I was pleasantly surprised to hear that Connecticut attorney general candidate Martha Dean not only defended her support for nullification at a debate last night, but also read from my book on the subject, quoting nineteenth-century Connecticut governor Jonathan Trumbull in support of the idea. Her opponent, naturally, gave the appropriately outraged response, which is always a lot easier than arguing a position on its merits.
On Sunday I had a chance to speak on nullification at Orlando. I was impressed to see former New Mexico governor Gary Johnson, who also spoke, use the word nullify. This is an extremely unfashionable position among D.C. think thanks, so good for him. Last month Ron Paul spoke favorably of the return of nullification. I’m sure I’m not alone in taking mischievous delight in the sudden and completely unpredictable return of this idea into increasingly mainstream conversation — it is this refusal to be bound by the rules of debate, whereby we pick a position chosen for us in advance by various pro-government organs, that so annoys the gatekeepers of opinion.
I jokingly proposed that we try to force the word “nullify” into casual conversation — e.g., if you order a gin and tonic but suddenly decide you’d prefer a Jim Beam on the rocks, say, “I’m sorry, but I wish to nullify my initial order.”
3:02 pm on October 12, 2010
