indeed, a major credit for de- ”It’s a sad but true aspect of to the Muslim central govem- feating the voucher Prop. 174 the nature of most human be- ment. But the Serbs were willing should go to OUT OW^ L~wRock- ings that if they don’t feel a to sacrifice to end the crippling well, who, in a widely read ar- sense of crisis about their own U.S./UN economic embargo, ticle in the LA. Times,clued the particular circumstances, it’s and to get the international force suburbanitesto the dangers of hard to develop the kind of em- off their backs. For a while it school vouchers. Note, for ex- pathy with those in worse cir- looked as if the 25,OOO American ample, this rueful retrospective cumstances that will impel peo- boys would indeed be shipped on the defeat by ardent voucher ple to act to relieve those to police the Bosnian hell-hole. supporter, Left-Libertarian Alan others.” But fortunately, the Muslim W. Bock, writing in the once Scratch a “libertarian” these authorities, after dancing around hard-core libertarian, now days, and you will find.. .a the issue, angnly turned down neocon, Orange Counfy Register: leftist. H the peace agreement at the last ”Even in Orange County, minute, griping that they would where voters might be ex- not sign unless and until the pected to be philosophically evil Serbs were forced to give friendly. . .[to vouchers]-but Bosnian Update: up all of the territory they had where the government schools No Peace, No won by force of arms. do seem to be several notches While good for the cause of above the quality of those Peace-Keeping U.S.non-intervention, however, schools in south-central Los the Bosnian Muslims acted like Angeles and the rest of the by M.N.R. the spoiled fools that they are. state-a majority voted against The quintessential craziness Why did we at RRR hail the giving parents in other parts of of the Bosnian situation is em- Bosnian Serbs when they failed 14 December 1993 LICENSED TO UNZ.ORG ELECTRONIC REPRODUCTION PROHIBITED