Robert's Stochastic thoughts

Sunday, March 28, 2010

Robert's List of Reasonable and Reasonably Honest Conservatives

I want to see Krugman's list

OK to avoid offending too many people, I will restrict my list to bloggers, pundits and politicians. I won't try to list reasonable and reasonably honest conservative economists -- I know too many. I count people who call themselves libertarians. I am not going to list personal friends (friends -- I like to keep them).

Hmmm this is difficult. OK economist pundits count.

Greg Mankiw
Tyler Cowen
Alex Tabbarock
Jim Henley
Orrin Kerr
Bruce Bartlett
Eugene Volokh (not reasonable re appropriate punishment of an Iranian murderer)
David Brooks (not always honest)
Reihan Salaam
Arnold Kling (not really reasonable but very honest)
Richard Lugar
Charles Hagel
Olympia Snowe (not really conservative or honest but I'm getting desperate)
Mark McClellan
Scott McClellan (not really et. but gets extra points for near honesty in a press secretary)
Richard Clarke (oh you don't think he's conservative -- read "Against all Enemies")

Uh oh. Many of these are economists after all. Also many are not going to be considered conservative for long. It is pretty much not allowed to be both reasonable and reasonably honest.

I'm sure I missed some. Suggestions in comments are welcome.

I fear that I will be crossing names off this list. I predict that some will cease to be reasonably honest and some will cease to be conservatives.

update: Andrew Samwick

update II: Oh how embarrassing. I left off Julian Sanchez even though I said libertarians count.

Also thanks to Alphonse in comments I add

Daniel Larison.

3 comments:

Alphonse said...: Daniel Larison
John Cole; 3:46 PM
Robert said...: Thanks Alphonse.

I consider Cole to be an ex-conservative. He is certainly honest and reasonable. He is also very smart and writes very well.

I will look into the case of Daniel Larison.; 4:23 AM
Robert said...: OK he's clearly reasonable and honest. Also very smart and writes very well.

I'm not sure he's still a conservative.

Also I'm not sure The American Conservative is still conservative. I hardly ever read it. I'm not saying it's done a "Public Interest" but it sure seems to have reached "Even the conservative American Conservative" stage. That is, the fact that someone writes in The New Republic doesn't mean that he or she is liberal and vice versa with "The American Conservative."

Still not sure is not much and I will update the post with thanks.; 4:49 AM