August 4, 2016

Have you watched last night's Libertarian town hall?

I forgot to watch or record it, so I need to find it on line. I'd prefer to post CNN's video, but can only find this 90-second highlight reel (featuring William Weld saying that Donald Trump has "a screw loose"):



Here's the full version, posted by the Libertarian Party:



I'm not seeing a transcript on line. That makes it hard to blog, unfortunately. I hope to get around to watching this soon.

UPDATE: Here's a transcript. And I've watched the video... but slept through part of it. I'll try to do a new post excerpting something from the transcript.

34 comments:

Unknown said...

No didn't see it but this is pretty interesting to watch too.

CNN guest Liz Mair calls Donald Trump a 'loudmouthed dick' on live TV

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/cnn-guest-calls-donald-trump-loudmouthed-d-live-article-1.2738127

"Quite candidly, it's amazing to me that anybody is still having a discussion about having some sort of an intervention or bringing him back on message," she continued.

"This is his message. His message is being a loudmouthed dick, basically, and going out there and offending people and then engaging in a bunch of airing of grievances. That's what he does."

David said...

Why do these two guys always look so sad?

traditionalguy said...

Two Losers have a Last Hurrah.

Anderson Cooper seemed to care about the election more than they did. It's all a lark.

Laslo Spatula said...

Althouse prepping us for November's "Why I voted Third Party" post.

Her conscience won't let her vote for Hillary.

Her fears won't let her vote for Trump.

Her sense of responsibility won't let her abstain from voting.

This will be framed in the context of a 'conversation at Meadhouse'.

I could write it for her, if she wants.


I am Laslo.

rhhardin said...

Richard Epstein has a principled liberalism, that produces common-sense answers to questions.

The principle is that everybody has to be no worse off under this or that state action. Pareto optimum

From that come all sorts of libertarian conclusions, while avoiding the idiotic ones.

You want roads, borders, and so forth because you get a benefit that more than offsets what you lose.

Other actions may cost you something; in that case the state has to compensate you. That in turn leads to the state taking a lot fewer actions, once they have to go into the budget.

Lots of legal arguments come from this that would work much better at reading the Constitution than the supreme court manages.

It lines up with the constitution because the authors also used the principle.

SteveR said...

These guys are libertarians because they call themselves that but otherwise its not really that as much as not wanting to be too specific so you draw from all sides. Good year to run as 3rd party, but pretty weak sauce. zzzzzz......

David Begley said...

The Dem narrative, "Trump is a crazy dangerous racist."

Ignore the fact that Hillary has been bribed by foreign governments, failed at State, will continue a failed economic policy and is subject to blackmail.

Jake said...

"screw loose" /= a noun.

I Have Misplaced My Pants said...

Maybe he has a screw loose, but Johnson has totally fried his brain with all that pot.

Laslo Spatula said...

I've seen the bong
and the damage done
A little part of it in everyone
But every pothead
is like a settin' sun...

I confess: I just wanted to write "I've seen the bong and the damage done".

Not much else to it.

I am Laslo.

Eric the Fruit Bat said...

Having a screw loose might be one of those idioms that made some sort of sense way back in the old days.

I'm trying to think of a situation where a machine would have a screw loose, and still function sufficiently, though not optimally.

Okay, and now I've given up.

n.n said...

It's because he doesn't believe in Puff the Hallucinating Dragon, right?

A screw loose, perhaps... with a good relationship with his wife, quality children and healthy grandchildren, mutually respectful relationships with his ex-wives, good standing with tens of thousands of employees in America, Mexico, etc., and, perhaps most important, promises to place Americans first, which has evoked an acute phobic response from both sides of the room and aisle.

n.n said...

Oh, and Trump has called out the State-established Pro-Choice Church and its religious rites of human sacrifice and clinical cannibalism. This has caused distress to progressives liberals and liberals without "benefits" -- the far left/far right nexus.

rhhardin said...

One screw short of a happy meal.

M Jordan said...

I used to be a card-carrying libertarian. I campaigned for Ed Clark, 1980. Ed Freaking Clark. I read one Ayn Rand book -- the shortest one, Anthem because, have you seen the size of The Fountainhead? -- and, while it started out amusingly enough, it ended in a rant. Really terrible writing.

They lost me. They're utopia-ists. Utopia, I submit, is dystopia in the prenatal stage. To their credit, Gary Johnson and William Weld neither seem very utopiaistic. They also don't seem very libertarian. Johnson is a bit goofy looking and acting to me.

If Trump implodes I don't know where I'll turn. My heart is LBJ-sequel "heavy."

Charlie said...

They're both nice guys but they're just going through the motions. Where's Pat Paulson when you really need him?

eric said...

It's interesting to me how influenced we all are by the news cycle.

These guys don't know Trump. Yet they feel Ok pronouncing that Trump has a screw loose. Only because that's the talking points. Not because they have any actual clue about Trump.

They wouldn't call Hillary a bitch, even though there is more evidence for that. Because that's not PC or virtue signaling. But calling Trump crazy sends a signal. Hey, we are cool! We do drugs and call Republicans names!

Anonymous said...

"Donald Trump has a screw loose"....why yes he does! These guys are brilliant.

walter said...

Prepare for an Altparse of "dick".

I like the notion of some level of libertarian ideas getting some traction..even if by way of the pot "gateway". Draw them in as "The party party"..maybe they'll accidentally end up questioning big government. Hipster vape shop owners are learning this.

walter said...

(No libertarians, "It's high time" is taken)

TheGiantPeach said...

AHA... Gary Johnson used the G-word ("garner"). He's toast.

Amexpat said...

Watched most of the interview. Substance wise, they are far superior to Trump/HRC. Integrity wise, no contest. Policy wise, they are socially liberal and fiscally conservative which dovetails with my views. So, unless strategic voting becomes paramount,they have my support.

rehajm said...

...and going out there and offending people and then engaging in a bunch of airing of grievances

For some people every day is Festivus.

Static Ping said...

Actually, from what I hear these two are not "socially liberal." It is more like "socially authoritarian with liberal preferences." It is very difficult to comprehend a "libertarian" who thinks it is very important for government to punish people who mildly inconvenience other people due to their religious beliefs. What exactly is the United States if Johnson/Weld got everything they ever wanted? The federal government will be shrunk down so it only consists of the military, the treasury, and the "bake the damn cake" police?

Etienne said...

I've been thinking about the election of the next President, and I think maybe we are doing it all wrong.

Maybe we should have the candidates run a mile and a half, and the first person to cross the finish line is the winner.

Looking at fat Clinton, and fat Trump, I don't think they could even walk a mile and a half.

dustbunny said...

Weld especially seemed like an old school sensible republican. Johnson came off as honest. Unfortunately, not the year for sensible and honest

Capitol Report New Mexico said...

My sister-in-law called New Mexico recently from rural southwest Wisconsin. She expressed unhappiness with Clinton and Trump. Her primary vote went to Sanders as a protest. The Gary Johnson option entered the conversation. I proposed this solid Democrat consider Johnson because, policies aside, Johnson is honest and the other two are not. Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska) established the moral framework for this logic in an essay posted at medium.com. If she liked Johnson I suggested calling five people around the country and anyone liking Johnson should make five more calls, etc., etc. I suspect that millions of calls and emails are happening. A grassroots revolt.
Just now I got an email from New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich seeking financial support for Russ Feingold’s race in Wisconsin. It said, “Today we can make a huge difference for Russ Feingold’s campaign. He is one of our top progressive allies, and his race is one of the tightest in the country.”

Yancey Ward said...

Will Jill Stein get a town hall?

KellyM said...

This coming from Bill Weld, who, as Governor of Massachusetts, was certainly well known for taking a drink "under extreme social pressure".

Om said...

Here's a draft of the transcript, Ann.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1608/03/se.01.html

Michael Fitzgerald said...

Static Ping said... What exactly is the United States if Johnson/Weld got everything they ever wanted? The federal government will be shrunk down so it only consists of the military, the treasury, and the "bake the damn cake" police?

8/4/16, 11:00 AM

Is that so? Seems to me like these two are little different from Big Gov loving leftist progressives. What did Weld do in Massachusetts, and Johnson in Wisconsin? Did either of them pare the costs, size, and scope of government in any way?

gadfly said...

Now if we could convince sensible folks to go crazy like they did in 1992 for Ross Perot, we could possibly get the Republican base and what remains of the TEA Party coalition to impose the Buckley Rule.

18 April 1967, Miami (FL) News, “A Trip Into Idea Land With Bill Buckley” by Bill Barry, pg. 6A, col. 5:
He (William F. Buckley, Jr.—ed.) was asked who would be the wisest Republican choice.

He said: “The wisest choice would be the one who would win. No sense running Mona Lisa in a beauty contest. I’d be for the most right, viable candidate who could win. If you could convince me that Barry Goldwater could win, I’d vote for him.”

Richard Nixon, he said, would be the strongest GOP candidate.


The most viable candidate from the standpoint of the conservative Republican base is ex-Republican Gary Johnson, who has been demonstrating himself to be the only candidate for President in all 50 states not joining the lemmings in their rush to the sea to drown. The largest group of political thinkers are over 40% of the populace and they are Libertarian, small government, personal freedom folks. Demented Donald and Crooked Hillary will only accelerate America's rush to third-world status.

A vote for honesty is the only chance we have left to us.

rcocean said...

Voting for these 2 clowns will only help elect Hillary.

Bad Lieutenant said...

Gadfly doesn't care. He's fine with Hillary.