Libertarian VP Candidate Admits Defeat, Tells Voters To Pick Clinton Over Trump

[DonViejo]

Source: Talking Points Memo

Accepting that his presidential bid will fail, Libertarian vice presidential candidate Bill Weld on Tuesday obliquely urged voters to vote for Hillary Clinton.

In a Tuesday statement addressed to "those in the electorate who remain torn between two so-called major party candidates," the former Massachusetts governor told Republicans not to vote for the GOP nominee out of “fear for our country.”

“After careful observation and reflection, I have come to believe that Donald Trump, if elected President of the United States, would not be able to stand up to this pressure and this criticism without becoming unhinged and unable to perform competently the duties of his office,” the former Massachusetts governor said in a statement.

Weld ticks off a long list of what he sees as Trump’s flaws, including his childish response to criticism, divisive rhetoric about immigrants and minorities, instability, and lack of familiarity with policy.

-snip-

Read more: http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/bill-weld-tells-voters-pick-clinton-over-trump

[Coyotl]

1. He needs to send that message loud and clear in the tossup states. If only Nader had done so!

Nader could have saved the whole world a lot of hurt and a million lives if he had not been such a stubborn egomaniac.

[calimary]

4. No kidding.

I'm still smarting over that one. I've never forgiven ralph nader. You're right. Stubborn egomaniac.

The only "message" any "we need to send a message!" voter will ever send is "Hi! I'm a CHUMP!"

[OrwellwasRight]

22. So Nader should have said: "Let's oppose choice!

You shall have two choices and only two for the rest of your life. You shall be happy."?

The world's a better place because third parties exist and either rise up and replace dying parties or else move the major parties to where they should be to better represent the people. The Democrats are a better party because of the communist and socialist threat of the 1930s. The Republicans exist because they rose up to replace the Whigs, which had split largely over slavery.

Na. The Gore campaign should have won his own home state; should have opposed the butterfly ballot in Broward country; should not have limited its law suit to demanding only a partial recount; should have done something to challenge Harris's racist purge of the voter roles; etc. Had they paid attention to the details on any of these these things, those 500+ votes would not have mattered. He would have been our President. And the world would be a better place today. No need to blame the "other." How about Democrats just do a better job of being Democrats?

[calimary]

23. Perhaps. But I don't think the world is a better place for nader's presence in the 2000 election.

Respectfully, I have to disagree. It forced bush/cheney on us. Which led directly to a complete mess in the Middle East, an illegal war waged on false premises (also known as LIES), war crimes committed and approved at the highest levels, our good name and credibility tarnished to the world, that entire part of the world destabilized - which is why ISIS was allowed to flourish, and all kinds of other sins were committed against its American citizens and our Constitution.

Yes Gore could have made a few wiser moves, but, using your argument - were it not for ralph nader, "those 500+ votes would not have mattered."

Nader had to know he didn't have a snowball's chance in Hell to win. Only to be a spoiler. Unfortunately, unless we switch to some sort of Parliamentary system where many parties exist, flourish, and form coalition governments, We. DO. NOT. Have. That. I suspect there are many in this country who wish we did. But that's not the way things are set up at present.

Besides, I think Al Gore did the best job he could, at being a Democrat.

We might just have to agree to disagree on this one.

[OrwellwasRight]

28. That's the best, most polite response I have ever received

on the Nader issue. And I concur. I respect your position even as I disagree with it.

[calimary]

30. :D

[Neema]

21. I wish I could recommend this a thousand times.

I'll never forgive Nader for allowing Bush to steal the White House.

[calimary]

24. Welcome to DU, Neema!

Yeah. I'm with you there. I'm sorry, but third party folks do little but server as spoilers, the way our system is set up now.

We could always change that system, I suppose, but I'm not sure where to begin on that one, speaking practically and realistically. It would be a Herculean effort and I'm not sure it'd work. Particularly when there's very little upon which our fellow Americans seem able to agree, just on the average day.

[Neema]

27. Thanks calimary

I'm an old-timer (back under new user name due to IRL problems with my old user name), but it's good to be back.

[Bradical79]

2. Good

People who actually believe in libertarian ideals should be terrified of Trump.

[RKP5637]

3. Excellent!!! n/t

[barbtries]

5. in the final analysis

many people actually care about the country. thankfully, it is a solid majority.

[DrToast]

6. I think Weld regrets being linked to Johnson

He knows that Gary Johnson is a political lightweight.

[DesertRat]

7. He's a good man

[William769]

8. Kick & recommended.

[Hekate]

9. KnR

[central scrutinizer]

10. Johnson and Trump should have debated

Settle once and for all which one is more ignorant of world affairs and more clueless about the Constitution and the US system of government

[Ruth Bonner]

12. Or, maybe, settle which drug gives the advantage in debates....

Weed or Coke?

[calimary]

25. Welcome to DU, Ruth Bonner!

If it ever came to that, I'd vote for weed. No sniffing!

[colsohlibgal]

11. Has To Help

I imagine lots of libertarians and republicans, once in the privacy of a voting booth, will vote for Hillary.

[IronLionZion]

13. Johnson is kooky, but Weld has always been sensible

[smirkymonkey]

29. Weld is the ONLY republican I have ever voted for in my life. He was running against

the odious, unhinged BU President John Silber who basically sounded like a republican even though he was the Democratic candidate. Weld was quite socially liberal and basically moderate for a republican. He's a fairly reasonable guy.

[JI7]

14. i wonder how much of this has to do with embarrassment over Johnson and his not being fit for office

[Coyotl]

15. "Donald Trump is not stable." Bill Weld

"When challenged, he often responds as a child might. He makes a sour face, he calls people by insulting names, he waves his arms, he impatiently interrupts. Most families would not allow their children to remain at the dinner table if they behaved as Mr. Trump does. ..." Bill Weld, official campaign statement.

[harun]

16. LOL, pretty much sums it up.

[oberliner]

17. Headline is a lie

Weld does not admit defeat and does not tell voters to pick Clinton.

[Coyotl]

19. True that. I read the campaign statement released to refute these lies.

But I decided to not mention it above when I quoted from it.

[oberliner]

20. STATEMENT BY GOV. BILL WELD REGARDING THE FINAL WEEKS OF THIS ELECTION

“Several web sites and media outlets have seized upon Governor Bill Weld’s statement from a news conference Tuesday in Boston to jump to conclusions that are wishful thinking, rather than reality.

“Led by Occupy Democrats, a well-known mouthpiece for the left, the sensationalists and wishful thinkers are re-writing Gov. Weld’s forceful condemnation of Donald Trump into a suggestion that voters should support Hillary Clinton. That is absurd.

“Governor Weld and Governor Johnson are campaigning nonstop, with rallies and appearances scheduled over the next few days across the country from Alaska to Cincinnati, and are fully committed to giving voters the third choice they deserve in this election.

“Any suggestion to the contrary is the product of active imaginations and partisans in both the Republican and Democrat camps who see how many independents, millennials and other disenfranchised voters are looking to the Johnson-Weld ticket as a vote they can cast in good conscience.

“Governor Weld has made clear from day one his fear of a potential Trump presidency, just as he has made clear his policy differences with Hillary Clinton. The only candidate he is urging voters to support for President is Gov. Gary Johnson. Period.

https://www.johnsonweld.com/the_democratic_media_machine_is_at_it_again

[riversedge]

26. REC