Why is it unthinkable that this process could work the other way around? Why is Beck the co-opting force in this relationship and not the millions of committed libertarians he has now embraced as his support structure? Beck risks far more by deviating from professed libertarianism once he rebrands his network as a pro-libertarian group than he does as a conservative merely flirting with limited government. …

So, what is in this deal for libertarians? How about the full force of The Blaze network, with its broad readership and nationwide network of television studios? Or the force of personality of a man who drew an estimated 90,000 loosely affiliated or disaffected conservatives onto the National Mall in 2010 to protest big government? When Beck plans something like a $2 billion libertarian compound — which he is — is it not better to be on the inside of Beck’s organization to influence how that is made manifest rather than rail against it’s existence from the outside?

Beck, too, has much to gain and little to lose from this alliance. With his influence depreciated from the height of the tea party movement of President Barack Obama’s first term, Beck commands a much smaller audience than he did at Fox News. Rebranding as a libertarian injects new life into Beck’s career and creates new curiosity in the press about his appeal and his messaging.