Freedom Newspapers libertarian CEO endorses Obama

Scott Flanders, the CEO of the Freedom Newspapers chain, has dropped a bombshell. He's urging fellow libertarians to vote for Barack Obama.

This is a guy who said he has voted for the Libertarian presidential candidate once, Bill Clinton once and Republican every other time because he lives in "the real world."

He invited a columnist from the Orange County Register in California, a Freedom paper, to a "presidential debate" with the chain's "Libertarian advisor" Tibor Machan. I've never heard of a company that had such a thing but I guess Libertarians are just different.

Columnist Frank Mickadeit wrote that he figured there wasn't much to debate, unless it was which Libertarian candidate would be endorsed.

First, in 21 years, I'd never been invited to corporate headquarters, which is in an Irvine office park. Second, what's to debate? You know Machan, who writes for our editorial page, is for whichever libertarian does the best Ayn Rand impersonation. All I can figure is that Flanders must be backing another libertarian. Talk about a debate lacking relevance.

Not so, as he soon learned.

After a discussion of Libertarian values, etc. etc. blah, blah, blah there was this:

Editorial writer Steve Greenhut told Flanders he thought he was really making an argument for not voting. Not true, Flanders said, and then he did it. He said the words, "Barack Obama." As in, that's who any true freedom-lover should vote for.

At that moment, I thought the wailing ghost of R.C. Hoiles would burst through the ceiling and the floor beneath us would split into a ragged, cleaving maw we'd all tumble into – swallowed whole by the earth. Better no company at all than one whose CEO supports a Democrat for president.

But there was a hush as Flanders reasoned that Obama is the best candidate to work on four top libertarian reforms: 1) Iraq withdrawal, 2) restoring the separation of church and state; 3) easing off victimless crimes such as drug use; 4) curtailing the Patriot Act.

Obama will probably raise taxes, Flanders says, (although, then again, maybe he won't, ala J.F.K.) and in 2012, it will be time to put a Republican in the White House.

OK, so Flanders is already planning to abandon ship in 2012. And it does not mean the OC Register will endorse Obama because they don't do endorsements.

It is still amazing to see a corporate CEO abandoning the Republican candidate and proclaiming the Democrat to be the best chance to promote freedom.

The snowball does indeed seem to be growing as it rolls down the hill toward November.