Libertarian VP Candidate Bill Weld Gives Up, Will Focus on Preventing Trump Presidency

[justiceischeap]

As some presumably small portion of Americans sat through a dull debate between the Republican and Democratic vice-presidential nominees on Tuesday night, a far more interesting drama was unfolding within the Libertarian ticket. VP candidate Bill Weld told the Boston Globe that he plans to focus exclusively on attacking Donald Trump for the remainder of the campaign — essentially admitting that running mate Gary Johnson can not become president.

Trump has Weld’s “full attention,” he explained, because his agenda is so terrible it’s “in a class by itself.” “I think Mr. Trump’s proposals in the foreign policy area, including nuclear proliferation, tariffs, and free trade, would be so hurtful, domestically and in the world, that he has my full attention,” Weld said.

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/10/libertarian-vp-candidate-just-wants-to-stop-trump-presidency.html?mid=facebook_nymag

[BumRushDaShow]

1. There will probably be books and books written

about the election of 2016.

[Saviolo]

16. In 15 years:

If you're at a pub trivia night and the question is "In what year did..."

The answer will always be 2016.

[BumRushDaShow]

30. Or a good Jeopardy question!

[Madam45for2923]

17. and movies and movies!!!

[BumRushDaShow]

31. I'm sure HBO is in development right now

They got "Game Change" out pretty quick.

[Maru Kitteh]

40. I'll buy them. Starting with Katy Tur's book.

[BumRushDaShow]

44. That one will be a hoot!

[iandhr]

2. We need to tip our hats to those who are...

... putting country before party.

[blue cat]

3. I wish the DU

Had a like button.

[PunksMom]

26. ME TOO!

[Cakes488]

5. I agree and I would do the same thing if an insane person was on the democrat ticket

[Coolest Ranger]

14. Except

there is not an insane person on the ticket. We have two smart and capable people

[Cakes488]

22. Yes, but if we had say Trashbag at the top of the Dem ticket there is no way I'd drink that Kool Aid

[Hekate]

27. Democratic ticket, not democrat ticket

It was the GOP that decided to change our party's name to "Democrat party." They all did it at once several years ago, kind of lke your least-favorite person in high school telling everyone to call you 488 instead of Cakes488 at every opportunity.

[Maru Kitteh]

41. Didn't that coicide with their not-so-subtle ad with a bunch of rats running through the frame?

I forget the purported "substance" of the ad.

[Hekate]

46. Probably. It's been kind of a "tell" ever since. Sometimes I give newbies the benefit of the doubt

...because with repetition it has entered even some newscasters' lexicon...

[BlancheSplanchnik]

34. ^^

Yes.

[Funtatlaguy]

4. Come on, Weld......drop out

He needs to go full in...or in this case, full out...
Officially drop out and endorse Hillary.
He is too old for any more political runs.
Who knows, HRC might find him an Ambassadorship or something.

[George II]

20. Back when he was Governor of Massachusetts, he removed tolls from Springfield west....

...in the hopes he would be elected to the Senate. He then was appointed Ambassador to Mexico but right wing republicans (behind Jesse Helms) blocked it.

[Retired George]

47. Yes!

It would help Hillary by drastically reducing support for Aleppo Johnson.

[Coyotl]

6. A ploy to steal Clinton votes, not just Trump votes. If he really cared, he'd cancel their campaign

[LP2K12]

8. He can drop out as a VP candidate all he wants...

He really has no power to cancel Johnson's campaign though.

[Blue Idaho]

12. Without a VP candidate on the ticket

The pointlessness of the Libriarian campaign is driven home. He needs to drop off the ticket.

[mountain grammy]

7. Good for him.

[Hortensis]

36. Agree.

[Patiod]

9. Don't the Libertarians pull more from Republicans than Democrats?

So wouldn't their pullout help Donald more than it would help Hillary?

[OKNancy]

25. traditionally, but some people care about weed more than anything

and sticking it to Hillary.

[Hortensis]

37. Usually. The racist Ron Paul libertarians may

largely already have moved to Trump, though.

[Gothmog]

10. A vote for stein or Johnson is a vote for trump

Bill Weld is a smart man and does not want Trump to be elected

[tonyt53]

11. But even with his statement, many will still vote for Johnson, who is by most standards, an idiot

[Cosmocat]

24. Agree fully, but sadly

1,000 times better than the jackass who will get over 40 percent of the vote a month from now.

[Hortensis]

38. Let's see. Maybe he'll only draw 39% and we'll be

able to declare a moral victory for America...

[BumRushDaShow]

32. But then Libertarian papa Ron Paul announced that he didn't support Johnson

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/10/03/ron-paul-criticizes-gary-johnson-praises-jill-stein/

so that will throw a monkey wrench into the works.

[Maru Kitteh]

43. Must be a serious personal issue with RP! Stein and Paul have about as much in common

as a nanobot and ad diploducus fossil.

[BumRushDaShow]

45. Ain't that the damn truth!

I don't get it either outside of maybe some CT stuff. But then I think I found a potential reason why -

August 30, 2016 3:52 PM

[font size="4"]Super PAC that supported Rand Paul now backing Gary Johnson[/font]

By Curtis Tate

WASHINGTON - A super PAC that originally supported Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul’s Republican presidential bid has spent $1 million on advertising for Libertarian presidential candidate Gary Johnson.

Purple PAC is among three libertarian-backed super PACs that originally supported Paul. The others, America’s Liberty PAC and Concerned American Voters, have sat out the presidential race since Paul ended his bid in February.

In spite of Paul’s libertarian leanings and some testy exchanges in debates with former rival Donald Trump, he has said he will support the Republican nominee.

Johnson, a former Republican governor of New Mexico, is running on the Libertarian ticket with Bill Weld, a former Republican governor of Massachusetts.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/election/article98852277.html

Always comes down to $$$$ and it seems someone dissed his dear son and dear dad ain't ready to go all-in for Drumpf.

[PatSeg]

13. Weld has been far more

impressive than his running mate who appears to be in a daze all the time.

[90-percent]

15. jOHNSON

I'm aghast he is polling at 9%? Besides weed, most of what he stands for is pure every man for himself servitude under a naked Oligarchy.

-90% Jimmy

[Saviolo]

18. And judging by their convention

Gary Johnson is one of the moderates compared to some of the total economic anarchists that hang out in that party:

[DallasNE]

39. With Johnson's Stumbles

I'm reminded of Nancy Reagan telling her husband "we're doing all we can" when Ronnie had a brain freeze at a news conference and we all know how that turned out. Maybe Weld is sensing that as well but can't say it.

[Hortensis]

42. Oh, absolutely. He's an ex-pub, likely not even a true liberatarian

by personality at all. At most perhaps 13% of Americans are of libertarian personality. Mercifully! I remember one of their leaders saying he wouldn't choose to destroy government entirely, although he admitted to being greatly intrigued by the idea of national collapse and anarchy.

Most in the party are just riding an anti-GOP trend and have no idea what libertarianism really is. I suspect Paul Ryan's the real thing, though. He was almost 40 when he advised all his employees to read Ayn Rand, no kid, and his current economic plan would allow Rand's deserving people to rev up that giant sucking sound like never before. One writer said it makes W look like a progressive.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

19. With no knowledge of/concern about

the rest of the world.

[anon504]

29. Polling isn't voting

If you look at past election results, you'll see the LP almost never delivers the % of votes the polls suggested they would.

[MineralMan]

21. Good for him. Now, if we can just get Johnson to pull out...

That'd be great.

[hamsterjill]

23. Then he needs to endorse Hillary.

n/t

[SunSeeker]

28. K & R

[ffr]

33. Americans are very concerned - we cannot have a Donald presidency.

The world cannot afford it. Life on Earth cannot afford it.

[BainsBane]

35. He had enough of being embarrassed by Johnson

and having to feed him basic information about the names of world leaders.

[racism_sucks]

48. Helpful

While it's unlikely to change any minds or votes this can't be anything but a good thing for Hillary. Plus Johnson remaining in the running may pull Hillary in the correct direction WRT to NSA evesdropping and such so it's a win-win. The Libertarians are right on some things (blind squirrel and nut, yadda yadda) and privacy is one of them.