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Andrew Napolitano (view source)
Revision as of 00:10, September 19, 2009
, 00:10, September 19, 2009→Political and Judicial Philosophy
Many of Napolitano's detractors have accused him of being a willing apologist for the Bush administration, especially since he has become an outspoken and relentless critic of the [[Obama Administration]]. But his record, and his interviews at ''Reason'' that he granted long before anyone even imagined that [[Barack Obama]] would in fact be elected President, clearly demonstrate otherwise. Napolitano's profile at the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network has certainly heightened significantly in the last year, with semi-regular appearances on programs hosted by [[Neil Cavuto]] and [[Glenn Beck]] (and even appearances as a replacement host for the latter). But in fact that heightening of his profile dates, not from the promulgation of Barack Obama's legislative agenda, nor his inauguration, nor even his election, but from the promulgation of the [[Troubled Asset Relief Program]] in October of 2008,a piece of legislation upon which Napolitano has poured the utmost contempt, a month ''before'' the election.
Many of Napolitano's detractors have accused him of being a willing apologist for the Bush administration, especially since he has become an outspoken and relentless critic of the [[Obama Administration]]. But his record, and his interviews at ''Reason'' that he granted long before anyone even imagined that [[Barack Obama]] would in fact be elected President, clearly demonstrate otherwise. Napolitano's profile at the Fox News Channel and the Fox Business Network has certainly heightened significantly in the last year, with semi-regular appearances on programs hosted by [[Neil Cavuto]] and [[Glenn Beck]] (and even appearances as a replacement host for the latter). But in fact that heightening of his profile dates, not from the promulgation of Barack Obama's legislative agenda, nor his inauguration, nor even his election, but from the promulgation of the [[Troubled Asset Relief Program]] in October of 2008,a piece of legislation upon which Napolitano has poured the utmost contempt, a month ''before'' the election.
=== Placement in political spectrum ===
Andrew Napolitano cannot, strictly speaking, be called a [[conservative]]. Rather, he is a [[libertarian]]. His primary concern is not with any particular public-policy ''result'' but rather with the maintenance of a ''process'' that emphasizes individual liberty above all else. He objects in principle to [[capital puunishment]] for any offense, no matter how heinous, on the theory that Natural Law does not authorize the State to take life, except in the immediate defense of its citizens when the aggressor is not subject to any gentler means of restraint. Furthermore, he stands against any form of [[prohibition]], whether of [[alcoholic drink]]s or of any sort of pharmaceutical agent, recreational or otherwise. Whether his objections are primarily principled or flow from his observation that laws that "control" any substance must inevitably compromise the procedural protections of the individual against the state in their enforcement (an insight he gained after eight years on the bench), he has never explicitly clarified.
That said, he is a consistent defender of the basic right of an individual to keep and bear arms, as stated in the [[Second Amendment]]. He is opposed to all forms of what is commonly called "regulation" today, whether of commerce or of personal activity. He interprets the Constitution's directive to [[United States Congress|Congress]] to "regulate interstate commerce" in what he asserts is the intended meaning: ''to make such commerce more regular'' by setting uniform standards to which all States must adhere.
== Publications ==
== Publications ==