July 31, 2012
Don’t Americans constantly complain because politicians lie? Barack Obama lies so much, his nose should be longer than Pinnochio. He says “the private sector is doing fine.” He says to business owners, “You didn’t build that.” He tells the middle class that “none of the tax increases are aimed at you.” And he tells rich people who pay almost all of the taxes, “You’re not paying your fair share.” It’s all lies and distortions.
Yet Mitt Romney tells the truth and he gets panned by the national media? All he said a few days ago is that Israel is a remarkable country…the Israeli people are remarkable people…and then compared the GDP of the average Israeli (about $32,000) to the average Palestinian (about $2000). Now this may be politically incorrect, but it’s certainly the truth. Forget the Palestinians. Israel is remarkable compared to any country, and the Jewish people are remarkable compared to any other tribe. Is Mitt wrong? Let’s look at the facts.
First, a disclosure. I am a member of the Jewish tribe. My grandparents were Jewish immigrants from Russia and Germany. I’m bursting with pride at the remarkable success of my tribe. And with America in decline…and the U.S. economy in shambles…the Jewish people are a role model we should be studying and emulating.
Jews are the most successful group to ever step foot on U.S. soil. They make up outsized proportions of every important and respected group in this country- attorneys, doctors, accountants, architects, bankers, stockbrokers, CEO’s, small business owners, the media, and of course the movers and shakers in the glamorous entertainment world.
But, don’t take my word for it. Ask one of the most liberal and intellectual colleges in America- Columbia University, a bastion of socialism and Marxism. I attended Columbia with many of the most famous symbols of liberalism in America today- including my classmate President Obama. Yet it was at Columbia that I took the course, “Ethnicity in America.” Here I learned the most successful group in U.S. history is…drumroll please…the Jewishpeople.
But the biggest miracle of all is the success of the state of Israel. Mitt Romney is simply the first politician to ever state the truth out loud.
The rest of the article can be found here .
Wayne Allyn Root (W.A.R) is a former Presidential candidate, the 2008 Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee, and a Tea Party favorite.
If Teeth were right that “post-9/11 split the LP over the issues of war and empire”, then insiders like you and me wouldn’t have to speculate about whether or how this “split” ever manifested itself in POTUS/Chair/platform debates.
Speaking of “war and empire”:
BH @ 96,
Maybe I was unclear. What I meant was:
1) It is entirely possible for non-existent differences to “fuel” disputes, especially when some people on one or both sides of an argument falsely claim that those non-existent differences do in fact exist.
2) It is also possible for perceived differences, whether they are actual or not, to play as vote influencers in contests in which those differences aren’t overtly raised much.
My recollection is that most Reform Caucus activists were, in fact, anti-Iraq-war, but often painted as “liberventionists” by antiwar radicals.
My recollection is that that “liberventionist” painting was in some cases at least believable insofar as some Reform Caucus activists had more nuanced positions, e.g. “I don’t think foreign policy is the issue that will make the LP’s electoral money in this cycle,” “I oppose THIS war but that doesn’t necessarily extend to all possible future wars,” “I oppose THIS war but not necessarily for the same reasons as the radicals,” etc.
I never made any “war” an issue. What I tried to make an issue was Hancock promoting conspiracy theories e.g. Lincoln and JFK were assassinated by international (hint hint) banking interests. Don’t take my word for it; watch these excerpts from the Obama Deception DVDs that Hancock was handing out.
My material about Hancock’s Chair race is collected at http://libertarianmajority.net/hancock.
@94Holtz, so The 9/11 War was not an issue except when you made it an issue, when it was not an issue.
Got it, thanks for clearing that up for the readers.
No, I’m just assuming that if Teeth calls something “fuel” then he could point to some smoke or flame that it demonstrably fed.
BH @ 94,
You seem to be assuming that facts are what make fuel.
That is not necessarily the case. Demagoguery and irrationality were not absent on either side of the equation.
Teeth: Post-9/11 split the LP over the issues of war and empire. Antiwar/Pro-war fueled the Radical/Reform split
Teeth is fantasizing. Foreign policy was not a source of controversy for any of the 2006, 2008, 2010, and 2012 Platform committees or convention platform debates. It was never part of the Reform Caucus agenda, and has not been prominent in any recent Chair or presidential nomination campaign debates or literature.
Some Root critics have tried to attack him on foreign policy, but it hasn’t seemed to affect the course of his LP-internal races. I tried to publicize Hancock’s Truther views in the 2010 Chair race, but I don’t know if that is why Hancock did so poorly in St. Louis after winning the straw poll at the February Chair debate.
Stewart, this is the original point you made that I was responding to: “When he uses his status as a past nominee of our party he has a responsibility to the party to not misrepresent our political positions. He cannot be a “pundit” and also identify himself as having been our candidate.”
That specific statement is the only one I was replying to. And I maintain that simply because someone, who’s identified as a *past nominee* of the LP, says something that’s inconsistent with the party’s positions, it doesn’t mean that the person is misrepresenting the party. It’s not incumbent on past nominees to only publicly state views that are consistent with the LP platform.
Then again, I did talk about him being identified as the 2008 Libertarian nominee for VP & said that’s true, so I’m not sure how someone could think I was talking about Romney in that context.
Speed reading. Tired and wired. Read the first sentence; glanced at but did not fully process the rest. Responditis kicked in. Then the meaning of the second sentence finally processed in my brain at that point. Didn’t feel like going back and editing the comment.
Believing your own fairy tale doesn’t make it so,
You should heed your own advice.
89 teeth: Antiwar/Pro-war fueled the Radical/Reform split, even when these factions fought over lesser issues.
me: In your perception, perhaps. In reality, the Reform Caucus was designed to Big Tentify the LP. In reality, the Reform Caucus was founded by non-interventionists, although perhaps not strict non-interventionists.
Believing your own fairy tale doesn’t make it so, though.
@ 88: Much of the animosity among libertarians – who agree often enough that we really should get along – comes from over sensitivity to minor points,
Not always minor.
Post-9/11 split the LP over the issues of war and empire. BIG issues. BIG differences.
Antiwar/Pro-war fueled the Radical/Reform split, even when these factions fought over lesser issues.
It’s not just about sandcastles and toys. Many who call themselves “libertarian” disagree over serious, grown-up issues.
@87 There are quite a few disagreements among Libertarians as to what a exactly a “libertarian” is or what the “correct” Libertarian position should be on any given issue.
Realisically, since we are all individuals, we should expect there will never be a gallery of faithful nodding in unison to some fully-developed, universal pronouncement of the eternal laws of liberty.
Much of the animosity among libertarians – who agree often enough that we really should get along – comes from over sensitivity to minor points, and jealousy over the success, prestige and position of others: Petty bickering among siblings in a sandbox.
There are others in the LP who I find much further from my own views of the universal truth of Liberty than Wayne Root who somehow escape the public scrutiny and scorn presently reserved for Root – no doubt due to having fewer toys and no sandcastle to instill petty jealousy. Yet these members too deserve respect and fit into a Libertarian movement toward a freer society.
So, potential Libertarians such as Clint Eastwood are stuck. Should they work in the less-than-perfect world of grown up politics or play in the sand with children?
When our members grow up and stop attacking other members over minor matters; When our leaders learn to manage scarce resources without overpaying for “experts” who are merely opportunists looting our party by deceiving the foolish who are too busy fighting among themselves to do the actual work needed to move positively toward building a stronger LP; When sound strategic planning is finally adopted in place of the continued failed ritualistic party and campaign methods … Then, and only then, will the Libertarian Party be able to move forward and present our ideas in a clear a broadly acceptable way to a public that is ready and waiting desperately for us to grow up and lead the way.
JT @76,
He spends a lot of time “defining” what a Libertarian is on the radio. He talks about what Libertarians believe. His message is sometimes correct when he speaks in general terms, but after positioning himself as the “expert”, he will move on to make statements that are questionably Libertarian or even provably non-Libertarian.
He establishes himself as a representative — or at least he does in my opinion — since he usually either says he’s the chair of the LNCC, our former VP candidate, or sometimes both. I rarely hear him mention being on the national committee, but then I don’t listen to all of his interviews.
He is a representative of the party. He was elected to the LNC.
Sorry if this post is a bit rambling…long day driving to Columbia and back for our state executive committee meeting.
Then again, I did talk about him being identified as the 2008 Libertarian nominee for VP & said that’s true, so I’m not sure how someone could think I was talking about Romney in that context.
Paulie: “I’m so used to see Wayne’s initials as WAR that when I saw WR I thought you meant Willard until I re-read it a second time.”
Haha, understandable. I knew that “Mitt” wasn’t Romney’s real first name, but I didn’t even know that it’s actually Willard. I’ll be more specific next time.
Stuart @78
That would be a great stump speech for Willard, but there are some problems with Willard giving that speech ……… Carla Howell, the nation’s foremost Willardologist, explains those here:
http://www.lp.org/blogs/carla-howell/lp-monday-message-mitt-romney-big-government
Well worth familiarizing yourselves with, along with
http://www.lp.org/blogs/staff/don%E2%80%99t-waste-your-vote-vote-democratic (sarcastic yet poignant)
To counter liberpublican arguments for voting for Willard “because this election is the most important ever” (just like all the others before and after it) that we will all hear ad nauseum and then some between now and November.
Sorry, I wasn’t trying to be snide there.
Just speed reading while tired and wired.
I’m so used to see Wayne’s initials as WAR that when I saw WR I thought you meant Willard until I re-read it a second time.
Oh.
Did you mean a different WR?
Does WR say that his view is the view of the LP?
Willard Romney would probably tell you that a vote for the LP is a wasted vote and all LP votes are being stolen from him since he is their rightful owner.
I haven’t asked him though.
Hey #66? Three different articles on the AP wires about Goode, but I don’t know how to post them on here?
Not sure why you direct that to me. I signed up 30 or so other people to post articles here for a reason, and I can’t get back into posting articles as a volunteer here myself until I am less busy with paying work.
Given my addictive nature if I post a few I have to post a lot so I am not posting any right now, just asking other people to do so. I can sign you up if needed.
Post your articles in the open thread (someone needs to make a new one for August, in the meantime use July) — if you can’t post full text, post URLs.
If you don’t copy and paste at all I am not sure what else to suggest, although hopefully that is not what you meant.
@75 Tanner @ Cato fills in the missing details for Root and Romney.
Now perhaps this biased attack on Root can end … until he writes or says something else.
The worst thing about the Root bias is that it’s a waste of time.
But wait, there’s more:
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/what-mitt-romney-should-tell-harry-reid/
I should add, however, that it’s an association that I dislike.
Flood: “There is a significant difference between having a different stand on an issue than that of one’s claimed party and misrepresentation of what the party’s position is.”
You’re right, Stewart. Does WR say that his view is the view of the LP? Or is he just identified as the 2008 Libertarian nominee for VP (which is true) & then he gives his view? If it’s the latter, that’s not him misrepresenting what the party’s position is.
Scallon: “Maybe Root can tell us all the non-libertarian things the Israelis do to keep the Palestinians poorer than they are.”
Or perhaps this:
http://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/yes-culture-does-matter
Hey #66? Three different articles on the AP wires about Goode, but I don’t know how to post them on here? Pretty interesting…. One article headlines “Obama keeps Eye on Goode.” The other article says “Virginia Petition Law Out,” in regard to petition gatherers being out-of-state, and a third article headlines “Goode: Ruling will not affect candidacy.” All three of these ran in the Martinsville Bulletin (VA) on August 1st…. Thought you would want to know…. RDH
Steve Chapman has an excellent column on this topic @ Reason.com
http://reason.com//archives/2012/08/02/for-palestinians-dont-blame-culture
It is not culture, it is government that is the problem.
Root is an embarrassment to the Libertarian Party and even the libertarian movement in general.
Yes, and because Root is tolerated and even embraced by so many in the LP, the LP has become an embarrassment to the libertarian movement.
This is why I wrote @59:
I think it’s about time that the LP changed the name of the party to something else.
I guess most LP members haven’t noticed that Root’s rants don’t seem to make it into most libertarian media venues. That is because most libertarians apparently believe Root has nothing to say that is worth hearing or reading. In addition, Root rarely has anything original to say. It is all mostly recaps of right-wing talking points that have already made the rounds.
How does Root fit into the LP strategy? Are the brilliant political scientists that orchestrate the LP’s grand plans thinking that large numbers of Romney-Libertarians will flock to the LP with all their cash after November to build up the LP for 2016?
JT,
There is a significant difference between having a different stand on an issue than that of one’s claimed party and misrepresentation of what the party’s position is.
@69… or Mitt Romney.
@68 New
“He is no more a libertarian than Bill Clinton.”
Or Sarah Palin.
Root is an embarrasment to the Libertarian Party and even the libertarian movement in general. He is no more a libertarian than Bill Clinton.
Maybe Root can tell us all the non-libertarian things the Israelis do to keep the Palestinians poorer than they are.
For someone who is a an LP he sure speaks a lot about Mitt Romney.
People who have shame don’t become politicians and lobbyists.
“Paulie // Aug 3, 2012 at 8:37 am
They don’t have to rely on the welfare checks. They just take them because they can.”
If that’s the case, then their politicians and lobbyists certainly have no shame (which they ought to).
I am not an LP member but I have to say Root is even less of one than I am. I would say he should go join the GOP–but even they would tire of his shameless self-promotion. My advice: he should form his own party. Maybe the salamander swing party? Or he could always move to Michigan and become a Nature Law’er.
61: “If Isreal is so wonderful, then why do they have to rely on big fat welfare checks from the American tax payers?”
Does anyone know why Root thinks it’s okay that we give Israel money, when he himself points out how economically healthy they are?
They don’t have to rely on the welfare checks. They just take them because they can.
If Isreal is so wonderful, then why do they have to rely on big fat welfare checks from the American tax payers?
Stewart: “As Dr Phillies implied, what Mr Root writes will be of little or possibly no concern to libertarians once he is no longer a member of the Libertarian National Committee and the Libertarian National Congressional Committee.
Until then, anything he writes is, and should be, subject to critique by members and supporters of the libertarian movement.”
I agree with this pretty much. Although it’s important to note that there’s a significant difference between the party & the movement. The “movement” as such doesn’t have a unified set of political positions that anyone can refer to.
Stewart: “When he uses his status as a past nominee of our party he has a responsibility to the party to not misrepresent our political positions. He cannot be a “pundit” and also identify himself as having been our candidate.”
I don’t think I agree with this one. Being the nominee of a party doesn’t come with the obligation never to espouse beliefs that don’t reflect the party’s platform or the views of most members after the election. Nor does it come with an obligation never to mention that you were the VP nominee of the party at a particular time if you do so.
I’d like it if he didn’t though.
Libertarians should NOT be attacking individuals over their religion or heritage nor over their pride in either – not even Wayne Root, no matter how much you may have chosen to be automatically biased against him.
Unless you are Wayne Root. Then you disparage Palestinians. But then, among certain tribes, Palestinians are thought to be subhumans that subscribe to a gutter religion. No wonder they don’t earn as much as God’s chosen people who have chosen to use their military to enforce an economic blockade against those Palestinians.
Why doesn’t Wayne Root just rejoin the GOP and why don’t real Libertarians just vote the clown out.
Good questions. It seems as if Root is compelled to remake the LP in the image of the GOP. There may no longer be enough real libertarians in the LP to vote the clown out.
I think it’s about time that the LP changed the name of the party to something else. Rational Opportunist Party? True Conservative Party? The Tax Cut Collective Party? The Moderate Pragmatist Party?
Sad.
Maybe all the Palestinians should become sports handicappers! Crisis: solved.
Joe @51,
You really shouldn’t do that. I read your comment and I actually…yawn!
No, Steve, that email address doesn’t work. If you send it to one of the writers, we’ll send it to the other writers if we don’t have time. Here’s my email address: [email protected]. I’d like to have that posted by my name in the “about” section, but that hasn’t happened yet.
@ 43 – Jim Gray has been very busy, I’ll submit an article to IRP when he comes through my state. Does the contact.ipr email still work?
@24 – which is why I withdrew my support for Johnson. Like McCain before him, running for the Presidency seems to have driven him into bat-freakin-crazydom. NONE OF THE ABOVE – 2012
Why doesn’t Wayne Root just rejoin the GOP and why don’t real Libertarians just vote the clown out. Seriously, the LP is such a dying mess it’s retarded. 2016 is their last real chance and defining this party or they’ll just be a GOP party like the CP with just more hard right beliefs.
42 ap: Taking pride in the achievements of one’s ethnic group is a very good thing.
me: Whatever gets you through the night is all right, BUT, this point doesn’t work for me. Identifying with an one’s ethnic group is a separating notion, setting up an us vs. them sense. The use of the word “tribe” is no mistake.
It’s also pretty unavoidable, although myself I keep it to a bare minimum, esp. a tribe that one is born into. For ex., I’d say I’m “proud” to be an American, but for me that means that I value the fact that the American tradition and thought system is one of free thinking, anything goes, liberty. Yet, I’m also mindful that being “American” can also mean severe judgmentalism and highly aggressive arrogance. It’s a mixed bag to be American…Thoreau, great inventors, OTOH, Harry “Nuke em til they glow” Truman and Custer on the other.
I’m proud to have something in common with Thoreau; Truman, not so much….
Yawn.
“then compared the GDP of the average Israeli”
Can the average individual anywhere outside of Israel have their own Gross Domestic Product?
Remarkable tribe indeed, even beyond grammar itself, let alone economic nomenclature.
This may be a generalization, but why are L/libertarians so supportive of Israel?
What one feels pride in is surely a matter of individual choice and freedom of conscience …
You’re absolutely right, and I never implied otherwise, nor did I ever deny that people are free to take pride in whatever they want, regardless of how silly it may be. I merely stated my own personal opinion about the irrationality of certain types of pride. Surely, libertarians, like everyone else, are free to express their personal opinions, aren’t they?
… we should demonstrate our belief in liberty by showing tolerance to those whose personal decisions fall outside our own range of preferences.
I agree, but “tolerance” is not a synonym for “encouragement” or “approval”, or anything of the sort. Tolerating something simply means that you allow it to happen, without trying to forcibly stop it. I never implied that anyone should be forcibly stopped from taking pride in whatever they choose. Tolerance and criticism are not mutually exclusive.
By the way, I find it extremely ironic that someone who chooses “Be Rational” as their screen name would would be so eager to defend an attitude that is so blatantly irrational.
@46
What one feels pride in is surely a matter of individual choice and freedom of conscience- which Libertarians support – and being a matter of personal choice, these things should be beyond what Libertarians can properly criticize.
We should respect the individuality and choices of individuals chosen in a free and non-coercive manner, even though we may have different personal values. In fact, we should honor and celebrate the differences as positive manifestations of liberty, and at the very least, we should demonstrate our belief in liberty by showing tolerance to those whose personal decisions fall outside our own range of preferences.
ATBAFT@33 is right. Taking pride in things that you had absolutely no involvement in is based on a silly collectivist mindset. Should one also be ashamed of the bad things that members of your cultural or ethnic background have done? For example, should everyone of German ancestry feel shame because they are somehow connected to Hitler? If not, what’s the difference?
An at-large member of the LNC, who constantly touts himself as mister Libertarian on FOX NOISE endorsing a comment by the R nominee for pres on foreign soil which has angered those who were unlibertarianly removed by force from their land through the violent invasion of the United Nations is newsworthy enough for IPR.
It even made the Jim Duensing Show 🙂 The first half hour is about the LP supporting Chinese made uniforms for America’s olympians. The second half hour is about WARs pro-Romney pro-Israeli pro-war comments.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/freedomizerradio/2012/08/01/jim-duensing-cthepower
In Liberty, with Eternal Vigilance,
Jim
@39 & 41
Some of what Root writes in the course of his career will not be about the LP or its candidates. He has an audience beyond the LP that he needs to serve just as a math teacher, even if a former LP candidate, would have to actually teach math at some point and not include a political lecture in every class. Certainly on those non-LP occasions, that math teacher’s instruction in addition and subtraction would not need be covered on IPR.
This obsession with Root should really cease.
There are thousands of LP members and I have no doubt that many of them, as I have, produce thousands of pages of material, much of it published, in the course of their academic and professional careers.
Some of these individuals may benefit from having publicity for their material on IPR, some could be hurt by it as well I suppose, but if the material is not about some third party or independent candidate, issue or campaign, should it be automatically picked up and included on IPR?
Forget any politcal content: How about poetry, short stories, childrens’ stories, books related to professional activities in sports, engineering, finance, education? … Let’s publish all of these on IPR.
When the 2002 LP candidate for Congress in the 3rd CD of whatever state opens a doughnut shop let’s cover that too.
This article by Root was mostly personal, and marginally political at all, and only about Obama and Romney … So, does IPR serve as publicity outlet for the Ds and Rs?
How many stories has IPR run lately about Jim Gray, the 2012 and current LP candidate for VP? Has he been doing nothing, apearing nowhere, writing nothing?
… and if so, if Jim Gray has been doing nothing at all, then that story would be much more relevant and important than Root’s ancestry and Pinocchio’s nose.
ATBAFT @ 33: “Basking in the glow of racial or tribal or cultural achievements is ridiculous”
No, it’s not. WAR aside, what Jewish people have achieved worldwide IS admirable. Taking pride in the achievements of one’s ethnic group is a very good thing. For one thing, it sets a standard for achievement and conduct that other members of the group can strive to live up to.
Violating Palestinians’ rights to life, liberty and property is NOT admirable, but then, as the refuseniks and groups like J-Street show, the Jewish people =/= the State of Israel.
Fiduciary responsibility. That’s all this discussion hinges on.
As Dr Phillies implied, what Mr Root writes will be of little or possibly no concern to libertarians once he is no longer a member of the Libertarian National Committee and the Libertarian National Congressional Committee.
Until then, anything he writes is, and should be, subject to critique by members and supporters of the libertarian movement.
When he uses his status as a past nominee of our party he has a responsibility to the party to not misrepresent our political positions. He cannot be a “pundit” and also identify himself as having been our candidate. It is unethical — especially when he praises a republican!!!
BR @ 18: “This wasn’t worth an IPR piece. It really isn’t about third parties or independent candidates in any way. It is just part of an Anti-Root juggernaut that should be beneath IPR and is certainly outside IPR’s stated purpose.”
So, giving an LP member publicity for an article they wrote is a BAD thing? Since when?
It would be most beneficial to the LP and Gary Johnson if WAR would mention either half as much as he mentions Romney in his online columns.
A good counter to Mitt and WAR. http://whynationsfail.com/blog/2012/8/1/mitt-jared-and-david.html
I know this would never happen, but can you imagine if Wayne wrote an article praising the Dem Party platform for including Gay Marriage? Now I don’t know if it wouldn’t happen because it isn’t in the LNC/LP interest to say something beneficial to the DNC, or because social issues regarding our principles “need” to be squashed in order to pander to our “kissing cousins” who think gays should burn in hell…but regardless…it would be fun to sit and watch what happened at FOX.
Hi BR @18 – I think Wayne has to choose between being a pundit and being an official of a political party. All columnists have to make that choice. Everyone knows what party George Will and George Stephanopolous are part of, and that’s fine – but they are not officials of those parties. If they were, they probably would have to give up their current gigs.
BR @ 31,
“There are times when Wayne Root’s articles deserve to be attacked.
“Not this time.”
And I didn’t attack Root, or this article. I just asked YOU a question about a view YOU had stated.
Wayne Root was the 1988 LP VP nominee, but that doesn’t mean that he should be stalked, tracked, worshipped or attacked every time he writes a phrase or utters a word.
Certainly nobody here is “stalking” Wayne, and only a couple people here worship him. But Wayne DOES deserve to be reprimanded when he misrepresents the Libertarian Party, which he does in this article.
When I write an article that uses one of my LP titles, it is to give readers the idea that this is something the LP supports. The LP does not support Rmoney, nor does the LP support apartheid.
PEACE
#28, no, because of the connotations. But no one would have objected had he said Irish or Italian or
Spanish. Thing is, one’s pride in one’s ancestors is misbegotten – you are who you are, not who they were. You deserve to be treated as you deserve to be treated, not as one’s father or grandfather deserved to be treated. Basking in the glow of racial or tribal or cultural achievements is ridiculous (see
Eliz. Warren whose supposed 1/32 Indian-ness should draw a big yawn, not be some prideful hosanna to cultural diversity.)
“due” – I spend a lot of time on sites where posters can all edit. Annoying system at IPR.
German, French, Italian, Greek, Polish, … we have many groups that express pride in their heritage, they have special festivals, events, costumes … You mean you’ve never seen these?
Jewish … Gay … Hispanic … All kinds of groups.
As to “white”… What kind of nationality or heritage is that? It’s a color, not of skin, though perhaps you mean albinos. “Aryan?” … you’re kidding right? These are not the same.
We have “Black” heritage, “Black” pride etc. and these can be understood and accepted perhaps becaus of the loss of connection with the nations and peoples of the ancestors of the individuals … do to historical oppression.
And so it would seem for the people referred to as “Jewish” by heritage and not by religion.
Perhaps someday, due to some future opression, there will be a need for a “‘White” heritage day or a “White” pride movement.
There are times when Wayne Root’s articles deserve to be attacked.
Not this time.
#19- Again Be Rational, the “media” didn’t criticize Romney for praising Israel. Instead of simply praising Israel, though, Romney felt it necessary to take a cheap (and unfair) shot at the Palestinians. THAT is what Romney has been criticized for and rightfully so. No man who plans on becoming President should be making such insulting remarks to a group of people he hopes to deal with. And if he doesn’t hope to deal with him then we have an even bigger problem (not to mention what this says to Palestinian-Americans).
Good point, Mr. Knapp!
BR @ 18,
“The way he mentioned this heritage was quite appopriate, along with the pride he feels.”
Would it be appropriate if, instead of “Jewish,” he had written “white” or “Aryan?”
@26 another typo … 2008
1988??? Don’t tell Andre Marrou!
Wayne Root was the 1988 LP VP nominee, but that doesn’t mean that he should be stalked, tracked, worshipped or attacked every time he writes a phrase or utters a word.
Get some perspective.
… and to recycle a worn but appropriate observation …
Get a life.
@22 Root will be ignored well after he is no longer on the LNC. Root will be ignored well after he is no longer the candidate who Gary Johnson nominated and got elected to the LNC.
“Forget the Palestinians.”
Forget they can’t move about freely, live in subpar conditions, and don’t enjoy equal protection under the law (all of which likely contribute to the economic differences). Obviously the oppressor is going to fare better than the oppressed.
When are you people going to learn to just ignore the nutcases like Root, Limbaugh, Beck, Olberman, etc. who just talk crap so they can make more money. The guy is ignorant and irrelevant.
!
This wasn’t worth an IPR piece. It really isn’t about third parties or independent candidates in any way.
It is because Root writes: Wayne Allyn Root (W.A.R) is … the 2008 Libertarian Vice Presidential nominee…
Since Root is wearing his LP creds on his sleeve as he writes this, it becomes third-party related.
Certainly, his readers will think: “Oh, so a high-ranking LP official promotes Romney. I guess the LP is ideologically similar to the GOP.
– delete “and” –
Yet when Mitt Romney tells the truth for once, he gets panned by the national media?
Root didn’t mention his religion at all. He made a reference to his cultural heritage.
The way he mentioned this heritage was quite appopriate, along with the pride he feels. It results in Wayne writing a piece of personal feeling, with his biases revealed and out front so that we know where he is coming from and can discount for that bias.
Since writing is a job for Wayne, and since he earns some income from his writing and speaking AFIK, then it is obvious that he would write to his audience.
Jill Pyatt’s comment was an attack, although she may not have meant it to be.
The only edit I would have made on Wayne’s behalf would have been to rewrite this:
“Yet Mitt Romney tells the truth and he gets panned by the national media?”
to this:
Yet when Mitt Romney tells the truth for once and he gets panned by the national media?
Then the article could attack both candidates and still reveal personal feeling and pride in Root’s heritage.
This wasn’t worth an IPR piece. It really isn’t about third parties or independent candidates in any way. It is just part of an Anti-Root juggernaut that should be beneath IPR and is certainly outside IPR’s stated purpose.
It sure would be nice if this author was so enamored of the *Libertarian* Party candidate. This is getting embarrassing, an LNC member writing such glowing praises of the candidate of ANOTHER party rather than the candidate of his own party.
OTOH, such clearly racist diatribes such as this essay makes it easier to keep an arms length away from him. We should be thankful that Root *does not* mention the LP!
PEACE
Hi Trent @11 – IMO there’s a significant difference between attacking one’s religion and being critical (if that’s what Jill was doing) of how and when one plays the “religion card.” If you were to criticize Jesse Jackson for playing the race card, are you being critical of his race?
Still selling weapons to the Egyptians…That was part of the deal we made with them to get both sides to agree to the peace treaty.
#5, I understand the U.S. is buying 20 advanced F-16 fighters for Egypt – whether for the generals or the Muslim Brotherhood, the order hasn’t been cancelled. Gee, what potential enemy would these jets most likely be used against? I wonder what
“swing states” are being pandered to while the U.S. taxpayers are forced to weaponize both sides?
@ Jill #1 – I’d say we have to get Root to start speaking for the LP!
The irony of course is that Root is cheering on an economy that has higher tax rates (particularly on the wealthy) and more government control.
And, as I mentioned when this article was posted in the July Open thread, the entire premise that the U.S. press is either ‘hiding’ Israel’s economic success or is anti-Israeli is not only laughable but just bizarre and he is flat out lying about what the criticisms of Romney’s statements were.
P.S.- Not to mention that he is once again promoting the GOP nominee and not Gary Johnson. Let’s be honest, this piece is nothing but shameless pandering to the Fox News crowd.
“Root claims to be of Jewish heritage while also being Christian – nothing strange about that combination – in fact, that seems to be how the whole Christian thing began.”
I laughed really hard at this, lol.
Jill–it was clearly an attack. You claimed he was using his religious/ethnic attachments to his advantage when it suits him.
Who’s attacking anyone about their religion? I simply made an observation. In retrospect, it seems it may have been an unnecessary observation, but I certainly wasn’t attacking anyone’s religion.
Libertarians should NOT be attacking individuals over their religion or heritage nor over their pride in either…
Maybe not, but Christianity does counsel against pride. So any Christian professing pride in their religion or heritage is arguably a hypocrite.
Of course, humility, Christian or otherwise, was never Root’s forte.
Libertarians should NOT be attacking individuals over their religion or heritage nor over their pride in either – not even Wayne Root, no matter how much you may have chosen to be automatically biased against him.
Root claims to be of Jewish heritage while also being Christian – nothing strange about that combination – in fact, that seems to be how the whole Christian thing began.
Root says he’s Jewish when it’s convenient, but he also calls himself a born-again Christian when it’s convenient.
Romney was praising socialized health care in Israel: http://www.buzzfeed.com/zekejmiller/romney-praises-israels-socialized-health-care-sys
Israel’s socialized medicine is beyond Obamacare.
Perhaps Root, like Romney, thinks that Obamacare is not socialist enough?
Of course, it’s easy for Israel to have socialized health care when their state’s budget is heavily subsidized by U.S. taxpayers.
Yes, U.S. taxpayers do subsidize free health care in Israel. Money is fungible. Because the U.S. subsidizes the Israeli military, Israel can divert money from its military to its socialist heath care system.
And no, U.S. taxpayers do not subsidize “Israel’s enemies.” The U.S. gives Israel money to buy missiles and fighter jets (often not even American made weapons.)
By contrast, the U.S.’s “aid” to the Arab states is mostly the cost of stationing U.S. troops in their countries — to keep them under the U.S. gun. That, and low-tech weapons (tanks and guns) which are worthless against Israel, but can help Arab dictators suppress their own people.
(I add the above to counter to lie that the U.S. equally subsidizes both Israel and its enemies.)
Shame on Romney and Root for attacking Obamacare, but supporting (blatantly or tacitly) U.S. tax money for Israel’s socialist health care.
Did he really say tribes?
Here is one estimate of the amount of funds given to Israel by American taxpayer http://wrmea.org/component/content/article/245-2008-november/3845-congress-watch-a-conservative-estimate-of-total-direct-us-aid-to-israel-almost-114-billion.html
Is is okay to ask where Israel would be without such generosity?
There are no words…
I’m on vacation, but I saw this article and just had to show it to everyone. It was harder than heck to do it on my teeny netbook.
We’ve got to get Root to stop speaking for the LP!!!