This is a clip from the Fox News Strategy Room on September 29, 2010, with me debating 2008 Libertarian Party Vice Presidential Candidate Wayne Allyn Root. We’re talking about the role of government in building prosperity and opportunity in America.
I found the entire conversation rousing, but without a doubt, my favorite moment comes at the 8:24 mark, when I break down and say to Root, “There’s just so many problems with what you’re saying.” Nothing like blunt honesty.
The nice thing about people like Root is they expose the truly sinister anti-government, America-for-elites only vision that festers beneath the thin veneer of the Tea Party. The Root agenda (pun intended) will not help ordinary Americans (including most Tea Party adherents) but undermine our nation and the common good values that we stand for — and always have.
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9 Responses to Taking on Libertarian Leader [FoxNews.com Live]
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This was truly amazing and i hate to say it … FUNNY!
THIS GUY WENT TO HARVARD UNIVERSITY!!!!????!!!!
I think someone needs to research that claim … and he said that Thomas Jefferson was against the FEDERAL RESERVE???
WHAT YEAR WAS THE FEDERAL RESERVE ESTABLISHED???
THIS GUY IS AN IDIOT AND OBVIOUSLY TOTALLY IGNORANT AND UNEDUCATED.
Why on earth did anyone ever put this guy on any television program?
AND THIS GUY IS THE LIBERTARIAN PARTY LEADER?????
WOW!
Congratulations Sally! Way to stand up to this guy’s false interpretation of U.S. history and his total misunderstanding of the intersections of government, business and everyday life.
It just strikes me how overly simplistic his political perspective is. Anyone with an ounce of critical thinking and a basic understanding of how communities function should notice deep flaws in his analysis – flaws that you pointed out in this interview. But sadly, I feel folks are looking for easy answers to a lot of the misery in their lives and Root’s shallow analysis does provide them with that AND hits all the right emotional buttons too.
Sad sad sad.
And lastly, his privilege is showing.
I feel bad that you had to sit and listen to this drivel dispensing knucklehead.
You did a fine job of getting your point across and maintaining your cool.
I’ve met and listened to a few dozen A holes like this bird and I know the frustration of trying to have a conversation with them. It simply isn’t possible.
We have to marshal our forces, get out the vote and bulldoze the bastards in November.
Thanks Sally, for what you do, I understand the toll, it can be exhausting, keep up the fight.
This is our country too.
Jefferson didn’t like a strong central government because he was an independent farmer. 95% of the country in 1790 was agricultural. What is it now? 5%? City life is so complex and interconnected beyond the plantation. Everyone wants or needs services and that takes central organization. Some rich people like independence from the government because they can afford to be independent of services themselves and don’t want to pay for other people to have the services they need. Libertarians seem to embody the “I’ve got mine, Jack” people. There seem to be a lot of that category lately!
Sal, you rocked! You made perfect sense about the need to keep our government that works for the people at a time when Tea Party and Republicans are trying to shrink it more and give more power to Wall Street, which will never be able to fairly regulate itself, just like health insurance companies, etc…. We simply can’t do without a government. I am for making it more efficient so its skills and visions are more competitive with the private sector so that the best prevail, but it is ridiculous that Wayne wants the private sector to regulate itself and make our government useless… his agenda is obvious. Imagine if everybody in this country is just in it for him or herself without thinking of the common good. Imagine if interest groups want to limit freedom of religion to Muslims just because they don’t like or trust them! We need an efficient government to represent us and keep a watchful eye on the private sector and interest groups that don’t necessarily have the public good at heart. Keep up the good work Sally! So proud of u. J.
What happened to the video? Interference by FOX?
Great job Sally. Very impressive. keep up the fight. i can not belive the crap the right is spewing these days, and more than that, how many people are jumping on the hate wagon with them.
Sally, like other people on this board, didn’t make significant arguments. Jefferson was afraid of bankers manipulating currency and interest rates, which is what the Federal Reserve does. And government programs do not help – they encourage dependency and inefficiency. Thomas Jefferson FEARED large government, not just government in general. Unless you are an anarchist, you believe in a simple form of government to protect your rights. Sally is extremely ignorant of history to suggest that supporting a simple form of government means that you must agree with everything that government does. Please name me one thing that government does better than the private sector in an arena government already doesn’t have a monopoly. This is the problem with saying there should be more “effective” government. And she fears aggregation of power while ignoring that the aggregation of power is much higher in countries that are communist and socialist.
“Government policies create all of the enabling processes for businesses to exist.”
This is absolutely ludicrous. Government did not create roads or electricity. These things existed WITHOUT government and without government funding.
Sally is also wrong that there was an income tax with Thomas Jefferson. Wayne is right, Sally is wrong.