A hardline libertarian message sells at least in the GOP

From Eric Dondero:

Libertarians cheered two months ago, when South Carolina Lt. Governor made some politically incorrect statements in a speech highly critical of welfare moochers.

And after garnering enormous criticisms from the liberal media and the leftwing blogosphere, Bauer stood his ground. From Fitnews.com:

"Government has bred a culture of dependency, and there’s absolutely no one in government with the courage to stand up and say, ‘We need to break that cycle of generational poverty and dependence. I do not care about being politically correct. I care about being honest. And we honestly have a problem of dependency which is getting worse instead of better."

Mark Sanford's libertarianism may have paved the way for Bauer's hardline stance

Perhaps having an explicit libertarian Republican governor like Mark Sanford has helped paved the way for a principled hardline libertarian message in the Palmetto State. It now appears, at least among Republicans, Bauer's staunchly individualist comments may not have hurt. One of the first polls to come out put him in second place among a field of five.

From Rasmussen one day ago:

State Attorney General Henry McMaster holds a slight lead among the field of Republican contenders in South Carolina’s gubernatorial race, but three candidates are within ten points of the lead and no one is close to the numbers needed to avoid a runoff.

The first Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 survey of likely GOP Primary voters in the state finds McMaster capturing 21% of the vote, closely followed by Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer with 17% support.

Fourteen percent (14%) of primary voters like Congressman Gresham Barrett. State Representative Nikki Haley earns 12% of the vote. Nine percent (9%) prefer some other candidate in the race.

Even some in the liberal media are acknowledging Bauer may not have been hurt.

Political Insider AJC, (quoting TNR) March 9:

In a sign of the times, Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer, who has few friends in the state’s Republican establishment, delivered a speech comparing recipients of subsidized school lunches to “stray animals” who should no longer be fed unconditionally.

While he took a few shots from fellow Republicans for his indiscreet language, nobody disputed, and some praised, his basic premise that any form of public assistance corrupts its recipients and should come with some sort of reciprocal obligation.