Letters: ‘Paleolibertarianism’ isn’t so paleo

Re “Rand Paul’s paleo pal,� Opinion, July 16

According to Jonah Goldberg, Jack Hunter — the aide to Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) who toasts John Wilkes Booth on his birthday — is just a throwback to the “paleolibertarian� movement, a pragmatic attempt to bolster support for libertarianism through kinship with white supremacists and neoconfederates.

As Goldberg frames it, Hunter represents an old mistake, an attempt to connect two movements that really have nothing in common.

In other words, now that the most racist examples of white resentment have become too embarrassing, conservatives want to pretend they were never a meaningful part of their movement.

In reality, modern conservatism has relied on white resentment for political power and success.The vigor of conservative voters and their anti-government posture has its roots in fear and resentment — fear that government is supporting equality for all social groups, and resentment over the diminishing social superiority of whites.

Mark Pyle

Lakeside, Calif.

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