Wayne Allyn Root, Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate: DBKP Interview

Wayne Allyn Root addressing the crowd at the Republican Jewish
Coalition annual event at Palm Beach Florida

"You know what the difference is between Las Vegas and Washington D.C.?
In Vegas the drunks gamble with their own money!"

--Wayne Allyn Root, Libertarian candidate for President

We heard Wayne Allyn Root during his recent appearance on the The Glenn Beck Program and, like Glenn Beck, agreed with much of what WAR--as he's sometimes called--had to say.

We decided to invite Mr. Root on DBKP; both to introduce himself to readers and to expand a bit on where he stands on the War on Terror and other issues.

After an exchange of emails with Wayne, he sent back some well-reasoned, passionate answers.

We hope most of our readers will find the exchange interesting.


DBKP: Why are you running? Was it any one thing or event that made you decide, or a series of things?

Wayne Allyn Root: I decided to run for President of the United States because the same people keep running (and being elected) who have screwed everything up in the first place!

Every recent President or Presidential candidate falls into one of these same categories:

1 lifelong government bureaucrat or politician (people who have never started a business, funded a business, created jobs, paid health insurance for employees, paid millions in taxes, fought through government regulations, or added millions of dollars to the American economy); or,

2 lawyer (same lack of qualifications--but worse: they make their living by suing the people and companies that create jobs); or,

3 big businessman (out of touch millionaires or billionaires like George W. Bush, Mitt Romney, Ross Perot); or,

4 spoiled brats who have never experienced pain, failure or adversity like the rest of us.

I break that mold. I'm a small businessman (I built a company with 35 employees) and self-made son of a butcher.

The entire U.S. economy is fueled by small business. Small businesses now create the majority of jobs in the USA. Small business creates the jobs, pays the taxes, pays the health insurance, makes the U.S. economy go and grow.

Politicians are always far behind the curve. They fawn over big business, big unions, huge corporations, like GE, Microsoft, Exxon or Halliburton. They ignore a small businessman like me with 35 employees.

I can't afford lobbyists or huge campaign contributions. So we're left out of the national political dialogue.

But guess what? Put all of America's small businessmen together and we're far more important than GE or Microsoft or Exxon or Halliburton. America is a nation of small business owners (and the tens of millions of people that we employ).

Small business owners are the heroes of the American economy- we are the risk takers and daring innovators and business leaders. We risk our own money on our own ideas, putting everything we own on the line.

We are the CEO's and Generals of our own small worlds--we have no Board of Directors, Ivy League lawyers, layers of big shot executives, or highly-paid lobbyists and consultants to assist us. We make decisions all by ourselves on pure gut instinct- and either hit a homerun or strikeout.

We're the last of the rugged individualists. We are like the Wright Brothers or Lewis & Clark. Small businessmen are the courageous explorers who tamed the Wild West on sheer guts, instincts and chutzpah.

We are what America is all about.


I'm proud to be the FIRST small businessman running for President.

Who better to lead a country of small business owners, small investors, entrepreneurs, independent contractors (commissioned salespeople) and the people they employee? Who better than a small businessman to cut the size of government?

I've lived my whole adult life on my wits, gut instincts and a small budget. What a perfect business experience as a model to run the U.S. government. Far better to put a small businessman in charge who has always made do with less money…than some out-of-touch, spoiled-brat, big business CEO, used to spending billions of dollars and delegating authority to a staff of thousands.

If you agree that it's time for a big change- I'm your guy. I'm the guy George Washington and Thomas Jefferson and Ben Franklin were thinking of when they founded America and created the greatest document ever: the U.S. constitution.

I'm a part-time politician who also runs his own small business. I'm the quintessential Citizen Legislator.

And here's something even more different (some might say "refreshing") about me: I've failed.

Many times.

As a small businessman without a rich daddy or a safety net of any kind, I've been up and down a hundred times in my life. But I'm always fighting, always positive, and never give up. That's the kind of person I think we could use in the White House. A tenacious fighter who has experienced life's ups and downs and bruises--but keeps getting up off the ground.

And being cut from a different mold, i have different answers for our problems. I think my solutions would appeal to the typical American.

I want to get the government out of their lives and out of their business as much as possible. Cut government, cut the bureaucracy, cut the entitlements, and dramatically reduce the tax burden.

Get government out of the way and allow small business and small investors to lead the way- to grow, prosper, flourish and thrive. You will see the greatest economic explosion in world economic history.

DBKP: How do you answer those who say that a serious Libertarian candidate hurts the Republican Party?

Wayne Allyn Root : I didn't leave the Republican Party--the GOP left me.

The first problem with the GOP is that they talk a great game: smaller government, lower taxes, less spending, reduced bureaucracy. It sounds great. But it's only talk.

They only use that talk to get elected. It's just a sales job.

However, Republicans are at least slightly better than the Democrats when it comes to fiscal policy. At least Republicans want to cut taxes. But they don't cut enough; they only play at the edges. And worse, they have no interest in cutting government. They love earmarks, giveaways and spending as much as their Democrat brothers.

I call the 2 parties: big and bigger, dumb and dumber! Both parties want to make government bigger so they control more power, more money, more spoils to handout to their voters. It's outright bribery--and it's disgraceful.

The second reason for my switch is that I'm a fiscal conservative in the mode of Barry Goldwater, Ronald Reagan and Ron Paul. But when it comes to social issues, I'm a pure Libertarian. Unfortunately the GOP has morphed into Big Brother when it comes to social issues and personal freedoms. They have decided it's okay to use big government to force religion and morality on the American people. I couldn't disagree more strongly.

Third, while I believe the war on terror is real and I strongly support it, I believe Bush and the GOP have completely screwed it up. The Dept of Homeland Security is just a new bungling bureaucracy.

Making me take off my shoes and getting rid of my toothpaste won't prevent terrorism. Neither will hiring hundreds of thousands of new government employees- most of whom could never find a good job in the private sector.

So are the big shots in the Bush administration. They are so busy fighting the wrong war in Iraq, that as a recent study proved, we are completely unprepared, in case of national emergency or terrorist attack here at home. Very little of our weaknesses and vulnerabilities to terrorism have been dealt with: our port security is lax, cargo on airplanes goes virtually unchecked, and seven long years after 9/11 we have only 20 FBI agents out of 10,000 who speak Arabic. How could that be possible?

Worse, we've used the war on terror to justify taking away our own civil liberties in America. Winning the war against terrorism is not a victory if we give up freedom in our own country to achieve it.

And finally, the war on terror should be fought NOT by invading entire countries, but through the use of specially trained rapid-strike teams and special forces taking out terrorist leaders wherever they may be hiding.

Spending a trillion dollars on occupying Iraq was a costly mistake. It's been a disaster in terms of money wasted, lives lost and instability at home. The military forces of the United States are stretched to the brink. The National Guard has been plundered- it is now virtually useless to defend our homeland.

And we're wasting billions and making enemies around the globe with our incredibly stupid war on drugs.

To be blunt, it is none of our business what people choose to do in foreign countries. The more we spend to eradicate drugs, the higher the price of drugs go, and the more drug dealing billionaires we create. It's all a great big failure.

I've come to realize that Bush and this entire administration are incompetent “Keystone Cops.” I believe in the war on terror- but not the way it's being run right now.

Then there's religion. That's another reason I've left the GOP. I'm a spiritual person. I love God. I believe in the power of prayer. I've seen the studies that prove the healing power of prayer. I've seen the studies that prove religious people are happier and healthier.

So I pray every day. My kids start and end every day with prayer. I believe that America has been blessed by God.

But God and religion are personal issues chosen by each individual. I don't want politics to be used as a tool by politicians to stuff religion and their warped definition of "moral values" down the throats of all Americans. I would fight to the death to protect your right to be religious, to practice any religion of your choice…or to practice no religion at all.

I'm a great believer in personal freedom. Your choices are your choices- and none of the government's business.

I happen to not smoke, drink or do drugs of any kind--EVER. That's my choice of lifestyle.

On the other hand, I love to gamble. I'm a risk taker--whether it's betting on a business idea, a stock, a million dollar real estate investment, or the Dallas Cowboys. That's my chosen form of entertainment.

It's none of your business- and it's certainly none of the government's damn business. I would never try to force my choice of lifestyle or my definition of morality upon anyone else.

Today's GOP disagrees.

They are a big government party playing Big Brother. They spend their time like the busybody old lady peeking out the window to spy on her neighbors. Today's GOP wants to define morality, legislate it and throw people in jail who disagree.

I find this disgusting and offensive. It's just plain wrong.

It's anything but conservative. It's the Nanny State.

I want to lead the battle to stop it- forever. What Americans do in their homes, in their bedrooms, on their computers, watch on their TV sets is none of the government's damn business. The job of government is to protect us from others, NOT to protect us from ourselves. And the job of government is certainly not to criminalize moral behavior. That's why our ancestors left England and fought a revolution. We didn't want the King of England telling us what to do, what religion to worship, or to tax us heavily without representation.

But all of that is happening today. It's our own government taxing us to death, wiretapping our phone calls and emails without warrants, and putting Americans in jail for minor offenses, choices of morality and victimless crimes.

So the real answer to your question is that if I help defeat John McCain and the GOP, it will be better for America.

Will I be happy to elect Hillary or Obama?

Heck no. They are basically socialists. They will destroy our economy. But sometimes the absolute worst outcome leads to a positive solution soon thereafter. Perhaps that kind of defeat for the GOP will wake them up. Perhaps they'll go be forced to go back to their smaller government roots. Perhaps they'll return to the mantle of Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan. Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Or perhaps in 4 to 8 years, this mess will lead to a Libertarian President. Either way, I have no responsibility to aid the GOP in any way--I am not my brother's keeper.

Wayne and wife, Debra, at the White House--standing
under the portrait of WAR's hero: Ronald Reagan

DBKP: What specifically would you say to conservatives--who are naturally libertarian in outlook--who are worried that voting for a Libertarian means running away from the War on Terror?

Wayne Allyn Root: I am strong on national defense, strong on the war on terror. PERIOD.

I am a New York street fighter. I don't run from fights- I finish them. There is only one way to achieve peace- through strength.

But I will not violate the rights of my fellow Americans to win the war on terror. To paraphrase one of our Founding Fathers, "anyone who gives up liberty to achieve security, deserves neither." If we change our American way of life and willingly surrender freedom, we have lost the war. I won't let that happen.

DBKP: If you had to boil your core message down to a 30-second soundbite, what would you say?

Wayne Allyn Root: I stand for smaller government, less spending, less entitlement spending, lower taxes and more freedom and rights for the individual.

It's that simple.

I am fiscally conservative. I want you to keep more of your own money. Yet when it comes to social issues and your personal decisions, I want government out of your life. I want to close down Big Brother and end the Nanny State. What we do in the privacy of our own homes or bedrooms or offices is none of the government's damn business.



DBKP: What can you say that might persuade that potential voter think about voting for Libertarian Wayne A. Root?

Wayne Allyn Root: Barack Obama (my college classmate Columbia University Class of '83) talks nonstop about change. So do Hillary and McCain.

None of them are agents of change.

They are longtime politicians who live off the taxpayers. They are the problem- not the solution. Barack was just named as the single most liberal member of the entire U.S. Senate. That's based on facts- his voting record.

Is that the change we want? That's not change- that's the same old “soak the rich,” “redistribute the wealth,” “spend like a drunken sailor” “spend trillions on a failing war on poverty” philosophy of big government, out-of-touch, bleeding heart liberals like Ted Kennedy, George McGovern, Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis. Is this what America calls change?

While China and Russia turn unabashedly capitalistic, do we want to move towards Socialism?

McCain is another big government conservative. He's been in D.C. for 25 years. Hillary wants Universal Healthcare--so we can bankrupt America and throw Americans in jail for trying to choose the doctor of their choice.

Scary.

That's what happens in UK and Canada: if you're sick, you wait in line for weeks or months to see a doctor--who is forced upon you by the government. You don't like that doctor-too bad. He's an incompetent doctor--too bad. You're out of luck. You need a hip replaced right away? Too bad--you'll have to sit in a wheelchair for 18 months until it's your turn.

Anyone want that system?

Who wants to vote for “the same old, same old”? The D.C. insiders are the ones who have ruined things. Our country is in trouble.

It's time for a dramatic change; a non-violent revolution. Who better to lead that revolution than a S.O.B. (son of a butcher). I say “THROW THE BUMS OUT.” A perfect example is found in the final 3 contenders for the major party Presidential nominations: Clinton, Obama, and McCain are people that have been agents of big government their whole lives. Always collecting government checks. Always voting against tax cuts (even though it's our money in the first place). Always feeding off taxpayers. Always bribing the voters to stay in office- thereby increasing government spending and running up a huge deficit.

But here's the worst thing of all: all 3 are sitting U.S. Senators. They collect a 6-figure income from the taxpayers. Being a Senator is a full-time job, isn't it? But these 3 are spending every waking hour campaigning for President. How are they earning their $175,000 U.S. Senate salaries? They're not even present to vote on important bills. They are cheating the citizens of New York, Illinois and Arizona.

It's, in my opinion, fraud to run for higher office while collecting a check for another political office. The rules should be changed--if you want to run for President, you have to step down from your present office. Why should taxpayers pay the cost for absent politicians who ignore the job for which they are being paid?

If what I'm saying strikes a chord--it's time to vote for a complete outsider. A rebel with a pitchfork and musket. A citizen legislator. A small businessman, homeschool dad, S.O.B. (son of a butcher) and Las Vegas oddsmaker.

I am the perfect “OUT OF THE BOX” candidate.

Some people are scared of Vegas. Religious people think it has a negative connotation. You know what the difference is between Las Vegas and Washington D.C.? In Vegas the drunks gamble with their own money!

It's time to shake things up in Washington. Put the rebel and maverick small businessman from Las Vegas in charge. I could certainly do a better job than the fools, hypocrites and greedy thieves that have run this country for the past 50 years.

DBKP: Thanks for the great answers, Wayne.

If readers would like to learn more, read about WAR's interesting background or perhaps donate to Wayne Allyn Root's cause, you can visit the campaign's official website, "Root for America".



We'll be in contact with Wayne Allyn Root in the coming weeks and following his run toward the Libertarian Party's nomination.

We're also going to be offering a poll this weekend to see how many of WAR's positions our readers agree with.

by Mondoreb
Images: Root for America
Sources: email interview; Root for America
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