Daniel Hannan: The Rise of a Free Market Star
After my post “Where is OUR Daniel Hannan?” I looked up Hannan on YouTube to see what else he’s been up to, besides his regular blog on the Telegraph web site.
I appears the public flogging he administered to Gordon Brown has turned him into a rising star among free market advocates. His comments spoke for many people’s concerns, have resonated widely, and are causing important people to stand up and take note.
Take a look at these clips from Hannan’s recent TV appearances on Fox News.
Here’s Daniel Hannan being interviewed by Neil Cavuto:
And Part II of the same interview:
And his appearance on the Glenn Beck show is even more entertaining:
A few notes:
- This gentleman is exceedingly well-spoken — strong, clear, and articulate, with a Galt-like certainty
- He is a natural leader, someone whose words can embolden those who hear them. I haven’t seen anything this galvanizing since the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
- Unlike many commentators, he does not appear to have an inflated sense of self-worth. He just is who he is. (Note how he took Cavuto’s question about being “the next Prime Minister.”) There’s no feeling that this person is acting.
- Many Americans, and free market advocates around the world, have been waiting for a strong voice like this to articulate their own views about the financial crisis
I can easily imagine Hannan becoming the voice of a new generation (Gen-X and Gen-Y’ers) of free market advocates. At 37 years old, he’s quite young to have such a commanding presence — which gives him plenty of time to make mistakes, grow, and find his footing as a leader.
Am I the only person who would just love to see him debate Barack Obama?
I, for one, will be watching Daniel Hannan very closely in the coming months.
Me too. I was astonished by the commanding presence he had when he dressed down Prime Minister Brown, and became energized at the possibility that there might be some venue sometime in the near future where the American equivalent of Daniel Hannan could stand before President Obama and deliver a similar message. If the British political establishment can produce someone with such courage, honesty and moral clarity, surely we Yanks can do the same.
What – no teleprompter? I didn’t – eh – hear – eh – a – eh – single – eh. Eh – amazing.
This young man is brilliant. I believe we have his counterpart here in the USA somewhere. God how I wish he or she would speak out like this young man has.
Could Thaddeus McCotter, http://mccotter.house.gov/HoR/MI11/Home/, be “our” Daniel Hannan? (His performances on Red Eye are not to be missed…)
Dan Hannan’s a superstar, but sadly isolated within his Conservative Party for his libertarian views. The ghost of Margaret Thatcher still haunts the UK and the Conservatives are trying very hard to pretend that people like Dan don’t exist.
The most shocking thing for me as a Brit is seeing Glenn Beck asking what it’s like living under Socialism. The sad reality is that people here don’t actually realise that they are. You’re considered a bit of a loon for even suggesting such a thing.
But we do – and yes it’s not the same as it was in the USSR, but we’ve got parts of Britain where 70% of the economy is public sector – where the amount of money that the state takes in tax is about 80% of the total amount earned in pre-tax wages by every wage earner. (£680bn government spending to £700bn earned in wages)
It’s just sort of sneaked up without anyone noticing, because the guys in charge kept saying, “we’re not socialists any more, we’ve moved on” and like fools we believed it.
Wish the Brits felt the same way about Dan’s speech as you guys in the US. The BBC won’t play it, it’s strictly blogs only over here.
Debate 0bama? He’d eviscerate him!
I was stunned at the way he sprinkled his informal interviews with quotes from classic works. I haven’t checked, but I’d bet he studied at Oxford.
There’s only one American I can think of who can do that: Newt Gingrich.
Were that there existed an American politician who could speak as eloquently as Mr. Hannan on the virtues of limited government. He or she may exist, but they are in hiding.
I disagree about Gingrich; he has come to have his own big government tendencies in recent years. I know of Mr. Gingrich; I met him when he was my Congressman in Georgia. Mr. Gingrich, you sir are no Daniel Hannan!
But perhaps this wave of media attention of this fine chap will give confidence, and just maybe a backbone, for some of our own to speak up against the madness.
Eve,
I second your nomination of Thaddeus McCotter! I’ve been watching him on C-SPAN for a while, and his logic, regarding the issues, is always so clear and compelling.
I don’t know why this is, but only the blow-hards seem run for president (or seem to advance, anyway; think of what happened to Fred and Rudy)…it always shocks me to see what choices we are offered. McCotter would clean-up. (I’m not from MI either)
“Jeffersonian”…”decentralized”…does anyone on this side of the pond even know who or what those terms mean? ED Hirsch would love this guy who knows our history better than we do. What I want to know is how this guy got through the door. Who gave him the mic? Thank goodness they did. Now it’s our turn, but for the fact I’m not sure there is anyone left within Washingtonian walls who have a clue or a spine. God bless the USA…for as long as she endures.
As someone on another blog said regarding Mr. Hannan, the British gentleman is still the baddest motherf***er on the planet.
I for one would love to see Mr Hannan debate Obama–he’d take him to the woodshed just as he did the British PM. Of course, this would never happen, because Obama is an little more than an unintelligent, unread slick-talking ghetto hustler.
How long would Mr. Hannan last after the poisonous media in USA got started.
Fabulous! That is the first time I have heard a politician without reservation explain the real problem behind so called government “jobs”. Nothing like having a constituency that is dependent on the politician…
Mr Hannan was good- but I think its fortunate for the Tory Party that it was his speech, rather than Mr. Farage’s that got picked up this time. they’re both good- and as Mr. Hannan said for himself they’ve both been making speeches as good for ages without being picked up.
I’m QUITE SURE HANNAN would be able to hold his own against our “journalists”. Hannan speaks from the heart — the “media” would need two weeks to put together one GOOD question, but would be dumbfounded after his response, and wouldn’t have a comeback until they held a meeting with themselves.
GO HANNAN!!!!! I would love to help you to become one of our “illegals”.
To the guy who asked, Daniel Hannan did go to Oxford. He got a double first in History.
The strange thing is, here in Britain, Hannan has united people across the political spectrum, left and right. The split he has revealed is between a very traditional media elite, mainly on the left, who thought the story wasn’t worth bothering with, and the mood in the country, where people are completely and totally exasperated at the lack of voice that we have.
Isn’t he one of those blue eyed devils who that idiot from South America just slandered viciously?
It’s about time the Brits had a great leader arise. They’ve been lucky that way in the past, when the chips were down, and it looks like that string could continue with Daniel Hannan. He’s absolutely amazing.
Hannon vs Obama. Olympian vs Special Olympian.
Before the election, I think he said that, were he American, he would have voted for Barack Obama.
In case you missed it here is the earlier one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDwQEEAZhWM
I am seriously impressed with Dan, but I doubt he will get the chance to lead for a while. His politics are so clear they scare the political elite.
He did say that he would have voted Obama, but not for economic reasons. He just though Obama was better for the US in a world context, and I do agree with him. The BBC have hardly said a single bad thing about the US since he was voted in – can’t get better than that!
From a political context, he would have voted for Ron Paul – the most sensible choice – if the MSM had not censored Ron like they did, who knows what might have happened.
If only a politician like this were picked for the Republican party. McCain and Palin were just too nervous and unsure of their plans. I’m definitely following this guy to see future appearances.