Austrian economist Donald J. Boudreaux has sent twoletters to Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown challenging him on free trade. The Senator claimed to be willing to publicly debate the issue, but has declined to debate Boudreaux probably because public humiliation lowers the likelihood of reelection.
His letters led me to think: How much of the country do you think could be persuaded if an Austrian economist debated, say, Obama’s top economic advisor, one-on-one without commercial breaks?
Maybe, that would not acquire enough viewers, but what about you? Would you not jump at the change to debate President Barack Obama on national television? Imagine you could fully respond (no time limits).
If Briggs Armstrong said his criticism to the president in front of a national and international audience, not only had it posted on Mises Daily, I would enjoy seeing the President stammer, evade, and spin. I wonder what Lew Rockwell, Walter Block, or another libertarian heavyweight (a knowledgeable libertarian) would say to the President in a debate. I am confident it would be lively.
Eventually, any politician would seemingly run out of hackneyed arguments.
Would a public confrontation like this be a deathblow to government credibility?
First of all, it’s far too technical not only for the average elector but also for most politicians. Remember that most politicians are far more ignorant than they give away on TV or on the media. I have never heard of Senator Brown (apart from the two aforementioned links) but I am pretty sure the reason he turned off this debate was that he would be unmasked for knowing surprisingly little about what he wants to push on the nation. In short he would either look like a puppet or somebody not giving a damn about what he does (your choice).
Second issue, dialectics used by Austrians is far too “direct” to appeal to politicians (that’s one of the reasons I like them so much: no hiding behind words). Politicians are accustomed to either debating among themselves or having to deal with well determined classes of individuals: environmental activist, persistent lobbyist, concerned parent… they know exactly how to beg, cajole and threaten to deal with these classes. But Austrians are too much for them: too well informed, too hard to sway, too uncompromising and (generally) too well informed.
Think about this: it’s the same reason why your average UFO cultists won’t debate with even somebody with a formal scientific education. They risk coming out as complete losers.
If I could have one wish, it would be to debate Obama on national television.
My dream team of advisors:
Bob Murphy - for Austrianism
David D Friedman - for balance and honesty
Bryan Caplan - for alternative, practical perspective
Hoppe - to use the arguments in his new book (idk what its about, but who cares?!)
Liberty Student - for peer review
Grayson - for guidance and inspiration