Ask LJ: Why does the Tea Party support Walker?

[asterroc]

Apparently the Tea Party supports Governor Walker's union busting. I don't get this at all. I thought the Tea Party was a conservative libertarian group. Shouldn't they resent the government interfering with and attempting to regulate how workers interact with employers? Or is their fiscal conservatism trumping their libertarianism?

Comments

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

I would guess that their libertarianism is winning out here.

After all, an employer ought to be able to make whatever demands the employer wants. If people don't like those demands, they can find work elsewhere. (We'll just ignore that most of the unionized employees are working for the government, and not the libertarians' sacred private corporations.)

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I thought libertarianism only applied to the government, not to employers or employees. All citizens should be able to make whatever demands they want, whether they are employers or employees, so libertarians shouldn't necessarily side with either.

If anything, libertarians (if the Tea Party is libertarian) should support public sector unions, since they are the strongest force out there to fight the government.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

But the government allows unions, which forces corporations to have to listen to the demands of people who ought to just be grateful to have a job, therefore unions = bad.

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

I see what you're saying, but it is entirely illogical IMO.

[q10.livejournal.com]

i think you're confusing libertarianism with corporate toadyism. there is, admittedly, a disturbing amount of overlap, but they are not in fact one and the same.

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

I'm only repeating what I've heard from self-professed libertarians, and I have no interest in debating whether they are "real" libertarians or not :)

[zandperl.livejournal.com]

FWIW I believe q10 identifies as a libertarian, and I personally would consider him to be a liberal libertarian.

[q10.livejournal.com]

but here's the thing - even if you thinks that pro-union regulations impose undue burdens on corporations, you ought to be kinda annoyed about the hypocrisy of the government forcing that situation on corporations while exempting itself. if you don't like regulations, it seems like forcing the government to have to live with the inconvenience of its own regulations would be a good way to keep it reminded of the dangers of having too many of them.