Inside the Beltway: The libertarian mind commands some notice

NEWS AND OPINION:

A big chunk of American voters now say they are “independents,” according to a recent Gallup poll — 43 percent, in fact, with Democratic and Republican leaners trailing along behind. Just in time for those independents, and people curious about third-party candidates, here comes “The Libertarian Mind: A Manifesto for Freedom,” to be introduced at the Cato Institute on Tuesday in the nation’s capital. The author is David Boaz, executive vice president of the organization, a public policy research outfit focused, they say, on individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace.

“Two long wars, chronic deficits, the financial crisis, the costly drug war, the campaigns of Ron Paul and Rand Paul, the growth of executive power under Presidents Bush and Obama, and the revelations about NSA abuses have pushed millions more Americans in a libertarian direction,” declares Simon & Schuster, the publisher.

Mr. Boaz, the previous author of “Libertarianism: A Primer,” has recalibrated and updated his ideas in accordance with “new information on the threat of government surveillance; the policies that led up to and stemmed from the 2008 financial crisis; corruption in Washington; and the unsustainable welfare state,” the publisher advises.

HILLARY RETURNS TO PUBLIC LIFE ON TUESDAY

Hubbub in the press will be inevitable. After a noticeable absence from the spotlight, Hillary Rodham Clinton returns on Tuesday to the public stage, offering a speech at the Watermark Conference for Women in Santa Clara, California. This is a nonpolitical venue — a potential “soft launch” for Mrs. Clinton, as the PR folks would say — offering attentive and friendly journalists ample opportunity to offer their praises and speculation about the keynote speaker and her White House potential. The one-day event is woman-centric, offering much on networking, “personal development,” branding and leadership. Unfriendly journalists will certainly cite the irony of a Washington Free Beacon analysis that revealed that, as a New York senator, Mrs. Clinton paid her female staffers 72 cents for every dollar she paid men.

Yeah, well.

She has a busy new schedule while fans wait to see if she’ll declare something — anything — about 2016. Mrs. Clinton will be feted at an EMILY’s List gala on March 3. A week later she’ll speak at a United Nations “Women’s Empowerment Principles” event in Manhattan on March 10, to be followed by a media awards ceremony on March 23 — specifically for the Toner Prize for Excellence in Political Reporting.

And that’s just March.

’OBAMA RESPONDE’

Meanwhile, President Obama has a spiffy broadcast showcase for executive amnesty immigration. Scheduled for Wednesday night, MSNBC and its Spanish-language sister network, Telemundo, will present “an exclusive town hall” with Mr. Obama and host Jose Diaz-Balart staged at Florida International University in Miami. The production is accompanied by much social media; anyone can submit questions via the hashtags #ObamaResponde and #ObamaTownHall.

The production could draw a sizable audience, incidentally. Telemundo is a division of NBCUniversal’s Hispanic Enterprises and Content, and is the second-largest provider of Spanish-language content worldwide, syndicating content to more than 100 countries in over 35 languages, the network says.

HOLA, SENOR RUBIO

Sen. Marco Rubio’s turn at bat in the Granite State has come up once again. The Florida Republican arrived in New Hampshire on Monday for a meeting with Scott Brown, to be followed Tuesday by an appearance at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics in the early morning hours for “Politics and Eggs.” It is not exactly a breezy “breakfast with Marco”; the event involves a serious academic audience and a major opportunity to set forth some policy fare.

Things are complicated though. Mr. Rubio has been heckled during his tour to promote his book “American Dreams,” and must decide if a White House bid should take precedence over a run for re-election in 2016. Meanwhile, local Democrats have struck their own aggressive posture — an indicator that they could be concerned about the sturdy stature of a certain visiting Republican.

“Marco Rubio is in New Hampshire to convince Granite Staters that he’s a fresh face for the GOP, but the reality is he’s just a new package for the same failed Republican ideas of the past 30 years. Rubio isn’t a principled leader pushing new ideas; he’s simply a self-interested, opportunistic politician. Perhaps that’s why one of his first meetings in New Hampshire is with Scott Brown,” says New Hampshire Democratic party chair Ray Buckley.

MONEY TALKS

Mainstream, glittering Hollywood strikes many a pose to downplay the cultural significance of “American Sniper,” which got little notice at the Oscars. None of that has gotten in the way of the film’s blockbuster appeal, much of it credited to heartland audiences who tend to cry, cheer and remain respectfully silent in theaters. There are numbers.

The movie has so far made $319.6 million in North America box offices and another $108.6 million on the global scale. That makes for a total of $428.1 million since it opened nationwide just six weeks ago.

And best picture “Birdman”? A good movie, an interesting movie, a well-crafted movie. But so far it’s only made $37.7 million in America and another $38.8 million overseas since its opening four months ago.

And, by the way, viewer turnout was tepid for the 87th annual Academy Awards on Sunday night despite the fact that host Neil Patrick Harris sang, joked and shed his clothes: This was the smallest audience in six years. Nielsen reports that 36.6 million viewers tuned in Sunday night, compared to 43.7 million in 2014 — a substantial 16 percent drop. The only recent rival to the dubious designation are the 2009 awards, when 36.3 million viewers tuned in.

“Maybe if everybody on the Oscars stage had stripped down to their underwear, the ratings might have gone up,” observed Entertainment Weekly analyst James Hibbard.

NEW NUMBERS ON ISRAEL

“Even as relations between the leaders of Israel and the United States reportedly deteriorate over disagreement about how to handle Iran’s nuclear program, Israel has retained its broadly favorable image in the U.S. over the past year,” reports Gallup analyst Lydia Saad. “Seventy percent of Americans now view that country favorably, and 62 percent say they sympathize more with the Israelis than the Palestinians in the Mideast conflict. By contrast, 17 percent currently view the Palestinian Authority favorably, and 16 percent sympathize more with the Palestinians.”

Republican support for the Jewish state has increased considerably, rising from 53 percent in 2000 to 83 percent now. “The percentage of Democrats sympathizing with Israel fell 10 points this year to 48 percent, possibly reflecting the tension between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,” notes Ms. Saad.

POLL DU JOUR

• 78 percent of Americans say parents should be required to have their children vaccinated against preventable diseases; 72 percent of Republicans, 75 percent of independents and 86 percent of Democrats agree.

• 61 percent overall say an unvaccinated child should not be allowed in day care; 64 percent of Republicans, 53 percent of independents and 71 percent of Democrats agree.

• 58 percent overall say an unvaccinated child should not be allowed in public school; 62 percent of Republicans, 51 percent of independents and 65 percent of Democrats agree.

• 51 percent overall say an unvaccinated child should not be allowed in private school; 52 percent of Republicans, 42 percent of independents and 56 percent of Democrats agree.

Source: A CNN/ORC poll of 1,027 U.S. adults conducted Feb. 12-15.

• Caterwaul and doggerel to jharper@washingtontimes.com.