Interview with Wayne Allyn Root

An interview with Libertarian front runner Wayne Allyn Root

Discuss Wayne Allyn Root in
the politics room.

Question One: Please provide a brief introduction of your campaign to our Libertarian readers.

My name is Wayne Allyn Root. My entire career has been spent in a variety of roles essential to success on the Presidential campaign trail- I am a successful entrepreneur, CEO, best- selling author, television producer and host, motivational speaker, and most importantly, a MEDIA MAGNET.

I believe the LP has a popular message- a message of freedom. I believe the number one goal of the Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate is to be a dynamic messenger- to get the party's message to the American People and to the American media. That means running a campaign like an entrepreneur builds a start-up business; being a prolific fundraiser to finance a high profile campaign; and being a dynamic, articulate, "world- class" speaker and debater who is an expert at the art of salesmanship and persuasion. That messenger must be someone who knows how to get himself in front of the media. The Libertarian Party also needs a candidate who can create persuasive infomercials that will saturate the TV dial with the Libertarian message. My entire career has been spent creating, producing, funding and starring in record-setting national TV infomercials. I am the right man for the LP Presidential nomination.

Perhaps most importantly, the LP needs "fresh blood"- exposure to new voters, new volunteers, new contributors. There are 10 MM to 20 MM online gamblers and poker players in the USA. I am a well known name among those millions of free thinkers- all of whom are outraged and feel violated by the new online gaming ban passed by Congress...and all of whom can be mobilized to support, contribute and vote Libertarian with WAR at the top of the LP ticket. I believe that I can raise $10 each from 1,000,000 or more of them- that's $10 MM from non-LP members. When was the last time that the LP had a candidate who brought that kind of built-in, outside-the- party, fundraising and support base?"

Question Two: Describe the economic policy you would pursue if elected president. Please indicate your views on the line item veto, taxation and deficit spending.

I am a true Libertarian- fiscally conservative and socially tolerant. I believe my views represent a majority of the American voting public. Sadly, this "silent majority" is no longer represented by either of the two major parties. Timing is not important in life, it is often EVERYTHING! I believe the Libertarian Party is the right party, at the right time, for a center right nation that supports smaller government and more freedom for the individual.

I support drastically smaller government, fiscal responsibility (a balanced budget), reduced spending, reduced entitlements (including an end to corporate welfare), elimination of earmarks, reduced bureaucracy, a line item veto for the President, drastically reduced taxes and a dramatically simplified tax system, elimination of the death tax, privatization of Social Security, tort reform, freedom of school choice for parents, expanded rights for property owners and taxpayers, and more freedom (and personal responsibility) for the individual.

Republicans and Democrats both support the same thing- bigger government, less freedom, more rules and laws, expanded bureaucracy, and more taxes to pay for it all. If all we do as Libertarians is get out of people's way...lower the tax burden...get government out of your life...and stay out of Americans' bedrooms- Libertarians have a winning message. We are the party of freedom. We are the party of the American Dream! Now we need a dynamic, charismatic, articulate and passionate messenger to sell that message. I am the man for the job.

Question Three: If elected, what would be the priorities of your social policy agenda?

Once again, the centerpiece of my social agenda would be freedom. Americans want freedom, individual rights and less government intrusion into their lives. They don't want Big Brother in their bedroom. They don't want "The Nanny state." Our prisons are filled with non-violent drug offenders- wasting billions of taxpayer dollars. We've just created a new Prohibition by banning online gaming and poker- something that tens of millions of law-abiding, taxpaying Americans choose as entertainment. We have politicians in Chicago enacting a ban on serving Foie Gras in restaurants. A New York politician has just announced legislation to determine weight limits for models- to prevent anorexia. Has our society gone mad? Should politicians be the judge of our personal lives? Should every personal decision that politicians don't approve of be criminalized? Do we want federal authorities listening to our phone calls without warrants, or prosecutors and federal agents using The Patriot Act to watch over us like Big Brother? Do Americans want a "Nanny State?" My goal is to get government out of our lives, out of our bedrooms, off of our computers, and out of our personal decisions. We must stop government from trying to legislate morality.

And then there's the worst government intrusion of all- Terri Schiavo. In the name of religion, government wants to invade our homes and make end-of-life decisions for us. When and where does it end? It's time to end the Nanny State. As my hero Ronald Reagan once said, The nine worst words in the English language are: "I'm from the government and I'm here to help." I believe if Ronald Reagan were alive today, he would call himself a Libertarian.

Question Four: As president, what would your general foreign policy look like? Specifically, how would you handle the present situation in Iraq?

First, let me speak generally. The word Libertarian is all about liberty. Liberty is not free or easy, or without responsibilities. Unfortunately sometimes we must fight and die to defend liberty and freedom. But America should have learned an important lesson from the Iraq war for the next time (and there will be a next time): fight a war, win a war, and then leave (just as we did in the first Gulf War). We cannot stay as occupiers. It has cost us thousands of lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to learn that lesson. We can't force people to adopt Democracy. At the best we can free them from oppressors, giving them the freedom to find their own way.

Now, with regard to the present situation in Iraq: It is a disaster. We may have won the war, but we've terribly mismanaged the peace. Now we're in the middle of a civil war- a place where no American soldier belongs. Our goal now must be to get American soldiers out of Iraq as soon as possible- while providing the current regime the training, equipment and supplies to defeat the terrorists and allow the Iraqi people to find their own way to live together in peace.

I hope we have not learned the wrong lesson from the Iraq war. While the war in Iraq may be a disaster, that does not mean all war is unjustified. The war on terror is real. We are facing a brutal enemy- radical Islam. It won't go away, no matter how hard we wish it would- anymore than Adolph Hitler would have gone away in 1941. The stated goal of Islamic extremists is to conquer us, force us to adopt their religion, and murder all those who disagree- including women and children. Only a party that is strong on defense and strong on the war on terror, while retaining the freedom and rights of Americans here at home, will be elected to the White House. I am the only Libertarian candidate with the combination that wins the White House- fiscally conservative, socially tolerant, strong on national defense.

Question Five: Please tell our readers what makes you uniquely qualified to be the President of the United States.

I'm a tenacious and passionate overachiever. I've beaten long odds at everything I've done my entire life. Today I am living proof that the American Dream is alive and well. This great country has allowed this blue-collar S.O.B. (Son of a Butcher) to turn his dreams into reality. I have beaten long odds to graduate from an Ivy League college (Columbia University Class of '83- alongside Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama), enjoy a successful television career, build a business empire, take my company public on Wall Street, write a best- selling book, sell a television series to Hollywood, and now run for the highest office in the land. Only in America does that happen. Is it impossible for a Libertarian named Wayne Allyn Root to beat the odds and win the Presidency? I wouldn't bet against it!

I am a man of big dreams and leadership. It's been said that the only difference between a dream and a reality is having a realistic plan. Will we win the White House in 2008? I don't think that's realistic. But remember that it took Ronald Reagan 4 tries to win the Presidency. It is a very realistic plan to lead a dynamic Libertarian movement that will lead to victory in 2016 or 2020. I promise you several things if I am your LP Presidential nominee: We will play to win; we will be credible; we will run an exciting, high-profile campaign; we will get our message out in the mainstream media; we will put a major scare into the big boys; we will introduce millions of new voters to our cause; the LP will grow dramatically over the next decade; and eventually we will beat the odds and taste victory together.

Wayne Allyn Root- finally a WAR you can vote for!

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