Trump, do not sleep.
He don't play by no rules.
Just to say, will your president be awake at three o'clock in the morning to answer the phone if it rings? Shit chair, our president is up. Our president is a vampire. That motherfucker said twenty three tweets said twelve thirty What the fuck is you gonna vine?
That motherfuckers own it?
Trump?
No Gill Fuck.
That motherfucker has owned it, whatever the fuck it is. Every time he wake up, he just signed another piece of paper. Wait till they see this when they wake the fuck up, since they want to talk.
We used to just.
Being able to watch the news a little bit and then walk off.
Not with Trump.
Niggas is watching the news like it's the playoffs.
Ship.
Trumpn't give fuck. Trump don't follow no boy, these rules. The president supposed to be at the White House, Our president is wherever. Well, fuck he wont to be.
Welcome to Liberty Lockdown. This is Clint Russell. Thank you for tuning in once again. Got some rare good news. I'm just kidding. Actually, we've had lots of good news over the past month. Shout out to Trump, Shout out to Kat Williams. Kat Williams one of my favorite comics, absolutely hysterical talking about how Trump doesn't.
Trump, don't sleep, my fucker get whatever, he won't.
Love Cat Williams. Anyways, I just thought that was a fun, fun way to intro US. I got some good news. More good news is that it looks like the war in Ukraine may be ending at long. Last three years deep into this thing, hundreds of thousands of parish it's been hell, to put it mildly, but there is light at the end of the tunnel. And that light does not have three chairs sitting at it. It has one for Vladimir Putin and one for Donald Trump. And Zelensky
is absolutely panicking. And this was what I predicted for a long time now, is that he would eventually be left out in the cold because he was doing the bidding of the existing US State Department and Trump ain't interested in playing you know that that game anymore. And it looks like this dude his toast. So let's go to Trump and see what he has to say.
You have any.
Message for Ukrainians who, after three years of fighting, might feel betrayed or disappointed at not having a seat at these initial talks in Saudi Arabia.
Well, I think I'm really disappointed in what's happened. I've been watching this for three years. It's a war that would have never happened if I.
Was president, and I've been watching these these you.
Know, people being killed at levels that you've rarely seen, not even close since the Second World War. And I'm very disappointed. I hear that, you know they're upset about not having a seat, Well, they've had a seat for three years, and a long time before that.
This could have been settled very easily, just.
A half a half baked negotiator could have settled this years ago. I think without the loss of much land, very little land, without the loss of any lives, and without the loss of cities that are just laying on their side.
You have those magnificent.
Golden domes that are shattered, will never be replaced.
You can't replace him.
So that part isn't surprising. Trump has been talking like this on the campaign trail, all the way back to his town halls of a year ago, when he was just even pre debate, So this has been his perspective for a very long time. Nothing is surprising.
Here. Here's where it gets interesting.
We're hearing that Russia wants to force Ukraine to hold new elections in order to.
Sign any kind of a peace deal.
Is that something that the US would ever support?
Well, we have let me pause it there. Just think about how ridiculous it is that we've been told for three straight years that we must defend the Ukraine in order to defend democracy. And this journalist asked what they straight face, in all seriousness, why are we demanding that Ukraine hold elections? Isn't that kind of a prerequisite for a democratic system? Last I checked, don't you have to have elections in order to be a democracy, otherwise you're
in a monarchy or some sort of authoritarian deal. But no, they've been in martial law. So I guess democracy isn't really what we're defending there now, is it.
We haven't had elections in Ukraine. Well, we have martial law, essentially marshal law in Ukraine. Where the leader in Ukraine, I mean, I hate to say it, but he's down at four percent approval writing and where a country has been blown to smither. Rings got Most of the cities are laying on their sides.
The buildings are collapsed.
It looks like a massive demolition site the whole. I mean so many of the cities. I mean, they haven't done it in Kiev because I guess they don't want to shoot too many rockets in there. They've done it twenty percent, but they haven't done it one hundred percent. If they wanted to do it one hundred percent, it would probably happen very quickly. But you have cities that
are absolutely decimated. And yeah, I would say that, you know, when they want a seat at the table, you could say that people have to wouldn't the people of Ukraine have to say, like, you know, it's been a long time since we've had an election.
That's not a Russia thing.
That's something coming from me and coming from many other countries also.
Who That was a bit of too much truth, huh, talking about the fact that there hasn't been elections, that there's martial law, that there's been just immense destruction, that there's been no appetite for negotiations or peace from the Ukrainian side, the side that has been losing this war, and the reason that there's been no appetite for negotiations of peace is because the will of the people be damned.
That was not who was calling the shots here. In my opinion, it was clearly the US State Department that was actually instructing Vladimir Zelensky on what to do and when to do it and how to do it. And there's a new sheriff in town, so that ain't helping him. With his four percent approval rating, now, I haven't double checked that to see if that's true. That seems impossibly low,
especially during wartime, but I'm sure it's not high. So let's just assume that Trump is being his normal hyperbolic self and it's not exactly four percent, but it is in the toilet. Nonetheless, Yeah, this guy's probably lost the support of his people and it's time, man. And you know,
I will disagree with one aspect of this. I mean, I do understand Trump's reasoning, but I think if you expect the Ukrainian people and the soldiers there who have been fighting tooth and nail for three years, those that are lucky enough to still be alive to accept whatever negotiation or whatever peace deal you come up with, well, if they feel as if they haven't had say in that, I'm not so sure that you won't see an uptick in fighting post peace negotiation, because you don't have the
sign off from the President of Ukraine. So I think that could be a mistake. However, to give Trump his due, I think it's probably true that Zelensky is refusing and that he is totally unwilling to accept any loss of land, and I think that that's ultimately going.
To be required.
It's gonna be requisite if you expect there to ever be peace, because the larger power has dictated the terms of this settlement, as is often the case in war, if not always the case in war, that the larger power gets to have a better deal than the weaker power.
It's just how it goes.
It's how it's been for America in its empire stages. We have negotiated terrible peace settlements all the way back to Germany and World War One. But Iraq, Afghanistan, I mean, we do we implement and use our power and our will, our strangle hold over these nations in a pretty vicious fashion. So to expect that Russia is not going to do the same, I think is just naive. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying it's naive to think that
they wouldn't do it too. So my expectation and my belief has been the same for years now, and I told Destiny about two almost two years ago. I think that they are not going to accept anything less than Crimea and a land bridge to Crimea. That has been the land that they've been holding. I think it's the land that they expect to keep. Trump said, you know, they haven't taken Kiev.
He goes, I don't know why. Maybe they just don't want.
Yeah, I don't think they want to because they don't want to actually be on the border of Poland. They don't want to be on the border of NATO. In my opinion, that is one of the true aspects of Putin's perspective on this, is that yes, the expansion of NATO into Ukraine was a red line and that they were not going.
To accept that.
So all of this still aligns with everything that I've read and believed about this entire war since its inception, and it just seems like this is the inevitable conclusion.
And I think that Trump is absolutely right that they didn't have to lose all of these people in all of this land that you could have negotiated very early on, if not even prior to the invasion, but certainly a month in when there was a negotiated peace settlement that was signed off on, at least tentatively, that was torn up thanks to Boris Johnson at the direction of I believe it was Jake Sullivan. It may have been blinking,
but it's just terrible. It's just terrible. All of this could have been avoided or at least minimized tremendously, and so spending it positively though, thank God, that this might actually be ending, that the suffering of the Ukrainian people might be coming to an end, that there might actually be sovereignty left for the Ukrainians, that there might actually be a Ukraine left, given that that was not a foregone conclusion, I think that that would be good. That
would be a good thing. And most importantly from the American perspective, which is the one I hold and the one I care most about, is that we might not have to have a war with Russia.
Hey hooray, which I.
Might add was the primary reason voted for Donald Trump, is because that's what he campaigned on, and it appears that he is interested in delivering on that promise. Thank God. I do not want to see my little brothers sent off to war, especially a war that is you know, has the potential to be apocalyptic.
It's it just had to be avoided.
And everyone in the Biden administration was one hundred percent committed to this war, and everyone in all of the West seems to be committed to this war. It's crazy. I did want to make this point because you know, after J. D. Vance went to Germany, to Munich a couple days ago, and he gave that speech that kind
of chastised them. One aspect of the speech that did not chastise them that or that he did not get into that I wish he had was that these people seem to be most interested in war with Russia, like absolutely bloodthirsty they I'll give them, you know there, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say, it does seem to me as if some of them are true believers, that they genuinely believe that Putin is about
to roll across Europe. I have I have never seen signs that that's actually in the works, that it's imminent, that that's happening, that that's the plan. I don't believe it. I don't believe it. If I'm wrong, I will be the first to tell you, and I will be tragically wrong if that happens. But I just don't think it's actually viable. I don't think that Putin can do it. I don't think Russia can do it, and I'm not even sure that they want to. So I don't think
that's going to happen. But the leadership of Europe, those people in that conference room at the Munich Security Conference, they seem one hundred percent convinced that that's going to happen. I mean, if you listen to Kure Starmer's speech today, He's like, this is as extensive, as existential as it gets.
I want to thank President Macron for convening us this evening. At stake is not just the future of Ukraine. It is an existential question for Europe as a whole, and they're more vital for Britain's national interest. This is a once in a generation moment the collective security of our continent. Only a lasting piece in Ukraine that safeguards its sovereignty
will deter Putin from further aggression in the future. In this moment, we have to recognize the new era that we are in not cling hopelessly to the comforts of the past. It's time for us to take responsibility for our security, for our continent. And I've been clear today Britain will take a leading responsibility as we always have because Ukraine must have a secure future, Europe must have a secure future, Britain must have a secure future and democratic values must prevail.
So that's the Prime Minister of the UK Cure Starmer, saying we must defend them to the last man. He was obviously meeting with a manual crown who lost his election in star hasn't stepped down from power after I think six months now, so they're pretty much doing away with the entire venear that democracy is legitimate and just like yeah, they're all warlords. As best I can tell, I don't support any of them. They don't believe in free speech, they don't believe in human freedom, they don't
believe in self defense. Why the fuck are these people our allies? I don't understand it. I mean, other than my lineage, which I think I have some English heritage. I think I know I have German. I've got you know, just European mutt like most white Americans, you know, I feel bad for the people that live there, but I have no affinity for the governments of those countries. I feel like they're worse than our own, basically how I feel about Trudeau in Canada or the poor Australians and
their government. I don't want to be allied with these people any longer. I don't want to be a member of NATO any longer. I don't want to be their defender. I certainly don't want to be their benefactor or their funding source for their unlimited, endless wars because they are delusional and believe that Russia's about to conquer them. If they believe that, I don't even know. Maybe they're just owned by the military industrial complex or intell agencies or
who knows, uh, Satan himself. I don't know, don't care. I don't want to fund it. I don't want to have. You know, my countrymen fight and die for these people. If they want that war, that's their choice to make. That's not mine, and it's not going to be my money and my countrymen fighting it for them. Strap up here. If you want to fight, you get on the front lines. I'm not fucking doing it.
Not interested.
Thanks pass so That's how I feel about it. Feel free to disagree, if you want to enlist, go at it.
I am out.
I am out one d And the good news is that it appears the United States, thanks to Donald Trump, is also out. We are done with Vladimir Zelenski. We are done with this constant escalation escalation against Russia, and we are done with endless wars. We're done, thank God. Now let's hope I'm right. Let's hope that Trump's stance is a fixed one and that this will actually be
resolved here shortly. And moreover, let's hope for the people of Ukraine and Russia and Europe that this war ends so that we can get back to just being nice, normal people again. What a novel concept, all right. Today's interview is with a buddy of mine. He is Josiah Baker. He's the chair of the Libertarian Party of Tennessee. He's running for reelection, so I decided to have him on give him a little boost.
See if that helps. I'm just kidding. I just wanted to chat with him for a bit.
This does get a little bit inside baseball. We talk a little bit about the inside of the party itself and how that's all functioning. I don't know if you'll find that part interesting, but I think you will find the parts interesting in terms of like tactical discussions. How is it that the Libertarian Party can be utilized to make the Republican Party more viable? How it can actually make it better? Because as of now it is a duopoly. Can we make half of the duopoly at least not
existentially terrible. Well, it appears that we may have, and it appears that if we continue on that path and that trajectory, we might be.
Able to improve it further. We'll see.
It's an interesting It's an interesting combo. Hope you guys enjoy it. I'll be back to you in a couple of days. As always, Liberty Lockdown has brought to you by my pillow dot com Mike Lindell. That's sexy double hen uh. You know, if you're interested in getting they don't just have pillows, by the way, They got bed sheets, betting mattresses, toppers, slippers, clothes, towels, robes, kitchen stuff. My goodness,
they got everything, even got stuff for your pets. If you're interested in supporting Liberty Lockdown, please make sure you remember to use the coat, or actually you don't even to use the coat. Just go to my pillow dot com slash lockdown or call eight hundred dosh eight oh three dish O three three nine to call in place in order, or if you're not a boomer and you have a computer, I would recommend my pillow dot com slash lockdown get you some.
And it takes a strong libertarian party to get a more libertarian Republican party.
Well, you and I agree on that clearly, and I think that it's worked. I think that the first time we were I guess we weren't even that strong of a party. Our candidate certainly wasn't strong, but it just seemed as if the movement and our influencers were strong in that arena, and that was kind of enough to give Angela the the leverage by which he can negotiate real concessions from the Republicans.
So I'll start there.
What Stephen Nakaila is the interim chair after Angela mccartil's stepped down. Just curious what your thoughts are about him. I'm not super familiar, So what do you think.
Stephen is a He's a nice guy.
Had a meeting with him not long ago to kind of grasp his take on everything. I didn't even know he was in the running for it till the bonkers LNC clown show meeting that he kind of got pushed through there and the whole I'm not going to bore people about internal LP politics because I'll fall asleep mid sentence. But in essence, he got thrown in at the last second to get it. I know he's wanted it for
a while. Ran against angela nice guy. I hope that he has the fortitude of the intestinmal variety to continue the work. He said that he supports the PDR strategy that Michael Heiss has created, which is an actual tangible metric to winning focusing on nullification elections at the state local levels. I support that PDR stand for Project Decentralized Revolution. There's a great essay that Heyst wrote up about it. He's also read it. Read the essay.
I'm well aware this is for my audience's sake. Yeah you can't. You're talking like a military guy using acronyms that you know. Normanis have no idea what you mean.
Total So Project a Centralized Revolution essentially says the Libertarian Party needs to be honest with itself, and for over fifty years it's been largely irrelevant. It's viewed by the public as people that show up every four years, screw up an election, crawl back in their hole like puks of Ponty Phil. But with politics and the reason Libertarians
need to be honest with themselves. We had up until this last election, no tangible wins at all unless you count you know, internet verbal chess as wins, dunking on people, nothing in the real world, nothing in meat space, and hey.
Come on, come on, don't downplay it. We want a lot of Internet blood support pattle.
Oh yes, yes, a lot of a lot of feudal arguments into the wee hours of the morning. But yeah, but Mike's vision with PDR Project to Centralized Revolution was being honest understanding we as a party need to stop throwing spaghetti at a wall and hope something sticks.
Have a honed in focus, and it was state level.
We need to focus on local elections with actual nullification powers like city council, school constable, share of county commission, mayor these seats that can nullify state and federal eicts. Because we all learned during COVID it matters who your local government body is and your state government body. Well, a lot of us tout Ronda Santis and the way
Florida handle COVID. That's why state level and local level matter, because the dirty secret is whatever the Feds say we're going to do, they need local compliance to do so, yep. And that's why we focus on those seats. It's actual seats of power. It's not, hey, I'm the you know, I'm the local dog catcher.
Nobody cares power.
And most importantly, it's they're winnable seats as opposed to federal elections, so, you know, federal elections. I think I still believe what I said, you know, three years ago, that if Dave Smith type of figure were to run at the national level, it would be a boon to us and that it would be.
Well well worth doing.
As we saw with the Chase Oliver campaign, that is the opposite of effective, and it basically makes no impact whatsoever, and every penny spent in that endeavor is wasted as best I can tell. So I think that's where I'm at with it now. Is like you either run a Ron Paul level, you know, firebrand with charisma that can attract people, or you don't run federally at all, and that that's, you know, that may be an unpopular opinion, because who decides who is the type of candidate that
is worthy of running federally? But you know, that's that's kind of where I fall on these things. I do think that the you know, projecting centralized revolution is the much more viable path moving forward. I'm curious what your thoughts are on, you know, the Trump administration so far. I've if you've listened to any of my latest episodes or coverage, I'm certainly pleasantly surprised. I think he has exceeded expectations. I think he's done things that I really
didn't expect, things he didn't even promise. The USAID funding freeze is an absolute, i mean windfall for anybody that understands how the State Department really functions and how our foreign policy is implemented. So I'm still I'm still at a loss as to how so many libertarians seem to give him no credit, no grace, whatsoever.
Where do you fall?
I think the greatest analogy him ever is Tennessee's very on Andrew Jackson who with Yeah, like any other man as president, you have your faults, but he did roll back the state and the banking system with I'm i'm. I was optimistic, hopeful, maybe even to a naive point that he made these these concessions in these sales pitches, and ross was free massive, biggest win in the history
of the party, actually affecting something nationally. And then he's the talk of Department of Education being abolished.
Is is in the zeitgeist right now.
And yeah, the USA, which is the CIA arm of regime change, along with everything else that our money has been wasted on, that being burnt to the ground. It's almost as if this man had zero fs to give anymore. After they tried to tried to impeach him, tried to kill him twice, you know, tried everything against him, and now he's coming in not needing a reelection.
He's like, screw it, meant I'm gonna do it.
I can firmly say, for the most part, he's the most libertarian president of my lifetime. YEP, with what he's done, and I can say that with full confidence. At the same time, I'm not crazy about the UH, the Israel continued funding of genocide, the gozit plan. But again, he talks a lot like a real estate mogul. Let me, let me look at this, and this is what I'm going to short sell you at. And I don't know if it's a tactic.
I don't know.
It's it's a wait and see.
But I'm kind of in a wait, kind of in a wait and see mode, you know, if that makes sense. At this point, I mean, he's gone after US eight, He's gone after all these departments. He's going after all these things, which is the best that we've seen in ever. It's it's kind of crazy when you roll out of bed and look at Twitter X and go, oh my god, really,
Elon's having a heyday with it. I hope to continue to see these policies go, but I mean it's been pretty wild, and there are people that are like, well, it's got to go through the proper channel executive orders. I don't care he's using executive orders to fight unconstitutionality.
I don't know.
It's it's he's reducing the government fraction by whatever means necessary, and I.
Think that's a win and we should celebrate that win.
We can be critical when he's not good, just like you and Scott and other voices are.
Dave, and that's good.
You know, we've got a bull in a china shop and he's got blood in his eyes, so that's a good thing.
Yeah, let him, let him run wild as long as he's running in the right direction. Is kind of how I feel about it. And yeah, I mean I think that particularly Dose, you know, didn't it didn't come across in its early manifestation or like its pitch as having any teeth. And most of us, particularly the you know, given that most of us are very jaded, we expected very little from it. That it would be kind of an advisory board that may highlight some things but probably
won't get much done. That is not what this thing is.
So far. It seems to.
Be very very meaningful actually in a way that is pervasive. I mean, like they're going and they're going after DoD, I mean, they're going after the Pentagon. These are they're doing things that like most i mean the most pessimistic amongst us, would have never thought possible. Like it's just it's just unbelievable. Actually, maybe maybe the most optimistic amongst us would have never thought possible. So I'm I'm at
this point. Yeah, I'm gonna wait and see mode on all of the bad things that he's talking about, because as of now, he's doing good things. He's saying a couple bad things, but he's not doing the bad things yet. So that's where I'm at. I think we also have to wait and see when it comes to the tariff you know, wars and whether or not that just ends up reducing net tariffs or if it increases tariffs across
the board. As of now, I'm still not certain because he seems to be getting a lot of concessions from countries by utilizing that threat, so, you know. And and then lastly, I totally agree with you on the the you know, executive orders. If you're using executive power to fight unconstitutional things, great, If you're using executive powers to do uncon unconstitutional things, well then yeah we're going to
have a conversation. So yeah, across the board, I just I, you know, for my audience's sake, and I think it would be interesting just to get your perspective. My opinion is that Trump, as you said earlier, he's the most libertarian president in your lifetime. That doesn't make him perfect, but I think that most libertarians in the country feel the same way. But then if you actually look at you know, l NC type of communications on this thing. By that I mean Libertarian National it seems as as
if it's pretty divided. Do you think that the the broader you know, the delegates, the higher ups within the Libertarian party are out of touch with the average libertarian voter, because I certainly feel so.
Yeah, man, there is I think a disconnect because a lot of uh, and I don't just blame it on the autism joke, but a lot of libertarians involved in libertarian inc are so zoomed in and live in such theory in twenty four to seven that they don't understand praxeology in the real world, and they don't understand it. There's I hate the old adage it was corny. Either you're just libertarian you don't know it yet, But a lot of folks do think in these these ideals. They
just don't. You know, people go and they say, something smells wrong about this. You know, why is this? Why is this the case?
Hey? Why is it? Why? You know?
Your average American goes, why is everything so high? It doesn't make sense? They're thinking and they're so close, but libertarians tend to go into it with the gift of the well actually mean in a full dissertation that just turns people away. It's it's you have to be relatable. And I think, honestly, honestly, I thought Angela did a heck of the job making Libertarians relatable to people in the real world that aren't just in our little circles.
And we have to maintain that.
Whether it happens from the national standpoint currently or not remains to be seen. But I want to see that more action, more connectivity, more coalition. You know, in Tennessee, what we do like coalition is the pipeline two productive membership, you know, and sometimes I hate to break it.
Addition is by some traction like like raw dollars.
Sure, raw dollars are great, raw dollars that have no arms and legs to do anything productive. It's it's you know, and and punching above our weight like we've been doing.
We have to continue that.
And I think I think that hopefully some folks with national will will heed that we're kind of in a waiting pattern here and we'll see what happens in Grand Rapids.
Well, I'll just I'll just say it bluntly.
I think that, you know, subtraction when it comes to people that are in the Libertarian Party because they're obsessed with like trans issues or you know, gay rights and oppression and all this stuff that really just falls into the progressive umbrella. I don't think that they're best fit. And I know they feel the same way about me. So there's no law love loss between either side. But I just don't see this systemic oppression.
Narrative as being viable.
The people that think that racism is the biggest problem that faces this country, and there are people, there are people in Libertarian Party that feel that way. I feel like they're just not in the right place.
Well, man, it's it's much easier.
Back before Douglas Murray got retarded with war, he had a great book called The Madness of Crowds and I love It's one of my favorite books, and it talks about Saint George, right, the old Saint George from England. Once he retired after slaying the dragon, he moved on to lizards and snakes and raccoons, and then eventually they found him in the middle of his field swinging his sword at thin air because.
There was nothing left to slay.
But it's a lot easier for libertarians, especially identitarians, where the name tag of my identity is how I that's my social credit, the pain olympic types. It's easier to go and solve problems that are largely solved as racism one hundred percent gone.
No, does it have power?
No, you know, we have more productive things, especially as libertarians, to worry about life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, property rights, these things that are clearly egregiously smashed by the federal and state governments. That's what we should be focusing on, and that's why I'm so issues focused. But when it becomes identity politic game, it falls on deaf ears. And again I'm not saying I'm against this, that or the other group. I'm for human beings are.
That's the problem, though, is that you shouldn't even have to say that. Everything you everything you said to open this was you know, life, life, liberty, property, you know, pursuit of happening, all that that is applicable to everybody, if you're trans, black, gay, whatever like that. All of these principles are basically universal. So yes, who cares. It's
it's just not it's just not worth our focus. But the problem is is that what I found is that those that are obsessed with the things that are kind of they're tilting at win windmals when you know, racism being the specter that haunts us daily, they're also the ones that are are most prone to missing the genuine, uh, you know, topic that must be right, like you must be right about in the moment, and they get they get the Ukraine stuff wrong, they get the lockdowns, they
get the vaxed stuff wrong, like across the board. There's something about how the people that are obsessed with the whole liberal worldview, they also cannot see what's happening in real time. And I just from my vantage point, that makes them essentially useless. And you know that sounds like a harsh conbination.
But useless or useful idiot.
Yeah, the overlap is significant, and I don't think it's a coincidence. I think it has something to do with your worldview. I really do it does.
And it's a worldview that stems from Marxism with power, dynamic and paying Olympic type. I call it theology honestly, and viewing it through that instead of through a first principles lens of again life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, property rights, non aggression, which is not non violent. By the way, a lot of people equate those two. Aggression and violence
are two different things. But you are correct, and what ends up happening is the blemish tarnishes the garment, if you will, those blemishes in the past, as libertarians like you and my, You and me, we didn't get involved in the party until recent history because like we looked at it and we were like, I'm not wearing clown shoes and undermining my entire influence with my social circles and my professional circles because all someone's going to do
is google Libertarian Party and see some naked dude on c Span. Now after Angela's term here, we have such quality, such quality content that is in the zeitgeist of the American citizen. I mean, during our national convention, we were all having people text us They're like.
Hey, you're libertarian, right, what is going on? Oh my god?
Because Donald Trump and RFK are They're giving their sales pitch to a voter block in an election that had razor thin margins.
That's wielding actual power. And honestly, I'd.
Be okay if the LNC nominated Chase Oliver for presidential candidate every year, because it's the ultimate weight in retrospect to wield power from a national standpoint in different states.
I disagree. I disagree, all right, So hear me out.
This is what my thought process was because we didn't get much in terms of concessions. We didn't get a libertarian in the cabinet, specifically because we did not endorse Donald Trump.
And if you know, this.
Is going to be very controversial, but I just think it's it's worth consideration. So let's just do the thought experiment. So the whole reason that Bobby Kennedy is now the head of HHS, which wields.
Enormous power, eenormous.
It's about as big as any single department right up
there with you know, DoD Pentagon type of stuff. Major too much in terms of power, honestly, But the reason he got that is because he was polling at ten percent and he dropped out and he endorsed Donald Trump, and like he had immense leverage, he used it at its maximal time and he pissed off a lot of his supporters, but he ended up getting into something that he probably would have never been capable of doing, Like he wasn't going to win the presidency because the DNC
had already blocked him out.
So this was this was his only.
Pathway to actual political power. He worked at masterfully, and I think that he's going to do a great job as HHS. So my thesis is this, we don't run at Jase Oliver. We run a Dave Smith level character, and we then negotiate once we're pulling four or five percent in a margin that we can actually, you know, shift the outcome of an election, and then we throw our support to somebody whoever's most in alignment, whoever promises us the most. That's going to be very unpopular amongst
the LLENC faithful. But I'm curious what your thoughts are. Is that is that something we could ever consider.
I don't disagree that's a very good idea because and again it all a lot of this depends on how the midterms go, because you know, it's always set up, punch, set up punch midterms.
It depends.
Right now, let's say this hot streak of libertarian values continue, right and all of a sudden, the GOP as a debater, I once heard, all of a sudden, they're no longer campaigning like Ron Paul and ruling like John McCain, but now they're behaving like Ron Paul.
Yeah.
Ud, So the calculus now become.
Like, how do we continue to infect the populace with libertarian ideals and keep it in the mainstream. So there's there's scenarios where, yeah, the GOP continues to do this, who knows. And I do think the next cycle, you know, I was in jest kind of saying that earlier because it was such a razor thin margin and Chase took all the Democrat votes in those swing states. I think it's a good calculus for, you know, someone of principle of value, like a Dave Smith, a Clint Russell, Thomas Massey,
who knows. You know, I love Glenn Jacobs myself, but he's a lifetime LP member, Mesa's institute guy. But someone that can really now that we've got now that that wound is open, and we cannot just go in there and cut cut out the bad tissue of the state
using its own mechanisms. Now we can really precision with a really principled, libertarian, well spoken, likable, electable, that's the key word, electable candidate, because shit, man, we've got Hobby or Malay doing what he's doing down there, and this blueprint right now feels a lot, a lot similar to Cuera cut it all. So yeah, next time around, someone of principal fire up the base, I think, I think, and then you're looking at it getting even harder concessions.
We all knew that the relationship of the Israeli state and the United States state are so intermingled, dude, it's like a stage four tumor around the spinal cord inoperable right now, So we might just have to gut the body.
And lord, we knew that was going to be the hardest sell. I think we all know that.
Because yeah and no, and we were right. It's not much has changed in that regard.
So but yeah, I think I think it's a So here's my concern because Angela's stepped down, which you know, obviously disappointed me because I was a big fan of what she was doing. Stephen Akaela comes in. I don't know much about the guy, but the first thing that goes, you know, kind of mini viral.
In my world is.
That he essentially posts firing it looked like the comms person for LP National because they quote tweeted, you know, one of Kanye West kind of deranged rants and said, you know, this is this is what free speech looks like, or something like that, like not endorsing what he was saying, but just saying like this is the value of free speech. And I had no problem with it. I didn't think it was controversial. I hadn't even seen anybody upset by it.
But apparently the person was let go as a consequence. As you would imagine, that caused very, very big concerns to me as someone who I used to ghost write for LP National for a couple months back in the day. And I think that the most compelling avenue for LP National and our messaging is to be on the cutting edge, to be playing off of viral things like that, and to be pushing the envelope a little bit here and there.
Maybe not to LP n H level, but you know, some somewhere somewhere, you know, fifty percent to that.
Uh.
And it seems as if my concern is that this party is going back in the direction of the more progressive wing.
Am I wrong?
So that specific thing that that tweet by who I don't even know who crafted it. It was a glaring example I understand exactly what it was, a glaring example of, Hey, this is proof we have free speech. The fact that Kanye is saying this, this kind of stuff in the open, and then you and then you fast forward a week or whatever, and you see what the German people are saying that this week in the news cycle about cancelation of free speech and free speech is actually the problem.
That's how Hitler it's always Hitler. Well, that's how Hitler came to power. It was free speech check's notes. Okay, you know we couldn't use those three examples.
It's free speech's fault. Yeah, I thought the tweet was in if you read it.
The problem is most people don't read read it and think what they're saying it's one hundred percent agreeable.
That's that's how I felt.
This is like, this is hard proof Kanye West can say this, this is proof that free speech exists. Yeah, not agreeing with what he's saying, whatever, it's an example that it exists.
So I hope that that's not the case.
But like I said, there was a good, a good meeting that I was involved in with with the current chair and vice chair. And you know, I'm a national board member with the Mesas Caucus as well. And there's a reason the real world is paying attention to the Libertarian Party right now, and it's because it had to be stripped down and built back up, one principal brick
at a time. And if he doesn't continue with Angela's plans and methods, it will be solely on him because the the internal infrastructure of being the best voiced libertarian party with tentacles into the real world is already there. Okay, it's it's going to be on him, Okay if it doesn't happen.
So so you think you think he will continue in the mccardal esque path because it that that didn't send that message. No, you don't think so, Okay.
I think I think it will be a slow roll of capitulation.
The problem a lot of libertarians is we say life, liberty, property, right, that matters, that, the nap whatever. The chief value to a lot of libertarians is niceness, go along and get alongness.
That's not productivity, man, that that is definitely not my worldview.
Yeah, exactly, productivity, passion on the values the first principles of libertarianism not go along to get along, go along to get along as way down here and go along to get along. It can chop you off with the knees for some of the especially some of these people that love playing libertarian Game of thrones, who who can be the least effective but get to where the name act. Dude, I don't care do to work like I've never understood this match.
I couldn't.
I couldn't care less about getting to where the name tag of power within the LP. It's see like when I said, you know, niceness is not my concern. It's not that I'm not nice. I'm actually very nice, particularly
to my friends, and I'm very loyal too. But when it comes to like people that I don't know tried to lock me in my house and put crap in my body that I didn't want, and then, uh, you know, put my great great grandkids into thirty seven trillion and going up exponentially of debt, and uh also led me into wars based off of lies and risk nuclear war. Over the past two years three years with this proxy work against the largest nuclear power in human history in Russia.
It's like, should I be fucking nice to those people?
No?
Yeah, the fucking the answer is fuck no, I shouldn't be nice, and I shouldn't be I shouldn't be like soft pedaling. How upset I am with these people. So this is, this is and I think that's the reason I'm successful as a messenger for us is that like I reflect genuine anger. It's not performative. It's like it's
it's applicable, like I use it where applicable. And I think that that's that's actually what a lot of people want to see, especially if you're not a party that has, you know, duopoly power structure where you have like a guaranteed fifty percent shot at the throne. It's like, well we are, we have to fight like an upstart. Like, let's fight like an upstart. Let's get attention, let's say the things in a way that are compelling and passionate.
And so yeah, if you're it seems like you share my concerns that mister Nikaela will not be head in that direction. He reached out to me, wants to have a lunch, So I'll reserve judgment and and see if if he's actually not as soft on these things as it seems. But I think it would be a huge mistake to go back to the messaging brand of old and I know many within the party want to do that, and I just I just can't disagree with them more.
I think they're totally wrong headed, and I think that they're they've essentially grown accustomed to just getting their teeth kicked in and all they care about is respectability. And I don't know, I don't know what what do you think it is about their mentality that that makes them feel like that's a good path to take.
I think everybody likes to feel like the smartest guy at the gastro pub. It's a very hipster mentality, and it's very it's a very elitist mentality. But from Timu, it's it's I want to be the smug smart guy I actually know better.
Okay, well, can you show me anything tangible that this works?
Will know?
But you know, it's that it's that kind of mentality. And also, like a lot of things are are union projection where people that claim about gatekeeping and social clubism and all this stuff, in reality that's what they want things to be. They don't want to take chances. They don't want to go out in the real world and make a difference. They don't want to bully politicians or whip politicians to vote the right way on.
Things they don't know.
They don't maybe they don't know how, or they they want to is not there, because it's much safer to be to not make waves, to not take risks, which is exactly what the party.
Is not meant to do.
It's meant to educate the populace and when.
It and I understand you're just explaining their thought process, but let's just point out the fatal flaw in that logic. It is not safer to just go along to get along when you're dealing with tyrannical government, Like that is not the safe pathway forward. The safe pathway is actually to risk something now so you don't end up in prison later. Like that's that's how you do it. And
they seem to have that totally backwards. They're like like they're already living under communism and they're afraid of being the tallest nail that's gonna get hammered down. I'm like, I'm like, no, no, no, no, no, like, we're not under communism yet, folks. We need to actually be courageous. We need to be bold, We need to stand up now. The more people that stand up and demonstrate that courage, the more we enable our friends and family to do the same, in which case we might be able to
save this system. And it just seems as if they don't have that optimism or they just don't see how dire it is. And I think many of them don't see how dire it is, and that concerns me deeply.
Well, it's it's not just dire, but like for as quickly and as many words per minuted people can type through their thumbs or on their keyboard to get someone in person, and they can't make eye contact, and it's awkward. We for a long time, there was a lot of people that needed the Libertarian Party, I think for personal validation. Now we have people like yourself, like Dave, people that don't need the Libertarian Party.
The party needs them.
People that are inherently impressive, professional people that can espouse the values, make the eye contact, have the inflection, get people on their feet, and that's viewed as a threat, so it's easier to just double down and go along to get along, and.
It'll be fine, It'll be whatever.
Maybe I'll get a nice maybe I'll get invited on the Seless show every year on c SPAN to talk about a fringe art, you know, article or topic, or maybe I can make a case argument for why vaccine a mass mandates are actually a good thing. Things of this nature, the way that they don't just kiss the ring, they swallow it, shit it out and kiss it again, and and like that is not who we are, dude, right, And the funny part is who were supposed to be people.
We're all just normal people working our careers, doing our jobs. We live and bleed for this stuff. And that's why I get involved, looking at looking at the COVID regime, hearing absolutely nothing from national whatsoever.
Hey, let's talk about a topic from nineteen ninety seven.
No, yeah, no, what are you doing?
This is the most egregious overreach of all time.
And again this is why not only federal like our national messaging matters, but it's why our state level party activity matters, because we learned it during COVID.
That's why you're in Florida, you know, It's why I'm inn state.
It's state states matter tremendously. I could not agree more. Here's my concern is that if the party does revert back to the the more progressive lane post mccardal, which it sounds as if maybe that is the trajectory for the next year or so until there's another election, I think that there's a real distinct possibly and this may
happen regardless of what happens in the Libertarian Party. Let's be honest, because Trump as of now is governing in a much more libertarian vein and seems to have much more support from not people within the party but just
small l libertarians all across the country. That what we're gonna see, unfortunately, in my opinion, is what we saw when Ron Paul was running in the GOP that all of the good Libertarians, all of the people that I like for the most part, left for the GOP to support Ron Paul, and I feel like many of them are doing the same and supporting Trump. I guess you could say I'm in that camp because I came out of the closet and supported him in the last you know, ten days before the election too.
Is that is that a concern of yours?
So yes, but also know you're always going to have the attrition of people because of the path of least resistance. And right now the GOP is is towing the line on on some some key good issues. And by the way, I say throw all the Congress out. They could have been doing this shit the entire time. That took Elon's ass bergers to do.
But but.
That's that that's going to happen, and I think Libertarians need to be okay with that.
We need we need.
Everyone to be on their a game.
And the reason I'm sticking around in the Libertarian Party, and again I work with GOP and I work with some Democrats when it comes to issues, I'm staying with it. I think there needs to be a song strong, principled Libertarian party at all times as a check, if you will, to make sure that what we just had happened this last election happens every election where.
People agree with our values out I agree with you, But if we experience that attrition, then are we not basically making the party not that? Because that's that's my that's my worry, is that it ends up not being a good enough party to actually get these concessions that we got last GOO around, particularly because there was so much opposition to what Angela was doing. I mean, like, I've never seen the kind of kind of pressure in you know, controversy that surrounded what she was attempting to
you know, endeavor upon. So that's that's my fear.
I think we need to use it.
I'm the kind of guy, you know, we can be wolves in sheep's clothing when it comes to two GOP pathways and again, whether it be running for all office or infiltrating systems, that makes total sense. And I think that's good and I think it's healthy when it comes to being Libertarian Party oriented at national I think everything's fuel if you burn it hot enough. And I think the opportunity of the Libertarian National Party that Angela and the Caucus has set the table for.
Getting us in the main limelight.
That opportunity unity, if it sits and sizzles for a little bit, will be a rallying craft or based more based I'm talking pre Reno levels or higher of people being like we got to continue to build on this.
That's my goal. That's what I'm doing.
That's what I'm doing in my state, and it's absolutely working and all its health is is I've got dude, I've got a phone call with the four term county GOP chairman later today about defender guard legislation. I've met with three other guys in the state that are true conservative pissed off about the so called school choice bill that Rhino's passed in the state. And these people are
coming to me because they viewed what happened. It's parlaying what happened at national of having actual influence, and it's trickling down into state and local issues because they go
Libertarians get shit done. Hey, let's work together it. So my argument would be if that if that atrophies, that LP muscle of principal atrophies as a crow ball or to keep people in check, if that goes away and we all go into the blob, we might have what happens to like what happens to Ron Paul happened, where you go into the blob.
Now you're in the.
Mechanism of the machine and that's it. I think I think we can chew gun the walk. At the same time, I think we need the best of the best conservative and libertarian within the GOP, within the I don't think there's any chance for the Democrats right now.
You know, And and we need to continue to build our own roster. That's the problem.
Libertarian Party hasn't had a roster of impeccable, impressive people for so long. One guy comes along and does a thing and everybody goes, holy shit, you know, like we need to build our homegrown talent because no one is coming to save us.
It's up to us to do it.
You know, I could not agree more. Yeah, that's that's the uh.
I mean, just goes to show how how uh you know, what a dearth of talent we have that I'm just some mortgage broker in San Diego, and then I'm like, I'm one one or two. It's away from being the vice presidential nominee a couple of years later without even really campaigning.
It's it's a yeah, we.
Need, we need more homegrown talent. And I think that that if you actually convey to the more I guess, the more impressive, uh, you know, speakers amongst us that like there is a pathway by which this parlays into something that means something. Yes, I think I think that matters because it mattered to me, and I wouldn't have done it. If I didn't think that it would have
actually led to something. And I think that's the you know, Angela showed kind of the pathway, and now it's up to the party if they want to go along with continuing on that process. It just at this junction, it seems as if there is no coalescing of the party behind that pathway, like so many of them want to go back to not having any impact at all.
It.
Yeah, man, it feels it feels very early similar to the local dog that chases the tire, catches the tire and then realizes it's just going to get ran over.
By the tire.
It on because like, we have such a monumental time and space we live in right now with being libertarian, we have to take action and do something with it.
Don't just ask, don't just pass the plate around and go what.
Do you got to get our funding up? We got to get our members up.
Give actionable items so that people can see the vision and give towards the vision of what you're doing. Yeah, productivity, not just running on a treadmill. You know, that was great with Angela, the anti war rallies, the coalition, building building those bridges with other people outside of our network that agree with our values and they realize Libertarians actually
care and are going to get something done. That is the bridge you build to new members, because so many times the Libertarian Party tries to bleed the same damn turnips for money and these people eventually go, no, what are you doing with it? Exactly, Macaroni play art for liberty? Come on, do something productive?
Come on, well, I mean think about think about how much more compelling this pitches. If you call up a donor and you say, hey, yeah, I'm looking for donations to LP National for presidential campaign. Yes, we're not going to win, but here's the concession that we're asking for. We're asking for the abolition of the ATF Like, you know, something, something that's like fucking real and actionable and potentially viable.
I mean that that, to me is much more compelling because if you call me up and you say that, all of a sudden, I'm like, wait, what you know, like like because before I'm just like, uh, not interested, you know, right? And I think that's the problem is that ninety nine percent of people rightfully say not interested, and you have a you have an opportunity to actually demonstrate how you can turn their dollars into something that helps their lives, and are you going to do that
or not? And I just I fear that the old guard, you know, reclaiming power, is not interested in doing that. And I just I wish I could understand why, because so obvious.
Well, those that want to go back to the the case ross of the raw away things are those are the people that don't do They're just very loud about what they don't do, so loud and and what you're saying right there, like that kind of bold messaging, we want to bolish the ATF. You get immediate buy in from actual conservatives on on something like that, and boom, you've got a coalition pipeline.
Now I gotta quit doing this message on video.
You got to just think about calling calling up donors in Texas. You calling up like you just call up Republicans. You can pull up a list of Republican donors, call up the Republican donors and say, hey, you know how the GOP hasn't done a fucking thing to diminish or to increase gun rights over the past fucking one hundred years or very little. Yeah, this is our this is our pathway. No, we're not gonna we're not gonna take the White House away from Donald Trump or JAD events.
But here's here's how we get the atf gone. Like I'm telling you, man, that's a fucking that's a message that rips right through them.
It really would, absolutely, dude.
And what you're talking about is is tangible net liberty and in the real world and and anybody anybody that uh I was talking about this with my fiance Samantha earlier the week, Like anytime people are so harped on a presidential ticket or voting someone that has a letter next to their name, they're they're giving away their value system because that is me casting.
A vote and voting harder and doing you know.
That makes me feel good. It makes me feel good as a libertarian. I got to vote for a libertarian guy. Actual real world liberty is doing what you're saying, rolling the sleeves up, getting creative, forcing your view and your again your view and your policy into the machine to make it the machines issue now and and it takes it. It's in my in my view, it's the highest virtue. And if there's and well, there's no vision that people perish. You can't just throw out slogans and playitudes and expect
any action. And so we're going to continue doing what we're doing as the Mesis Caucus me and as the Tennessee state Chair. I'm definitely looking because Tennessee we've got proof of concept on how to run the playbook and be an effective state party, like we've got Conservatives red ass and fighting for constitutionality with Defend the Guard right now, our rookie bill sponsor Michelle Renault, will not back down.
One of the guys tried to co sponsors, tried last week to hop off, and we bullied him into okay, I'll sign back on.
That is what we're doing. It's wielding power.
It's making the phone calls, the emails, showing up, knocking on the doors, looking a guy in the face and say you tell me, did you you know? Are are you for the constitution or federal funding? Where's your oath at here? You have those hard conversations and it is thankless, long hour work to do.
Ye.
Nobody is getting paid to do it. We're all volunteers to do it. But it either matters to us or it doesn't. For us, it matters and I want to you know, well, it.
Matters the country. It matters more than I think most people understand too, because my understanding with defend the Guard basically it makes it so that the National Guard can't be deployed. Is that without a declaration of war from Congress. That is correct? All right?
So think I mean, just think about how much that diminishes the chances of World War three, like, because you're probably never going to get Congress to declare any war again. So if you can't just use the National Guard, that diminishes the troop count they have. And by by its very you know, nature, that diminishes the the calculus that our state or our State Department, our DoD is making when it comes to like what can we do without a declaration of war?
Uh?
And that diminishes what they can possibly do. And I think that's a that's a huge positive and and it obviously keeps our people home and increases the chances of peace and prosperity and like, these are all very meaningful things. And I'm I've been thrilled to see, you know, the Libertarians be so successful in working with the GOP to get that pushed through so well, do it's.
The best party.
The best part is Donald Trump is ceties in favor of this, RFK Cities in favor is of this. Carlson set in favor of the Department of Defense head Pete Hagseat Tennessee and has endorsed this on Fox News. So it's really fun when one star or two star general comes knocking on doors because he's a professional lobbyist dangling a care to federal funding, and guys can go, wait, does your boss's boss know that you're out here trying to undermine something he supports?
Like you know, and I'm sorry when you do the math.
We had a state congresswoman email us back, and it's funny. She's like, well, it's my understanding. We if we were to do this, we might lose four hundred million in federal funding. She put a price tag on every Tennessee Guards and we have ten thousand, seven hundred National Guardsmen in Tennessee. You do the math of that four hundred million. She's stating that this is just a shy above thirty three grand of federal dollars that's worth each one of
those guys' lives. That's what you're telling me. I will Kathy Newman the shit out of you on this. So what you're telling me is and dude, we're seeing at work. And this isn't the only bill we're doing. I mean, we're abolishing property tax, abolishing grocery tax in Tennessee.
Those are both looking really good. We're doing a lot of things. And it's not sexy work.
It's not, yeah, but it's it's it's vital work to maintain the sovereignty of our state. And I think that kind of bullish mentality, that rugged mentality of going in there and and making that making them be better on what they say matters. This is your your are you saying you here against Donald Trump's entire presidency and the d O D head That's what you're saying, right because
you know what, that's what you're saying. And I got read as conservatives that are ready to primary you if you vote right on this, they might look the other way, you know exactly conversational.
Power, No, it is.
And but I think this is this is why you know Ron Paul's legacy matters so much, is that because of his success Obviously he grew the libertarian movement, but then as a consequence, Donald Trump kind of rode that wave a bit and grew it obviously, but he still he perpetuated some of some of the most key messaging that came from doctor Paul and popularized it. Now he's implementing some of it. And we're even talking about Ron Paul possibly outing the FED, you know, finally, yeah, no kidding,
what a life achievement. And you know, Cherry on the top of the Sunday if that happens. But my point is is that I think because because the libertarian movement, you know, he did that through the GOP, but then you know, Angela and us did our thing over this past election cycle. We have really infused so many libertarian ideas into the federal you know, Trump round two campaign that we have immense leverage now when it comes like like all the stuff that we've talked about forever is
no longer outside of the overten window. Like it's it's it's definitely in it. It's still maybe on the periphery of the window, but it's fucking it's in it. And I think we got a real shot man, And I just I just hope that people don't lay off the gas. Like I know, there's this tendency once you've come out of like a really tyrannical period to just be like, well, things are ten percent better than they were, so let's let's relax. It's like no, no, no, no, we're we're one
hundred percent away from where we're supposed to be. We've only taken ten percent of it back, We've got it ninety percent more to go. Let's fucking let's hammer this thing. And I just hope that that energy exists. I know it's hard to get people motivated after what we just went through, but we need to be motivated because like now we actually have a chance at getting real wins.
A hundred percent dude, and and it has to it has to go that way. It is.
There's there's no halftime in this game exactly, you know. And I understand people burn out and you've got to stay rested. That's great, but that's why God made coffee and uppers. I guess like, let's get let's get get the clock running. We're only you know, halfway through this trilogy here, and it takes It's classic Croft guardian ism.
You aim for the sun, you know, you want the sun, and you take every star along the way the goalposts are moving, We're refining, We're refining, you know, we're we're we're getting our issues further and further and further down the track holding people accountable. So we need to continue with being impressive, being bold, being out front with our our our speakers, our candidates. Yes, but our talent pool to continue to espouse those values. And if you build it,
they will come. And we're starting to see it, dude. You know, we we're seeing the crossover with with some of the actual constitutional types that have you know, we're seeing this and people's eyes are opening and they're going, you guys been right the whole time, right, And we also it's so important for libertarians to not get butt hurt. If our name is not explicitly attached to something, it is a win. And for when's sake?
Yeah, dude, I'm not I'm not in this for you know, Yes, nain a Meerganian is nice because then it allows me to get on bigger platforms, in which case I can spread my message further. But in terms of like the victory lap of whether or not I get any credit for the Ross Albert Free, I could care less, dude, Like, who gives a fuck. I just think it's so sad that people get caught up in that. It's like, do you want to free human beings like this?
Like is that not enough? Is that enough reward for you or not? Dude?
Like, well, actually it needs to be this mechanism.
Oh my god.
Yeah, it's like no, that's not how I at all I mean. And this, this is exactly this is what drove me crazy about Chase's response to you know, Trump freeing Ross was like, well he could have done in his first term. It's like, ah, man, is that that's the message you send within twenty four hours of him actually following through on a promise to us, Like he made the promise to us, that's what you got to say.
It's like, yeah, look, we all know, yes he should have freed him in this first term, but that's just not the point right now. That is not the point that you make in that moment, and that's not how you play power games at all. And it's just it really it emphasized to me that like, some of these people are perennial losers. And it's not it's not like an accident. It's like they don't understand how to fucking win friends and influence people at all.
Like they just.
Don't they don't see it, And I can't help you if you still don't get it after you know, watching how you do it, Like that's how you do it. Angela showed you how, and you fought her every step of the way. She was still victorious, and you still hated her, and you still pitched and moaned, and it's just like, I just have no I have very I have I have no I'll just be honest, I have no fucking patience for these people anymore as you can
double I talk about it. Very frustrating. Anyways, I'll get you out of here on this, Ben, What do you think about the deportation regime that's happening right now, because I know this is an area of major contentiousness amongst our camp. I think that as of now, what I've seen is that it's been primarily focused on, if not entirely, focused on violent illegal immigrants, like people that actually have records. I don't even from you know, the open borders perspective.
I don't know how you could argue in defense of that. So yeah, is it okay?
So far? Dude?
It's it's so it's funny, like my my great grandparents on my mother's side were illegals right from Mexico. So I love when people look at me and they're like, oh this guy who I'm.
Like, no, no, no, no, no. According to you, I get, I get to say here, yeah, I mean, it's.
My boiler relaxed. Yeah, dude, And like.
You have to get you have to start somewhere. And again, this is comparing to what I understand. I don't live in theory arguments or whatnot. I'm I'm caveat, I'm hoppy in I'm private borders obviously, but this is the reality of the situation that we're in. You have violent overtakings of communities, violent overtakings.
It's got to go, yep.
And and I don't care if it's I mean that, I don't if it's violence going on.
I don't care if legal or not. True like violence and violence is violence.
Yeah.
And if you if if you turn a blind eye to that as a libertarian, like no one should take you seriously.
Exactly. It's first principles, dude, Yeah, exactly. So.
And I just in regards to the immigration stuff, like it's clearly I mean, you had you had lurch, go on Joe Rogan and stay the quiet part out loud. It's the Democratic game plan of changing voter demographic blocks and free districting to win.
They don't care about these people.
Nope, not at all.
And at the same time, we have to fix that that we need to fix the reason that a lot of this people displacement happens south of our border and overseas.
American foreign policy has created the problem.
People are going to find out that USA defunding Freeze helps with that a lot. And I think I don't know that the Trump administration knows that, all right, the admin probably does, I don't think Trump knows that. I don't think that right, he actually understands how USA D plays into toppling governments, which displaces people and then forces them to to migrate as basically refugees from uh totally
collapse states. But that's a reality, and I agree with you, So I guess I just hope, I just hope that, I just hope that we can have reasonable messaging on that issue, because I think there is as as you know, there's a major divide within the party as to what are what our principles are when it comes to borders and immigration and things like that, and you and I align. I'm hoppy in private borders too, but like that's not the world we live in. So you know, now I'm
dealing in reality. But I think that if you, if you basically fight this, because like there was the reason I'm asking or I'm talking about this is that a few hours ago there was report that a immigration vehicle for deportations was lit on fire. I think was in Seattle. I'm I'm forgetting, which what a surprise. You're right, but like there's gonna be I here's my fear. My fear is that some of the open borders libertarians are going to defend that because it's basically fighting tyranny.
Uh.
And I hope I'm wrong, but I would not be surprised if I see it. I just hope it doesn't come from any state accounts. I just, oh, man, it won't come from ours. I can tell you that, no, of course, But I'm just I'm just saying. I think I think that, like this is an issue that actually has broad appeal, and it's actually bipartisan. Democrats even are are giving you know, they're basically shutting the fuck up because they're like, yeah, this has gotten out of hand.
Actual leftists like Jimmy Door. Yeah, I love Jimmy. He's a faith guy that once he digs it, he's a gold bug. Now when he digs into an issue, he does his own research, as his joke says, and he comes around to the truth on it. I'm I'm loving seeing his progress. It's it's a it's an actual it's an sure problem. Like and I love everyone that espouse. I love them, you know, the espousing of oh, just let everybody, and you never see them actually do that in their own real life.
No, but they want everyone else.
To do it, and it's they're not they're not taking the doors off their apartments.
No.
Well, you know this is this actually goes back a good example of like not caring about getting credit for things. I've done multiple shows with Jimmy Dore. I've you know, I talked to him about the Federal Reserve and OKA in central banking, and it's like, like I could I could try and extrapolate his progress in this arena and being gold bugging and things like that into like, oh
I planted those scenes. Who knows who he talks to so many people it could be like, but maybe I gave you know, a one percent little push in the right direction on that.
Like that.
That's the thing that I love about, you know, doing what I do is, you know, getting to just have relatively friendly conversations with people that I agree on seventy percent of things but are adamantly opposed on thirty percent things, and just seeing their evolution over time. I mean, Tucker Carlson's a great example of this. Tucker Carlson was not good a lot, you know, fifteen years ago he was fucking bad. Uh and now he's one of the best around our best that you know at the highest levels.
Rogan's improved too, you know, he's he's gone from pretty hard left to more more libertarian leaning in my opinion. So I think that, like people, people downplay how much of an impact you know, particularly Dave Smith has had. Certainly doctor Paul everybody already gives him his due, but you know Dave's impact you have You have THEO Vaughan talking about Ron Paul auditing the FED and shit like that.
It's like, man, we're we're making strides that I think people are not really paying attention to.
Dude. It's it's chewing gum and walking.
It's making those huge cultural strides like you and Dave and that, you know, and at the same time doing the institutional things and the gritty work, and both of those things working in tanem in the same.
Spirit, yeh, the spirit of Ron Paul.
And he's just before I forget Jimmy is probably it's looking like Jimmy might be popping in for twenty minutes on that virtual panel that you're doing with us at convention about the death of corporate news. So oh, maybe I'll get a chance to say what's up there too, So we'll we'll see.
Yeah, what what date is that? Do you remember?
That is the March March first panel that we're doing with the Naydan Charlie from Good Morning Liberty about the death of corporate media. I'll have Samantha get in contact with you because it's going to be your huge voice out there. Jimmy's a huge voice out there. Corporate media is officially dead. They did their last full court press at this last election and people just aren't here for it, you know.
But the March, the March first thing, is that going to be open to the public. Can I post that it? Yeah?
Absolutely, Yeah, it's our it's our it's our state convention. It's when I'm up for reelection. Our entire board is for the state Party. We've got that panel. We've got doctor Peter McCullough, one of the greatest anti COVID restim doctors. He's speaking at our gallup. We've got Dan mcnight from Bring our Troops Home. He's doing an actual workshop on how to proper push legislation. I've got doctor Denise Sibley, which is like the Tennessee version of doctor McCullough for ivermectin.
She got shamed all that, she got it back in. And then of course I got Nate Dress. So I've got Michelle Renaud, who is our rep for Defend the Guard in the state, one of our elected.
He's a Constable.
Will Bolton's gonna be speaking, and then of course both of our be great mutual friend, the great illustrious Reverend Dave Benner will be talking as well, because we all Loveday.
So I don't know who's a reverend.
Well reverend in liberty, Ok, Yeah, shout.
Out to Dave.
All right, Yeah, March first, ladies and gentlemen, make sure you check that out. I say you have my endorsement
for your reelectionist chair in Tennessee. I hope that anybody that's listening, that's in Tennessee right now get involved, even if you vote GOP, even maybe more so if you vote GOP historically, I would love to see you have a conversation with Josiah and the LP Tennessee folks and see if if there's something that you would be interested in, you know, working with them on I think they're doing great work and I think that that they, you know, they model kind of my more more in alignment with
my vision as to how we actually like implement and get wins, real wins, real world wins. And I just wish you continued success.
Man. Where can people follow you? People can follow me Twitter.
It is hop barred H O, P B A R D the Libertarian Party of Tennessee on Twitter. If you're interested in getting involved with us, they can go to LPTN dot org slash sign up or LPTN dot org slash Convention Committee for all our convention information. Email me at chair at LPTN dot org. That's about it.
Awesome, Thank you, just s If anybod who wants to support my work at Liberty lockpot on Next subscribe there, I'll follow you back. Liberty Lockdown is the show on Apple, Spotify, everywhere else. If you could leave a five star review almost at a thousand, I'd appreciate it. If you guys could do that on Apple podcasts got like six hundred over on Spotify or one. Big things here, Ladies and gentlemen, it's all because you. Thank you for continuing to support
the work. Leave a comment down below and I'll get back to you.
That's it. We're out here, peace. Welcome to Liberty Lockdown.
Let's can your block home you Liberty in't company, It's on home. Where did it come from?
And where did it