Robert Draper’s New York Times Magazine piece on the “libertarian moment” last week got accolades from libertarians, followed by pushback from columnists rebutting its central premise. One of those columnists was The Atlantic’s David Frum, back from the brink, who argued that far from a generational sea change against active government, polling actually showed younger voters more accepting of government intervention (a point made by all the columnists), and that the true impact of the libertarian movement was being felt entirely within the Republican Party, much to the party’s detriment.
Draper responded on Twitter Tuesday morning. Did he manage to remind readers that Frum invented the “Axis of Evil” concept? Yeah, he did. You would, too:
In re @davidfrum, who I always respect even in disagreement (I associate myself w/remarks by @jackhunter74 on same): 1/7
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) August 12, 2014
2/7 100% guaranteed that Frum–whose disdain of libertarianism spans decades–would say no, this is not their moment
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) August 12, 2014
3/7 I'm not an opiner like Frum–I float a proposition, then let both sides wrestle with it (w/skepticism injected)
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) August 12, 2014
4/7 (ironic that Frum–who complained of misinterpretation after writing "Axis of Evil"–would be a literalist towards me)
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) August 12, 2014
5/7 on data, Frum cites none; mine relies on Pew questions & methodology (& is credible for its mixed-bag results)
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) August 12, 2014
6/7 what it "felt like," David, was a good time to write about libertarianism; you've taken that bait a few times yourself
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) August 12, 2014
7/7 Frum told me it's likelier Cruz will be GOP nominee than Paul. Vegas, what say you?
— Robert Draper (@DraperRobert) August 12, 2014
No response from Frum yet.
[Image via screengrab]
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