The incoherence of the so-called "conservative philosophers" of the Tug is well illustrated by the fact that the actual philosophers of the conservative movement abhor their emperor and love interest. A report on the recent Cato Institute gathering:
“We will always oppose when a policy is moving in a direction that contradicts these principles,” Goettler said. “When the President disappears people without due process, or enacts extra-legal tariffs that threaten business and prosperity around the world, or targets individual law firms for retribution and calls into great danger to the rule of law, we’ll stick to our principles, speak out, push back, and oppose it.”
The free-market fanboys and libertarian aficionados have spent almost a half century decrying the exact meddling that Trump is now engaging in. A hands-off-the-market approach has been sacrosanct for these wonks. Lost on no one was the fact that Koch was in town—a rare visit, really—to accept the 2025 Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty, named in honor of the economist who was pretty strident in his opposition to tariffs.
