by Thaddeus G. McCotter
Libertarian slogans collapse when ideology excuses monopoly power: letting Netflix swallow WBD isn’t free-market principle—it’s crony capitalism dressed up as freedom.
In 2014, when I wrote the book Liberty Risen: The Ultimate Triumph of Libertarian-Republicans, many reviewers couldn’t understand why I wrote it. I was not (and still am not) a libertarian. So, did I write to support specific Libertarian candidates and/or causes? Or to help further the relevance of libertarian ideology within the GOP?
The truth is that the book was an objective assessment of where the GOP was heading, given the confluence of wealthy donors and frustrated youth who mutually identified as Libertarian—at the time, Senator Rand Paul (R-Ky.) was even the hip choice for President. Often missed, however, was the fact that the book contained an implicit warning that the Libertarian ideology had yet to prove whether its rise would be beneficial or detrimental to the party and the country.
The current controversy surrounding Netflix’s purchase of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD)—and the Americans for Tax Reform’s (ATR) support for it—proves the jury is still out.
In my own Chronicles op-ed opposing the proposed merger, “President Trump’s Trust-Busting Moment,” I endeavored to state the Republican-Populist/MAGA position:
“The left has always gravitated to cultural institutions, such as the media and the arts. For leftists who regard politics as their secular religion, they have no compunction about using art for political aims. Netflix has a penchant for doing precisely that: Exhibit A is their multi-million-dollar, multi-year production deal with the Obamas.
“If the merger goes through with WBD, doubtless Netflix will continue—both subtly and not so subtly—to inundate their even more massive audience with leftist narratives and continue their woke proselytizing of the American people. But it will not end there.
“Not only will the left flood the marketplace with ideological narratives, but it will also ensure that differing, dissenting narratives are silenced. Indeed, much of it will be done through self-censorship, lest one run afoul of the Netflix entertainment Net-Trust.”
Libertarians were unmoved by these arguments and other arguments against this massive corporate accumulation of market share and the means to dominate American culture. Instead, as typified by ATR’s online commentary piece by Mike Palicz and press release by its president, Grover Norquist, the economic libertarian response offered was less than laissez-faire and more like blasé-faire—a cry of “freedom… or something” juxtaposed to a picture of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), who opposes the merger.
As an admitted admirer of Mr. Norquist, I believe his paean to free markets is characteristically well stated: “Antitrust law exists to protect the competitive marketplace, not as a cudgel for politically favored businesses to prevent their competitors from doing things, nor does it exist for self-promoting politicians to punish their political enemies.”
The problem is that his statement is inapplicable to the proposed merger, which will constrict the free market. (In full disclosure, I also disagree with Mr. Norquist and ATR’s opposition to President Trump’s tariff policies. This should come as no surprise, as I am a native Detroiter who still lives near the “Arsenal of Democracy.”)
Equally, in the commentary piece, Mr. Palicz advocates for using the “consumer welfare standard” in determining the merits of the merger. I concur. However, I disagree with his analysis. Sometimes size and its consequences do matter. If allowed, the Netflix-WBD merger will restrict consumer choice and entertainment options and raise prices for streaming. Maybe these problems will not arise immediately or all at once, but they will. Guaranteed.
But what of Sen. Warren’s support? Does her opposition mean that principled Republicans and Libertarians must support the merger? Are Sen. Warren’s public pontifications infallible progressive orthodoxy that renders Republican and Libertarian agreement right-wing heresy?
Hardly. Everyone from President Donald J. Trump to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to conservative stalwart Sen. Mike Lee has cautioned against the merger. Thus, all Sen. Warren’s opposition means is that a broken clock can be right once a day. (I do not concede the second instance absent further proof.)
Fundamentally, what such libertarian-based support for the Netflix-WBD merger misses is so patently obvious that it is evidently overlooked: political ideology is interfering with the capitalist profit motive not in the enforcement of antitrust law, but within the proposed Netflix-WBD merger.
As I stated in Chronicles piece opposing the merger:
“[I]f WBD chose Netflix because of cultural and political alignment instead of seeking a sale that would produce the best return for shareholders, it would constitute a potential ‘Revlon’ violation. This violation stems from a 1985 legal case involving Revlon Inc. that went to the Delaware Supreme Court, which held that a company’s board of directors must seek the best value for shareholders in the event of a hostile takeover. If Paramount or others offered a better deal and the WBD board accepted a lesser bid, shareholders could bring immediate breach-of-duty lawsuits.”
Therein is the rub, both for the Libertarian supporters of the merger and Libertarianism in general. Letting Netflix buy WBD isn’t “libertarian”; it’s lunacy.
When ideology blinds one to the real-world consequences of an issue, it is easy to lose one’s way. Ideology and its ill-conceived application to the real world are not a life hack; they are a slippery slope to rock bottom, where everything you hoped to protect rests in ruins.
Allowing this Netflix-WBD merger to go through will lay one more shovelful of dirt upon the grave of free markets and consumer choice, further the spread of crony capitalism and the advent of the servile state, and speed not the triumph but the defeat of libertarian-republicans and all we mutually cherish.
Come on, Libertarians. Oppose the Netflix-WBD merger. Defend free markets by, of, and for free people!
***
The Hon. Thaddeus G. McCotter (M.C., Ret.) served Michigan’s 11th Congressional District from 2003 to 2012. He served as Chair of the Republican House Policy Committee and as a member of the Financial Services, Joint Economic, Budget, Small Business, and International Relations Committees. A guitarist, not a lobbyist, he is a contributor to American Greatness and Chronicles; a frequent public speaker and moderator for public policy seminars; and a co-host of the “John Batchelor: Eye on the World” radio show and podcast, among sundry media appearances.
Thaddeus G. McCotter
Source: https://amgreatness.com/2026/01/24/letting-netflix-buy-warner-bros-discovery-isnt-libertarian-its-lunacy/
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