Just Another Hustler in the Hustler Kingdom

The passion of Wayne Allyn Root

David Weigel | June 26, 2008

(Page 2 of 2)

And:

"I'm a home school parent, and education is, to me, the civil rights issue of our time!"

The Pulitzer-winning historian Walter McDougall has diagnosed the United States as a "nation of hustlers." He means it in a good way; Americans are Horatio Alger heroes, constantly scheming and one-upping and finding new ways to win. If you're a skeptic, you might think see Root's success as a confluence of lucky breaks, impossible to repeat for anyone not gifted with superhuman salesmanship or—as my colleague Jesse Walker has put it—"the deportment of a Ronco pitchman with a squirrel in his pants." If you buy McDougall's theory, stop rolling your eyes at the guy. Wayne Allyn Root wants you to be able to become the next Wayne Allyn Root. And you should take him up on it.

"I'm an S.O.B.," Root likes to joke. "A son of butcher. America needs an S.O.B. in the White House!"

David Weigel is an associate editor of Reason.

This article originally appeared at The American Spectator.

Comments

Elemenope|6.26.08 @ 2:40PM|#

Interesting fellow.

Not so sue I want him heading NASA or moderating the Senate, though.

Elemenope|6.26.08 @ 2:40PM|#

*sure

Colin|6.26.08 @ 2:48PM|#

He's certainly a bozo -- but you got to admire his tenacity. If he could bottle that, he'd be a billionaire.

Elemenope: doesn't it suck that there's no edit function?

the innominate one|6.26.08 @ 2:49PM|#

you forgot "expert impressionist of cheesy used car salesman"

|6.26.08 @ 3:00PM|#

Is there any relationship between this Mr. Root and Damon W. Root, who writes for Reason?

Enquiring minds want to know.

|6.26.08 @ 3:18PM|#

He is a bit "Guy Smiley from Sesame Street like." Yet, beneath his veneer of dumb blonde, he is pretty knowledgable and well-spoken about the issues. I also think that his optimism and ennthusiasm are a charming counterpoint to the (often true) stereotype of libertarians as an angry, unhappy lot.

jj|6.26.08 @ 3:20PM|#

A decent, informative article, Weigel.

John|6.26.08 @ 3:40PM|#

You also forgot "loud blowhard".

|6.26.08 @ 3:41PM|#

I'm not a big fan of Root, but he is right about a few things:

1. 12 million online poker players SHOULD be voting Libertarian.

2. Allowing parents to determine how to best educate their own children IS the biggest civil rights issue of our time. It's a fundamental issue of human liberty -- do children belong to the state, or their parents?

|6.26.08 @ 3:43PM|#

I would love to see Wayne Allyn Root moderating the Senate -- finally, a reason to watch C-SPAN!

|6.26.08 @ 3:48PM|#

If you watched the Libertarian convention, you could tell how mad this guy was getting when things weren't going his way. He looked like he was about to throttle somebody! I'm surprised he didn't strangle Mike Gravel when he refused to give Root his endorsement. Even when he was giving his speech to declare himself Barr's running mate, he sounded like he was about to snap at the crowd just for cheering him on!

He's definitely got a mean streak beneath his "happy guy" persona. The guy's a psycho.

|6.26.08 @ 3:51PM|#

I really like the article.

I confess, almost as a guilty pleasure, that I read Root's Millionaire Republican. I have to grudgingly give him my respect and admiration. At some point it struck me, I don't know why Ayn Rand would WANT to make one of her heroes a salesman, gambler, and self-promoter, but if she did, this guy pretty much fills the bill.

I think he has some way to go on ideology; at least as of February, he wasn't for Out Of Iraq Now. But, he has a lot to contribute to the Party in terms of the vision thing.

We can all laugh at the thought of Libertarians embracing the author of Joy Of Failure, but it makes sense -- in a good way. His point is that you believe in your dream and just pursue it relentlessly. I think that's more or less what it takes for freedom to succeed in the political realm.

I would also note that he got endorsements from John Hospers and Manny Klausner, who are pretty heavy hitters in Liberworld.

Needs to take a class in "Statesman-like Comportment", however.

I'm a little surprised that I'm not hearing more about him in the election, since, you know, he's kind of big on people hearing about him. And then there seems to be this rumor that the Barr campaign has locked him in the attic (like, THAT would hold him...).

Rimfax|6.26.08 @ 3:56PM|#

Two glaring grammatical errors in the first four words is a bit difficult to overlook.

|6.26.08 @ 4:00PM|#

I haven't read the article yet but if Dave didn't ask Root the hard hitting questions about IllegalImmigration that the MSM is too afraid to ask, then uploaded the responses to youtube, possibly set to Natalie Merchant music, then Dave is a hack in the pocket of ScaryCorporation, Inc.

e|6.26.08 @ 4:01PM|#

Does he live in a van down by the river?

|6.26.08 @ 4:04PM|#

Root said at the convention that Winston Churchill was his hero. I thought that was an odd person for a libertarian to have as his hero.

David Weigel|6.26.08 @ 4:09PM|#

Two glaring grammatical errors in the first four words is a bit difficult to overlook.

Ugh. I had to change the lede to update the timing, and somehow inserted two errors. Fixed now.

|6.26.08 @ 4:16PM|#

If he had a bit more tact, he could be a great campaigner.

As it is, "the deportment of a Ronco pitchman with a squirrel in his pants" pretty much sums it up. He strikes the viewer as a hyped-up infomercial salesman. Which is essentially what he is.

Barr would have been much better off with Kubby, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out he regrets not getting him.

|6.26.08 @ 4:36PM|#

After shaking hands with Root one has two immediate impulses. First, you count your fingers. Second, you wash your hands.

|6.26.08 @ 4:54PM|#

"Barr would have been much better off with Kubby, and I wouldn't be surprised to find out he regrets not getting him."

Obviously, Barr worked out a deal with Root to get his delegates to switch over to him on the last ballot to put him ahead of Ruwart.

|6.26.08 @ 5:02PM|#

bookworm-

No, I think Root caught Barr by surprise.

|6.26.08 @ 5:18PM|#

Root is a blast. He's what the party needs. Root is wacky, but he's mainstream wacky. I think if put to the test Root would shock his opponents with his quick wit and reasonable answers. He speaks a language that mainstream Americans can understand and agree with. The libertarian party needs to become more excited, present optimism, and move from a puritan to a pragmatic platform that can be tailored to changing social norms. Barr and Root will go a long way in developing a more successful strategy for the LP.

|6.26.08 @ 6:49PM|#

Thanks for the new article that we all read already the first time it was published and linked from here.

Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L|6.26.08 @ 7:22PM|#

2. Allowing parents to determine how to best educate their own children IS the biggest civil rights issue of our time. It's a fundamental issue of human liberty -- do children belong to the state, or their parents?

I gotta say it and probably cause someone to drink: but kids are people, not property. They don't belong to anyone except themselves.

Apaulogist|6.26.08 @ 7:31PM|#

Any relation to Reason's own Damon Root?

|6.26.08 @ 7:53PM|#

I gotta say it and probably cause someone to drink: but kids are people, not property. They don't belong to anyone except themselves.

Then can children exercise consent (to anything) at any age?

Children are the sticking point in libertarian philosophy. Until a certain age* they are not considered capable of, nor responsible for decisions they make. Until that age or mental maturity level they are unable to actually "belong to themselves" and need to be cared for or be a ward of someone whether it be parents, guardians or even the state. You can argue that gradual introduction of rights is better than "wham-bam you're 18 hear you go" but to insist that children have full rights, particularly of consent, from birth is dubious in my book.

*That age is open to debate, hence the arguments regarding age of consent for sex, marriage, military service and drinking on these here boards.

Eric Dondero|6.26.08 @ 9:08PM|#

If Kubby had been picked for the VP spot besides Root, Barr might have lost a lot of support. Many Pro-Defense Libertarians are comfortable with Wayne Root, most especially Jewish Libertarians. Kubby is a Far Left Libertarian. Picking him would have created a great deal of concern and suspicion amongst Pro-Defense and Jewish Libertarians.

Wayne Root is the absolute perfect pick for Bob Barr. This is the best Libertarian ticket ever. They couldn't have planned it any better if they had tried.

Someone Who Doesn\'t Want to L|6.26.08 @ 9:41PM|#

Kwix, actually I wasn't arguing necessarily for full legal rights of consent and so forth, just that children be treated as something other than items to be labeled with the "Property of Bart Simpson" label-maker. In essence, I don't have trouble with consent laws, but I do have trouble with considering children the property of their parents. Children need more redress for parental abuse than what they have, including an easier way to legally separate themselves from parents.

Part of my problem with the "children are property" (of parents, the state, or whomever) line is that I have pretty clear memories of my childhood going back to when I was three or four and less clear ones earlier than that. I remember what it was to be treated like property and I think some redress needs to be available, at the child's hands, rather than the state's.

My GF is from Mt Juliet|6.26.08 @ 10:07PM|#

Pronounced Leb'nun
two syllables

Travis|6.26.08 @ 10:18PM|#

"Many Pro-Defense Libertarians are comfortable with Wayne Root, most especially Jewish Libertarians. Kubby is a Far Left Libertarian. Picking him would have created a great deal of concern and suspicion amongst Pro-Defense and Jewish Libertarians."

I love Dondero he always makes me laugh.

Travis|6.26.08 @ 10:22PM|#

Those ads for TheRichJerk.com are perfect for an article about WAR. The cartoon even looks like him a little bit.

Apaulogist|6.27.08 @ 1:59AM|#

I never noticed that Root's initials are an acronym. A vote for Barr is a vote for W.A.R.!

J|6.27.08 @ 9:02AM|#

As a (not religious, just familial) Jewish libertarian, I can say for sure that I would prefer Kubby.

I would hate Root in person, I think, but he is enjoyable to watch - and I think he still might help raise the profile of the party, if he gets his act together.

TAO|6.27.08 @ 10:03AM|#

I think that it can be definitively said that to run for president you've pretty much admitted your insanity to the public.

|6.27.08 @ 11:12AM|#

I remember what it was to be treated like property and I think some redress needs to be available, at the child's hands, rather than the state's.

I have absolutely no idea what legal redress in a child's hands, rather than the state's, would look like. Are we talking about allowing 11 year old children to hire lawyers to sue their parents for damages? For legal separation? Once separated, who pays their bills?

|6.27.08 @ 5:23PM|#

I've liked Root ever since I heard him on Glenn Beck's radio program. Look, he's not going to be president, not anytime soon anyway. But in the bigger picture, he's an important character in the pro-liberty movement: he's fiery, he's consistent in his beliefs, and he's real - both for better and for worse. We need such colorful characters.

Speaking of important characters, anyone else checked out Ron Paul's Campaign For Liberty yet?