Thursday, September 16, 2004
Liveblogging Badnarik - Tha
[Ed. Jody's computer clock and mine are not synchronized. Also, it's dark, and I don't type well in the dark.]
8:02
We're both ready to roll in our inconspicuous seats. I've admonished Jody not to embarass me, but we'll have to see how that turns out. This should be...interesting.
8:06
It looks like we're ready to roll.
8:07
They just said they'd answer any question. Carte blanche for my esteemed colleague.
8:10
The candidate appears to have been well-received, but then, consider the venue.
8:11
Extended metaphor appears to be the order of the opening - Libertarians as people who move out of their parents homes. To an extent, the metaphor being made is one that has a personal attraction, since it really did happen to me.
8:13
Telling a story about free-speech zones, first at a college where he spoke, and then at the DNC - barbed wire, fenced off, and so forth. Makes a good point that pricks at my Democratic leanings.
8:18
Ironically perhaps, points off for making references to the Declaration of Independence as a foundation for exercising "rights" since it carries no legal weight.
8:20
Okay, he just sounded like a gun nut there for a moment, but he's trying to recover.
8:21
Obviously, Badnarik doesn't like the Patriot Act.
8:22
Okay, that's just bad law. Sure, we could point to these jurisdictions that have "resolved" against the Patriot Act But we settled this whole nullification thing, oh, say 140 years ago.
8:24
In talking about just how bad Social Security, I wonder what his position on the "safety net" is. Maybe I'll ask.
8:26
That was a good line: "Even if you're not interested in politics, politics is interested in you." A nice appeal to an otherwise apathetic voting bloc.
8:28
I've actually heard the assessment made before, but it is cute: "Democrats want to be your mommy...Republicans want to be your daddy."
8:30
Good gambit: don't ask college students for their money - ask them for energy and enthusiasm that they supposedly have. He's never been in my lecture section on Monday morning.
8:32
Question asked and answered - No United Nations. Jody was just pointing out that he made no WOT mentions, but the stance of not requiring anyone's permission to "protect our people," that kind of laid it bare.
8:33
No gun laws...abolish the IRS.
8:35
Creativity at Virginia Tech: Bush and Kerry are Coke and Pepsi. Badnarik is Mountain Dew.
8:36
The candidate mentions that he has never raised taxes, or made backroom deals. I've never done those things either. Maybe I should run for president.
8:37
That one was a head scratcher on the Gold Standard. Badnarik doesn't own stocks, apparently. It's all gold, silver, and lead (?)
8:39
Badnarik doesn't respect Bush or Kerry, and couldn't respect himself if he were to vote for either. That's not a reason to run for president, though. Still, there is something to be said for principle, I guess.
8:41
Badnarik just admitted to not being a politician. Stones.
"Welfare is theft." More stones.
"Businesses will spring up like dandelions." Dandelions are weeds. I'd have said that differently.
8:43
Well, that answers my question. The Badnarik safety net is economic growth and charity.
8:45
I wouldn't call these questions softballs, but they're beauty pageant questions: "Explain this particular facet of Libertarian policy." "Okay, now this one."
8:48
I've never been to England, but a head shake and that patented look tells me that England does not have the cleanest air and water on Earth.
8:49
More get the government out of everything: hang the Department of Education on the mantle with the IRS and the EPA.
8:50
"It was a mistake to be in Iraq." I think that the math is fuzzy on American and Iraqi support for the American presence, and so is the slippery-slope of quotations that was just followed on Bush's quotes on winning the war.
8:53
Was that a heckler on the issue of eminent domain? Have those words ever been typed in the same sentence before?
8:55
8:57
Glenn Beck says I can't vote for Badnarik, because I'd be voting against Bush or Kerry.
8:58
"Spaceship One - Government zero" The candidate has a lot of good lines. I'll give him that. Put NASA and the government presence in science research on the mantle.
9:01
Give everyone guns, and we'll all be safer. I heard Beck make the same point once. Must be one of Glenn's old Libertarian leanings. It might have been more amusing tonight.
9:03
Jody just submitted a question, and a good one. Let's see what happens.
9:05
I'm more of a tease than Jody, and the candidate is a bit of a tease as well. No nuclear weapons for private citizens. Damn.
9:05
Well, there goes the fundamentalist vote. Badnarik refused to state his religious faith, and is now saying that gays should be allowed to marry through a comparison to miscegenation. Considerng the lack of general support for gay marriage among "conservatively" and religiously-minded African Americans, I'm as intrigued by the comparison as ever.
9:10
The candidate is apparently against racial profiling. The story reminds me of a joke about making terrorists being forced to fly on a terrorist airline. The last comment was a bit fuzzy for me, as Badnarik wants to protect Americans...but from what?
9:12
Badnarik knows a lot about logic, and knows a lot about the Constitution. But apparently tautology escapes him, as everything in the Constitution is not constitutional.
Not everything in the Constitution is good, but unfortunately sometimes, the fact that it's there makes it constitutional.
9:15
Last question - "Are you an anarchist?" Jody was just about to send down another question, but oh well. The candidate knows well the difference between anarchy and anomie.
Government is fire, and needs to be kept in its place. Jody raises the point that free speech could fall under the same description, but I think his position is flawed.
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8:02
We're both ready to roll in our inconspicuous seats. I've admonished Jody not to embarass me, but we'll have to see how that turns out. This should be...interesting.
8:06
It looks like we're ready to roll.
8:07
They just said they'd answer any question. Carte blanche for my esteemed colleague.
8:10
The candidate appears to have been well-received, but then, consider the venue.
8:11
Extended metaphor appears to be the order of the opening - Libertarians as people who move out of their parents homes. To an extent, the metaphor being made is one that has a personal attraction, since it really did happen to me.
8:13
Telling a story about free-speech zones, first at a college where he spoke, and then at the DNC - barbed wire, fenced off, and so forth. Makes a good point that pricks at my Democratic leanings.
8:18
Ironically perhaps, points off for making references to the Declaration of Independence as a foundation for exercising "rights" since it carries no legal weight.
8:20
Okay, he just sounded like a gun nut there for a moment, but he's trying to recover.
8:21
Obviously, Badnarik doesn't like the Patriot Act.
8:22
Okay, that's just bad law. Sure, we could point to these jurisdictions that have "resolved" against the Patriot Act But we settled this whole nullification thing, oh, say 140 years ago.
8:24
In talking about just how bad Social Security, I wonder what his position on the "safety net" is. Maybe I'll ask.
8:26
That was a good line: "Even if you're not interested in politics, politics is interested in you." A nice appeal to an otherwise apathetic voting bloc.
8:28
I've actually heard the assessment made before, but it is cute: "Democrats want to be your mommy...Republicans want to be your daddy."
8:30
Good gambit: don't ask college students for their money - ask them for energy and enthusiasm that they supposedly have. He's never been in my lecture section on Monday morning.
8:32
Question asked and answered - No United Nations. Jody was just pointing out that he made no WOT mentions, but the stance of not requiring anyone's permission to "protect our people," that kind of laid it bare.
8:33
No gun laws...abolish the IRS.
8:35
Creativity at Virginia Tech: Bush and Kerry are Coke and Pepsi. Badnarik is Mountain Dew.
8:36
The candidate mentions that he has never raised taxes, or made backroom deals. I've never done those things either. Maybe I should run for president.
8:37
That one was a head scratcher on the Gold Standard. Badnarik doesn't own stocks, apparently. It's all gold, silver, and lead (?)
8:39
Badnarik doesn't respect Bush or Kerry, and couldn't respect himself if he were to vote for either. That's not a reason to run for president, though. Still, there is something to be said for principle, I guess.
8:41
Badnarik just admitted to not being a politician. Stones.
"Welfare is theft." More stones.
"Businesses will spring up like dandelions." Dandelions are weeds. I'd have said that differently.
8:43
Well, that answers my question. The Badnarik safety net is economic growth and charity.
8:45
I wouldn't call these questions softballs, but they're beauty pageant questions: "Explain this particular facet of Libertarian policy." "Okay, now this one."
8:48
I've never been to England, but a head shake and that patented look tells me that England does not have the cleanest air and water on Earth.
8:49
More get the government out of everything: hang the Department of Education on the mantle with the IRS and the EPA.
8:50
"It was a mistake to be in Iraq." I think that the math is fuzzy on American and Iraqi support for the American presence, and so is the slippery-slope of quotations that was just followed on Bush's quotes on winning the war.
8:53
Was that a heckler on the issue of eminent domain? Have those words ever been typed in the same sentence before?
8:55
Was just asked about Libertarian electoral success. Hasn't even advertised the fact that John Hospers and Theodora Nathan received one of Ford's electoral votes.
8:57
Glenn Beck says I can't vote for Badnarik, because I'd be voting against Bush or Kerry.
8:58
"Spaceship One - Government zero" The candidate has a lot of good lines. I'll give him that. Put NASA and the government presence in science research on the mantle.
9:01
Give everyone guns, and we'll all be safer. I heard Beck make the same point once. Must be one of Glenn's old Libertarian leanings. It might have been more amusing tonight.
9:03
Jody just submitted a question, and a good one. Let's see what happens.
9:05
I'm more of a tease than Jody, and the candidate is a bit of a tease as well. No nuclear weapons for private citizens. Damn.
9:05
Well, there goes the fundamentalist vote. Badnarik refused to state his religious faith, and is now saying that gays should be allowed to marry through a comparison to miscegenation. Considerng the lack of general support for gay marriage among "conservatively" and religiously-minded African Americans, I'm as intrigued by the comparison as ever.
9:10
The candidate is apparently against racial profiling. The story reminds me of a joke about making terrorists being forced to fly on a terrorist airline. The last comment was a bit fuzzy for me, as Badnarik wants to protect Americans...but from what?
9:12
Badnarik knows a lot about logic, and knows a lot about the Constitution. But apparently tautology escapes him, as everything in the Constitution is not constitutional.
Not everything in the Constitution is good, but unfortunately sometimes, the fact that it's there makes it constitutional.
9:15
Last question - "Are you an anarchist?" Jody was just about to send down another question, but oh well. The candidate knows well the difference between anarchy and anomie.
Government is fire, and needs to be kept in its place. Jody raises the point that free speech could fall under the same description, but I think his position is flawed.
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