Published by Liberty Hangout, September 18th, 2016:
To anyone who’s closely followed the 2016 election, it’s no surprise that Libertarian Party Vice Presidential nominee, Bill Weld, has a long lasting relationship with Hillary Rodham Clinton. In the first Libertarian Townhall on CNN, Weld described his bond with Clinton as being “life long.” He’s also maintained that he believes there was no criminal intent on Hillary’s part in her ongoing email scandal, and Libertarian Party presidential nominee, Gary Johnson, once called Hillary Clinton “a wonderful public servant.”
It’s now being reported by Carl Bernstein, who says “I know Bill Weld and I know how much he despises Donald Trump,” that he thinks the Libertarian Vice Presidential candidate is considering dropping out of the race and perhaps getting behind Hillary Clinton, in an effort to stop Trump. In an interview with CNN, Bernstein said, “I think that Bill Weld is thinking about dropping out of this race if it looks like he and Gary Johnson might get Donald Trump elected. Right now we have to keep Donald Trump out of the White House. And I think he might do it. He might campaign for her.”
Could Libertarian VP candidate renounce his candidacy? “Bill Weld does not want to be Ralph Nader.” – @carlbernstein
Carl Bernstein reports that Bill Weld is considering dropping out if he thinks Johnson-Weld will help elect Trump.#JohnsonWeld2016
IPR supplement:
NewsMax published an article on Setember 18th, 2016 titled “Carl Bernstein: Weld May Quit and Help Hillary, ‘Despises’ Trump”
Beforehand, however, on September 16th, 2016, Political Wire published two articles: “Is Gary Johnson a Threat to Clinton?” and “Clinton Seeks to Halt Third Party Drift”“
“Hillary Clinton and her Democratic allies, unnerved by the tightening presidential race, are making a major push to dissuade disaffected voters from backing third-party candidates, and pouring more energy into Rust Belt states, where Donald Trump is gaining ground,” the New York Times reports.
“With Mrs. Clinton enduring one of the rockiest stretches of her second bid for the presidency, her campaign and affiliated Democratic groups are shifting their focus to those voters, many of them millennials, who recoil at Mr. Trump, her Republican opponent, but now favor the Libertarian nominee, Gary Johnson, or the Green Party candidate, Jill Stein.”
IPR’s own Paulie Frankel, a self-employed petition contractor, commented the following regarding this new development:
The good news here is that the establishment media is no longer reflexively parroting the tired old lie that LP votes come primarily from the Republican/conservative side. That was never true, and isn’t true this time.
The bad news is that they have significantly more resources than we do and will be using them to hammer home all the tired old “wasted votes” lies.
And, Trump is on their side in this, as he has said he does not want to debate anyone except Clinton.
I saw some speculation on CNN that Weld may fold under pressure and renounce his candidacy and endorse Clinton. He clearly does favor her over Trump, and it’s a fair question as to whether he will stand up to increasing pressure to do just that in the remaining 50-something days of the campaign. I also had this concern about Wayne Root and his clear preference for Republicans, and as I expected he did in fact go back to them (in fact, somewhat earlier than I expected). Weld also has a history of bowing out after promising not to do so, with LPNY in 2006, so it will be interesting to see what his reaction will be as the Clinton campaign – and many of his own friends – will ratchet up the pressure and say he is playing a (falsely attributed, but widely believed in their circles) “Nader 2000” role and needs to withdraw lest he helps elect Trump.
T Knapp: “Fixed, no charge.”
Thanks for lending your memory hole, Tom.
JIll Pyeatt: ‘George Dance said: ” (I’m glad you live in California because your Trump love hopefully won’t matter)”.’
No, wasn’t me. The comment was by someone calling himself “George Orange.” I didn’t even consider that was meant as a friggert of me, until your reply.
I sure wouldn’t write anything as inane as ” Out of all of [the candidates] though, at least Hillary is less likely to blow up all of Iran’s little boats because they taunted our sailors. Or less likely to go to war with North Korea over a tweet.” Or: “It’s fun for us all to sit and rant and rave and give our opinions …oh and the NAP, never forget the NAP.”
“No, I think it’s great. It’s a reminder that in my imagination, all summer, the whole ‘libertarian Libertarian’ theory was that Johnson and Weld have a secret agenda to elect Clinton”
Fixed, no charge.
Tony from LI: “It’s sad that the silly puppet thing was even made.”
No, I think it’s great. It’s a reminder that, all summer, the whole “libertarian Libertarian” theory was that Johnson and Weld have a secret agenda to elect Clinton. Now that the Clinton machine’s declared Johnson public enemy #2 (Trump still has to be #1), we probably won’t hear another word about it; so that graphic is a good reminder.
Check this out. I just found out that Virginia Moseley, the Washington Deputy Bureau Chief and Vice President at CNN, is married to a guy named Tom Nides, who is a long time friend of the Clintons, and who served as Deputy Secretary of State under Hillary Clinton, and who was a fundraiser for Hillary Clinton.
Gee, I wonder if this has anything to do with the Johnson/Weld Hillary Clinton lovefest Town Halls that were on CNN.
I already knew that big government was in bed with big media, but in this case the phrase “in bed” is literal.
They are fair questions. And if Weld does drops out, he drops out. But that doesn’t mean Gary Johnson will. And any decision Weld makes like that only reflects on him, not the rest of the LP. But let me know when it actually happens, not when Carl Bernstein says it might happen. Fair enough?
Nicely done propaganda — from all sides.
This answers the propoganda.
http://reason.com/blog/2016/09/18/bill-weld-carl-bernsteins-speculation-th
http://reason.com/blog/2016/09/18/bill-weld-carl-bernsteins-speculation-th
AMcCarrick,
I don’t know who you have been talking to, what columns you have been reading or what video channel you have been receiving your impression of Donald Trump. Donald Trump, based on his chosen advisers and is words, may engage in warmongering if elected. Hillary Clinton is as passionate an advocate of warmongering as any past US President. The only angle that is likely to be safe and predictable should Hillary Clinton be elected would be the profits of the big defense contractors.
George Dance said: ” (I’m glad you live in California because your Trump love hopefully won’t matter)”.
Yes, I live in CA, so it doesn’t matter who I vote for. I have no love for Trump, though, find him to be an abominable human, and hope he doesn’t win. I just happen to have had a life-long disdain of Hillary Clinton. We knows she lies about everything, and she’s a proven warmonger, so, no, I don’t think she’s less likely to blow up Iran. Plus, less evolved people actually think she’s been an advocate for women and children, when of course she hasn’t ever been either. I hope she doesn’t win.
This country is just phenomenally screwed. I don’t see anything good happening here within the next few years.
Don Lemon = talking head asking questions (what passes for journalist these days)
Bernstein = source offering opinion (what passes for facts these days)
Therefore, even though Bernstein is a journalist by profession, he is playing an opinion giver (source) in this scenario.
He is giving an opinion, which of course is backed up by a previous fact, yet still an opinion. People have forgotten that there is a difference between the two. This is a key reason Trump is polling so high. He tells lies disguised as facts and no one challenges him.
Hillary omits certain things or tells half truths and she is called out as a LIAR. Even politifact.com has been caught favoring Republican straight up lies as “mostly true” and Democrat half truths or omissions as “Pants on Fire”
I am not a fan of any of the candidates. Out of all of them though, at least Hillary is less likely to blow up all of Iran’s little boats because they taunted our sailors. Or less likely to go to war with North Korea over a tweet. Also she understands the devastation that happened at Hiroshima and that today’s arsenal is far more deadly. Let that one sit for a while Jill. (I’m glad you live in California because your Trump love hopefully won’t matter)
CNN does not favor the Clintons, they just are a sad old news channel who take a story and run with it day and night hoping to get ratings.
It’s fun for us all to sit and rant and rave and give our opinions …oh and the NAP, never forget the NAP. Donald Trump is a loose cannon who listens to no one. He is a man-baby. He actually does have small hands. He did fondle his daughters ass just a little bit too much for my taste And he has been compromised and is currently being played by Putin who you all seem to forget was the best KGB agent they ever had. In Germany they had elections too. Trump won’t even have to wait for the President to die before he takes over. (There I got my godwin in there finally)
“so, he is the journalist”
No, he’s the alleged close personal friend of Weld, talking TO the journalist.
I’ve never taught journalism. I’ve just worked as a journalist on and off for more than 35 years. But I do know the difference between journalist and source.
TK, did you watch the CNN clip? Bernstein spews this with no prompting. The question was not about if Weld would drop out. In, fact, it wasn’t even a question from Don Lemon – it was an incomplete sentence. Bernstein replies with his THEORY about Bill Weld – so, he is the journalist, using no source except his own intuition.
Not exactly his best work #DeepThroat
Jon Doh said: “CNN stands for the Clinton News Newtwork and this is just the type of red herring they would plant in the media in an attempt to stop Crooked Hillary’s nosedive in the polls.”
I agree. CNN, along with several other news outlets, spend time in every political segment disparaging Trump and praising Queen Hillary, much like they did to Ron Paul in 2012. It’s disgusting. You all know that I am by no means a Trump supporter, but I see Hillary as a much worse option. We already know how much of a liar she is, and how devoid of ethics she has apparently always been.
Here’s a video of Darryl W. Perry confronting William Weld over this issue at the Libertarian National Convention.
Darryl W. Perry confronts William Weld
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bbMw1ds8JAA
“However, Mr. Bernstein can not cite HIMSELF as a source, no matter how budy-buddy he is with Mr. Weld. I taught Journalism for a little while and this is probably lesson #1.”
If you taught journalism, then you understand that in this case, Bernstein was the source, not the journalist.
“Except that Weld has already put out a statement, linked in a comment above, saying he won’t drop out.”
And he publicly promised not to drop out in 2006, too. Then he did it anyway.
Is he going to do so this time? Personally, I doubt it.
On the other hand, he has a record of doing so and a record of lying about his intentions vis a vis doing so, and the allegation was made on a major cable news outlet by a well-known journalist who credibly claims to know him. That makes it news.
TK: ” . . . . .Actually, Bernstein cited himself, as a supposed long-time acquaintance of Weld, as the source.
Thing is, Weld has done this before — gone for a Libertarian nomination, then dropped out after saying he would stay in. New York 2006. That lends some credibility to the idea. . . . . ”
I remember that quite well. I know one of the LP state-wide candidates from that year quite well.
However, Mr. Bernstein can not cite HIMSELF as a source, no matter how budy-buddy he is with Mr. Weld. I taught Journalism for a little while and this is probably lesson #1.
There’s nothing to this until it comes from the mouth of Weld itself. I’m surprised it’s even posted here since it has no credibility.
Except that Weld has already put out a statement, linked in a comment above, saying he won’t drop out.
So it’s a rumored friend’s opinion vs the words of the candidate himself on whether he’ll drop out. I’ll take the candidate on this one.
Thomas Knapp and AMcCarrick make excellent points above. They are completely correct.
“I think”
The rest of the sentence indicates otherwise.
Prittle-prattle. A shiny penny says this originates with Clinton’s supporters. It’s also from NewsMax…
I think the only reason this got on to IPR is because there are people who don’t like William Weld because adhere to all their ideological purity points.
If Bernstein actually said this he is talking out of his hat.
“There’s absolutely no proof of Weld considering this. Bernstein cited no source.”
Actually, Bernstein cited himself, as a supposed long-time acquaintance of Weld, as the source.
Thing is, Weld has done this before — gone for a Libertarian nomination, then dropped out after saying he would stay in. New York 2006. That lends some credibility to the idea.
Would be the smart thing to do. Clinton is safe, predictable…. Most of Johnson’s supporters came from that side anyway; as most actual libertarians do.
Trump is menace to all of all of society. Trump is a fantastic way to set off a new global economic depression and start WWIII, which likely be the end of the human race as a whole…. get your bunkers ready people; you’re gonna need’em.
Wow Mr. Doh (Homer Simpson). That’s the first time I heard that one . . .
There’s absolutely no proof of Weld considering this. Bernstein cited no source.
It’s sad that the silly puppet thing was even made. #PhotoshopSkillz!!
CNN stands for the Clinton News Newtwork and this is just the type of red herring they would plant in the media in an attempt to stop Crooked Hillary’s nosedive in the polls.
Hahah. I will bathe in “pragmatist” tears. God what a catastrophe. But if Weld does drop and they put someone decent on I’ll actually vote for Johnson again.
“It’s now being reported by Carl Bernstein, who says “I know Bill Weld and I know how much he despises Donald Trump,” that he thinks the Libertarian Vice Presidential candidate is considering dropping out of the race and perhaps getting behind Hillary Clinton, in an effort to stop Trump.”
This also reduces to “Carls Bernstein says so.” – Thankfully William Weld has put out a release that the Liberty Hangout article has added to its article.
“Bill Weld Responds to Rumors: Says He Won’t Drop Out”
http://libertyhangout.org/2016/09/bill-weld-responds-to-rumors-says-he-wont-drop-out/
On the one hand, probably no there there.
On the other hand, it’s Weld. This wouldn’t be the first time he had won a Libertarian Party nomination and then dropped out after publicly saying he wouldn’t. Which is one reason he should never have got within 50 miles of the veep nomination in the first place.