In a brief video posted on the party’s official Facebook page, Libertarian National Committee Chair Nicholas Sarwark says he was in line to ask Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump a question at FreedomFest in Las Vegas but was unable to do so. Instead, Sarwark posted the question — about Trump’s use of eminent domain in 1993 to condemn a house so he could expand limousine parking for a casino — online. Sarwark asks why libertarians would support a candidate who would do so.
Sarwark was not the only skeptic. The Associated Press reports that “a single protester standing outside the room where Trump spoke was more concerned about the businessman being tied to the Libertarian Party.” Linda Rawles, who says she has been an LP member since the party’s creation, “asserted that including Trump in FreedomFest set back the party’s movement.”
Someone on another thread mentioned “false-flags”, so I’ll post this here:
http://original.antiwar.com/justin/2015/07/05/explaining-my-absence/
My position is available this coming May, if you’d like to run.
Until then, feedback is best attached to a donation made payable to “Libertarian Party.”
Much as I suspected:
pf, OK, I hear you. I’m guessing that most major developers have benefited from eminent domain policies. If the state offers it, and most developers do it, I don’t know, for me, it doesn’t seem like the worst of sins.
His polarizing Idiocracy-esque rhetoric is stirring the rabble in ways I think we could all do without.
http://reason.com/blog/2015/07/13/the-idiocracy-candidate
His other views, at least unless he is actually elected, are either the delusions of a demagogue or the disingenuous panderings of an insatiable publicity hound appealing to the lowest common denominator. His eminent domain abuse is a real life action he actually took that actually hurt real people.
I dunno, for me there are many more significant areas where Trump is anti-freedom compared with his business practices from 2 decades ago.
Just sayin’….
It’s a good thing you and her were there to do that. Too bad there weren’t more people protesting, and (I am guessing) quite a few confused people eating up his BS.
Thanks for picking this up.
I think this is the protester referenced in the article: https://instagram.com/p/5AZVRsFORZ/
If Donald Trump becomes the Republican candidate, I suggest Wayne Root as his vp. Sort of the “mini-me” thing.
ROFL!
“Mark Axinn
July 12, 2015 at 9:20 pm
Andy is right about hammering Trump with eminent domain questions. BTW, AC was hardly the first place that he, or his developer father Fred Trump, used government programs to further their real estate empires. They have been doing so in NYC for at least fifty years.”
It would be interesting to get a report on Trump’s use of eminent domain and corporate welfare.
“As far as Freedom Fest, I recommend that Skousen rename his shindig Neocon Fest or Nativist Fest.”
There are a lot of libertarians at Freedomfest. It is a mix of people, most of whom are libertarian, or lean libertarian. I’d like to see the event be more hardcore libertarian than it is, but there are still a lot of hardcore libertarians that go to it.
“We should be there just like we go to legalize weed rallies and C-PAC conventions. We are trying to infiltrate many overlapping organizations but are well-aware that the organizers’ agendas are not necessarily freedom and liberty in all matters.”
I’m not saying that the Libertarian Party should not have a presence at Freedomfest, but a lot of the crowd there are middle aged or older and most of them already know about the Libertarian Party, some are current members, and a lot are former members (as in they are people who used to be active in the LP, but are no longer because they don’t think that the party is going anywhere), and a lot are also people who know about the LP but have never gotten involved with it, for the most part because they don’t think that it accomplishes anything.
I think that it would be good for the LP to be at more events where there are lots of young libertarians (I know that the LP has been to Students for Liberty Conferences, and the party should have people at Young Americans for Liberty Conferences as well as any other groups that are similar), and I would also like to see more of an LP presence at events where the LP normally does not go, like left leaning events, and non-political events (festivals, fairs, concerts, etc…).
Andy is right about hammering Trump with eminent domain questions. BTW, AC was hardly the first place that he, or his developer father Fred Trump, used government programs to further their real estate empires. They have been doing so in NYC for at least fifty years.
As far as Freedom Fest, I recommend that Skousen rename his shindig Neocon Fest or Nativist Fest.
We should be there just like we go to legalize weed rallies and C-PAC conventions. We are trying to infiltrate many overlapping organizations but are well-aware that the organizers’ agendas are not necessarily freedom and liberty in all matters.
Bravo Nick!
”
Jill Pyeatt
July 12, 2015 at 8:18 pm
If Donald Trump becomes the Republican candidate, I suggest Wayne Root as his vp. Sort of the ‘mini-me’ thing.”
LOL!
If Donald Trump becomes the Republican candidate, I suggest Wayne Root as his vp. Sort of the “mini-me” thing.
http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/07/donald_trump_doubles_down_on_i.html
Trump would be an absolutely superb Republican candidate, at least unless Duke-Keyes runs. Huckabee-Santorum would be fine. The indicted/indictable duo would also be amusing, but mostly if they are convicted before the election.
(Yes, I am looking to destroy the Republican Party.)
Alas, the Democrats just don’t have candidates like this.
Trump has more than one position that is anti-freedom. It doesn’t take much effort to determine where he position falls when it comes to eminent domain. There are other issues that are IMO more important. Would he support phasing out the various US military bases in the Middle East? Would he support ending saber rattling when it comes to the South China sea? My father lost his building to eminent domain in Phoenix, AZ but I still think that ending wasteful and immoral military adventurism trumps eminent domain issue wise.
good point, Jill !!
The eminent domain question for Trump is something for which he should be hammered with everywhere he goes.
I’m not sure that allowing Trump to speak was a mistake. People got to hear him say some of what his policies would be, I doubt that he was well-received by everyone.
FreedomFest is an event the Libertarian Party attends. It’s not an exclusive Libertarian or even libertarian event. Look at the guest list: Glenn Beck, Paul Krugman & Dinesh D’Souza.
I’m with Ms. Rawles!
They should change the name to Freedom Farce and those who
invited Chump to speak should be “eighty-sixed” from the L, P.