More Wasting of Time

Over to Crooked Timber the conversation about neoliberalism and Matthew Yglesias continues. Henry Farrell asked and continues to ask for Yglesias' "theory of politics" in response Yglesias harps on "policy" and makes sophomoric underpants gnome quips. This is the classic neoliberal dodge.  Pretend that you care deeply about policy and demand detailed arguments for and against and then ignore reality.

Take school choice, for example, the evidence is that the policy doesn't work. Yet Yglesias and the Wisconsin Republicans refuse to allow reality to get in the way of the expansion of this failed policy. Why? Because it's not about the ends; it's about the means: when the means meet the ideological test, they cannot fail they can only be failed.

Neoliberalism is a set of predetermined policies based on falsified believe in the efficacy of markets that seeks to dissolve disagreement with the disgraced and disproved "verities" of a failed and fairly ridiculous economic daydream.

UPDATE:
In the comments to the latest over to Crooked Timber, somebody claiming to be Yglesias writes:

Since a lot of people seem hung up on the word “workable” let me define it thusly: a “workable” policy agenda is one that, if implemented, would in fact achieve its ends.

School choice doesn't work and yet he insist on it; deregulation hasn't worked and yet he insist on it; destroying unions as a means of strengthening an industry hasn't worked and yet he think we need to get rid of teachers unions and so on. By his own words is he condemned.