Taking pandering to new lows
First, big props to Dave Weigel (now with Semafor) for covering the messiest. most tedious parts of political conventions for years. How he can stand to live-blog Democratic platform committee meetings is beyond me. This weekend, Dave is covering the Libertarian Party’s national convention in Washington, D.C.
Weigel reports:
Donald Trump promised members of the Libertarian Party that he would “put a libertarian in my cabinet” and commute the life sentence of Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht, a top demand of a political movement that intends to run its own candidate against him.
“On day one, we will commute the sentence,” Trump said, offering to free the creator of what was once the internet’s most infamous drug clearinghouse. “We will bring him home.” His speeches more typically include a pledge to execute drug dealers, citing China as a model.
As anyone might have guessed from the motion made from the floor on Friday that “Donald Trump to go f*ck himself” that drew applause, Trump’s reception was not his warmest. The crowd, Weigel observed, “wavered between skepticism and contempt.”
Displaying his uncanny knack for winning friends and influencing people, Trump urged the hostile crowd to nominate him for president standing below a banner reading “Become Ungovernable.”
“Only do that if you want to win,” he said. “If you want to lose, don’t do that. Keep getting your three percent every four years.”
Trump promises to appoint a Libertarian to his cabinet and others to senior posts. The crowd was not buying it and responded with jeers.
“Our rights and freedoms have never been more in danger than they are right now,” Trump told the crowd.
“You crushed our rights,” the crowd shouted back and chanted “HYPOCRITE!”
Sen. Mike “pull up Social Security by the roots” Lee, Republican of Utah, chalked up the heckling to “paid agitators.”
Maybe TFG should have promised to make Ayn Rand’s birthday a national holiday?
● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●
For The Win, 5th Edition is ready for download. Request a copy of my free countywide GOTV planning guide at ForTheWin.us.