For the last few years, I have had a running argument with some of my progressive friends. While they all think that Jon Stewart's The Daily Show offers a great critical analysis of contemporary politics, I have argued that his type of humor undermines American politics by turning everything into a joke and a source of mockery. My argument is not that we need to respect or idealize our political officials; rather, I believe that by constantly laughing at public figures, we feed a libertarian consensus.
It is important to emphasize that libertarianism cuts across political affiliations and is defined primarily by a rejection of the need for public institutions coupled with an idealization of the individual. From this perspective, the most obvious form of libertarianism is the Tea Party with its stress on cutting taxes, shrinking government, and individual free speech. However, this anti-tax, anti-government politics has been a central tenant of both Democratic and Republican presidents. Even Barack Obama is prone to calling for reducing government's interference and cutting taxes. In fact, one could argue that the failure of most of his major policies, like healthcare reform and financial reform, stems from his desire to keep government out of the way of the free market.
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