2008 Libertarian Party Debate

REMINDER: Click here to hear our exclusive interview with Libertarian Party candidate Mike Gravel.

Tired of the boring, Wolf Blitzer moderated, debates featuring the candidates of the two major parties where the same safe questions are asked and the same parsed answers are given? Me too. In fact, I’ve actually dozed off during a few. So I was delighted to find that the 2008 Libertarian Party Debate from Denver was: interesting, lively, funny, engaging, and refreshing. Debating were seven candidates for the nomination: former Georgia congressman Bob Barr, former senator and Democratic presidential candidate Mike Gravel, Massachusetts Libertarian Party Chairman George Phillies, Michael Jingozian, Dr. Mary Ruwart, Steve Kubby, and small businessman Wayne Allyn Root. There are actually fourteen candidates, but only seven of them reached the viability threshold of having raised at least $5,000. Moderating was Fox News political analyst and all around funny-man James Pinkerton, who gets booed as his entire resume is announced. So get ready to hear the words “liberty” and “freedom” a lot. In the spirit of tonight’s debate, some of this coverage is tongue-in-cheek.

Rules & Debate Format

Each candidate gets the chance for a two minute opening statement. At this debate, there aren’t any fancy lights or timers for the candidates, just signs and a cow bell. Pinkerton reveals some of the submitted questions he won’t be asking tonight, including: if as president the candidate would fly commercial and whether they’d pardon Michael Vick. That’s a sign of things to come, making this funniest presidential debate I’ve ever seen.

Opening Statements

Barr gives a general answer about Libertarian principles. Gravel says that the United States is at an important juncture and that we shouldn’t expect the people who brought us to where we are to fix things. The two major parties have a monopoly on politics and the government and are raising lots of money to provide more of the same. Talks about the military industrial complex. Phillies was one of my favorite characters. This guy kept shouting. Talked about getting Uncle Sam out of our bedrooms. Important issues are ending the war and restoring fiscal sanity and civil liberties. Says he’s the centrist the party needs as the nominee. Jingozian talks about his Libertarian principles. Ruwart’s main talking point throughout the night is that the party should elect her to take advantage of the “year of the woman”. Says her twenty-five years of Libertarian campaign experience are important. Important issues are decreasing crime and health insurance costs. Kubby says he has some good news and bad news. The bad being that the doctors have told him that he only has six months to live. The good news being that this is the thirty-fourth year they’ve been telling him that. He wants us to know that his candidacy isn’t only about medical marijuana, no more than boston tea party was about tea. True liberty is freedom from government. Root will, throughout the evening, continually bring up the fact that he’s a used car salesman small business man. He calls himself an SOB: son of a butcher. He reminds us that if nominated, it would be the first time that a: small business man, home-schooling dad, jewish man, resident of Nevada, and classmate of Barack Obama would have gotten such a nomination. What’s the difference between Vegas and Washington? In Vegas the drunks gamble away their own money … in Washington they gamble away ours. Oh, Wayne. He promises to stay the hell out of your wallet. Has a secret sixteen year plan to win races for libertarian candidates.

Philosopher Who Has Influenced You The Most

Barr mentions Ayn Rand. Gravel is with Solon, who brought forth the concept of law in 595 BC. Phillies goes for Goldwater, who would apparently call his book “The Conscience of a Libertarian” if he were alive today. Jingozian goes with Benjamin Franklin. Ruwart’s first love was Ayn Rand. Kubby goes with David Nolan, who founded the party. Root goes with Yogi Bear and mentions forks in the road and picnic baskets.

Would you send troops to any part of the world?

Everyone is, obviously, opposed to this. Phillies says something off the wall about pirates. Almost everyone is also in favor of cutting the military’s budget.

Would you restrict the building of nuclear power plants?

Everyone agrees that the power of the president is too limited to do this and all revert to their plans on renewable energy. Kubby’s car runs off cooking oil! Root says that ethanol has been a disaster, increasing the cost of food. Barr says he likes polar bears. Gravel makes a pledge to get us off of gasoline in five years.

View On Global Environment

Everyone expresses similar disdain that our government, the world’s number one polluter, is in charge of our environment. Kubby says that this is similar to the fox guarding the chicken coop, and that we should arm the chickens. Root says that Al Gore is the worlds number two polluter. Barr is not in favor of the Kyoto treaty. Phillies wants people who throw lit matches on houses in prison.

Patriot Act & Real ID Act

Everyone would abolish both of the acts. In the nights only comment close to a smack-down, Kubby mentions Barr’s vote for the Patriot Act. Root says that the Patriot Act is the single biggest thing that turned him into a Libertarian. Fighting a war supposedly for freedom at the same time we’re having ours taken away doesn’t make sense. There’s no way, Jose, that Wayne Allyn Root isn’t going to stand for that. Barr mentions that full body scanners at airports are just another manifestation of that fact that fear is the driving force behind all public policy with this administration. He’d shoot, burn, decapitate the Patriot Act … and then scatter its ashes across the ends of the earth, so that it couldn’t be put back together again. (Dahm.) Jingozian deadpans that you can’t not like it because its got the word “patriot” in it.

Border Policy

Kubby says that our current immigration policy seems like it’d be the KKK’s. Root knows the situation personally, since his grandparents came from Russia AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY. Barr doesn’t think we even have an immigration policy. Gravel speaks about how European countries are actually decreasing their border protection. Phillies muses about the day in which wealth is distributed enough to where we won’t have a need for borders. Jingozian says that we need to end the welfare state in order to help the economy.

Should the war on drugs be illegal?

Root says it should be. The fact that forty percent of all Americans over eighteen admit to using drugs is a testament to its failure. Gravel mentions a report Nixon commissioned that found marijuana wasn’t addictive and that drugs should be treated as a public health problem. He doesn’t think we should be proud of having more people in jail than any other country. The war on drugs costs taxpayers several hundred billion dollars a year. Phillies recalls watching gangster movies in the fifties. Jingozian would pardon all non-violent drug offenders. Ruwart points to the Netherlands, whose drug use dropped when they legalized them. Kubby is getting a major buzz!

Criteria For Supreme Court Appointments

Seems like everyone wants to nominate Judge Jim Grey. Gravel mentions setting term limits of Supreme Court Justices (which is a very good idea). Phillies wouldn’t appoint a defense attorney. Ruwart says that our neighbors will try to control us one day. Root tells us that THE civil rights issues of the twenty-first century is parents being able to educate kids in any way they see fit. THE CIVILS RIGHTS ISSUE OF THIS CENTURY. The government won’t tell him how to educate his kids … at least not over his cold dead fingers.

How much involvement should the government have in healthcare?

Candidates mention: eliminating cost transfers, approving European drugs, tort reform, treating Veterans better, and deregulating. We learn that Barr travels forty-five miles to see his doctor, whose doctor bill would be fifty percent less if it weren’t for government regulation. Jingozian has only learned two things in the past year of campaigning, and one of them is that Americans aren’t stupid. Phillies keeps reminding me of James Lipton.

Defense Of Marriage Act & LGBT Marital Rights

Almost all candidates mention repealing DOMA and most mention that marriage should be for all. Phillies is proud to be from Massachusetts. Ruwart says that people don’t realize the kind of legal contract they’re signing when they get married … until they get divorced. Kubby doesn’t want the government looking up our skirts and trousers (and neither do I)! Ray Romano Root doesn’t understand why gays would want to get married in the first place. Barr stands up because his “rear end is killing him” and because he wants us to know that he wrote the DOMA and promises to repeal the law provisions in it. He doesn’t mention LGBT rights. Gravel says that marriage is a secular term and that it’s really just a commitment of love between two human beings. If this world needs something, its more love (right on, Gravel). 

How will your campaign help the Libertarian Party?

Jingozian is happy he’s being asked that. The party needs to enroll all of the American people and appeal to independents. It’s a disgrace that they’ve only gotten about 1.1 percent of the vote, he says. Ruwart wants to get more votes for party. She brings up the women’s vote again. Wants to help local and state candidates. THE Ron Paul endorsed her book, everybody. She’d encourage “Ron Paul activists” to vote for Libertarian candidates. and would invite them into the party, but apparently only she can do that because you have to be respected in their community. Kubby reminds us all of when Libertarians used to be confused with libraries. (Aren’t we still in that time?) Expects to see a book by Hillary Clinton called “I’ve Always Been A Libertarian” out soon. Nickname alert: Insane McCain! Root emphasizes fundraising and voter constituencies. He’s a small business man for Christ’s sake! Small business men from around the country can raise the money to run a dynamite campaign, he says. He can bring in twelve million online poker enthusiasts. Barr makes the best case: he’ll be the only one who’d get any attention. Gravel reminds us of what a true political badass he is. He: stopped the draft, stopped nuclear testing in the North Pacific, got the authorization for the Alaska pipeline, and risked jail by releasing pentagon papers all in four years. Says “freedom” three times in a row, so you know he means it. Phillies won’t make fabulous promises. Gives the same speech a bad high school student council candidate would. 

Second Amendment

All in favor. Moderator interrupts a candidate with: “rat-a-tat-tat, times up”.

Everyone gives a closing statement about their Libertarian principles. David Weigel of Reason Magazine says that the two with a real shot are Bob Barr and Mary Ruwart. In an appropriate closing, a caped man wearing a “V for Vendetta” mask jumps off of the stage.