Tom Wolfe on 2012 Election: "I Wrote in Ron Paul"

Tom Wolfe, great journalist and novelist of American manners, chronicling at his best America's heroic pioneers of inner space (Electric Kool Aid Acid Test) and outer space (The Right Stuff) tells Reason Contributing Editor Michael Moynihan over at the Daily Beast who he voted for in 2012:

"The only times I have not voted with the American people--I don't know what that says about me--recently when I did a write in vote for first time in my life, I wrote in Ron Paul…who wasn't even running but i hoped that would start a kind of landslide…"

I wish it had, Mr. Wolfe.

See the video here.

My not particularly Wolfean book about Ron Paul, Ron Paul's Revolution.

Comments

[Hugh Akston]

I still think "Bitch I voted for Gary Johnson" wins.

[Zeb]

That was pretty great.

[Paul.]

It's the quote of the year. My respect for Big Boi went from a solid ten to factor eleven, because my respect for Big Boi goes to eleven.

[Shmurphy]

Mr. Lucius Leftfoot for president.

[Caleb Turberville]

I have a copy of The Right Stuff sitting on my book shelf that I haven't read yet. Is it as good, better, or worse than the film?

[AlmightyJB]

Was the film good?

[Caleb Turberville]

It was pretty good. I think I would rather watch Apollo 13 if I wanted excitement, but The Right Stuff is probably the better overall depiction of the 1960s space program.

[Paul.]

I thought Fred Ward did a great job playing Gus "hatch blower" Grisolm.

[Virginian]

If you haven't yet, give Chuck Yeager's autobiography a read. If even half the stories in there are true, he's possibly the greatest American man still living today. Highlights include shooting down Germans, being shot down by Germans, fighting with the French resistance, laying by a pool in Spain after he crossed the Pyrenees on foot, no doubt fathering children with half the town, returning to England and demanding to be placed back on flight status, supposedly to Ike's face....and that's before the war ends.

[Sevo]

Having met Yeager, there's a good chance not 1/10th of what he claims is anywhere close to what others might remember of the incident.

[Pro Libertate]

I get the impression that he's a bit of a bullshitter and possibly a lot of a prick. I recently heard about him pulling a jerk move on Neil Armstrong.

[Francisco d Anconia]

A hero to be sure, but everyone I know who's met him has said he's a first class asshole. Stereotypical arrogant fighter pilot.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

pulling a jerk move on Neil Armstrong

he's like sloop then?

[Death Rock and Skull]

Because its funny.

[Death Rock and Skull]

Jerking Armstrong around, I mean.

[the origin of the feces]

...Yeager responds gruffly, "That's the way rumors get started, by these people?who weren't even there... Guys become, if you'll pardon my expression, sexual intellectuals. You know what the phrase is for that?" I have to admit no, I'm not familiar with the term. Sexual what? "Sexual intellectuals. They're fucking know-it-alls, that's what."

Excerpt from: "The Fastest Man on Earth"

[Robert]

How many know-it-alls did he fuck?

[1955]

I liked it better than the film, it has more Yeager.

[Francisco d Anconia]

Might sound gay, but there have been two books that have had profound impacts on my life. Atlas Shrugged and The Right Stuff.

Tom Wolfe inspired my career. Unfortunately, the Air Force had changed somewhat from the period he wrote of. Fantastic book!

[Killazontherun]

Funnily enough, another book by Wolfe, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test inspired my life's mission.

[DrZaius]

I read the book and loved it. Couldn't get though 30 minutes of the movie.

[Robert]

I read "Mau-Mauing The Flak Catchers" and the one about the Bernsteins' fund raiser for the Black Panthers (story whose name I forgot) in one volume, The Right Stuff and The Bonfire of the Vanities, and they're all pretty good.

[AlmightyJB]

Dude always has that white suit. He needs to hire a midget to follow him around to point at the sky and yell "da plane, da plane".

[Fist of Etiquette]

And yet he created all those statist Law & Order serieses.

[AlmightyJB]

What cop/lawyer series isn't statist. I like Justified but the hero commits two dozen civil rights violations an episode. Most people don't even think about it in those terms. Unfortunately they then grew up to be cops, lawyersm, judges and politicians.

[A Serious Man]

I think Steve McGarret on Hawaii 5-0 does twice as many civil liberties violations per episode.

In fact, I think that's why in recent seasons they end up killing the bad guy of the week instead of having Danno book 'em.

[Episiarch]

I also like Justified, but yeah, that shit bothers me. Same with Luther. "The noble police officer must go outside the law to stop the nefarious criminal!"

The great thing about The Shield was that even though Vic was the main character, you're not supposed to like him, or even root for him. Because he's a corrupt, murderous piece of shit. God damn that show was great.

[Paul.]

At least in The Wire they made it entertaining.

[sunny black]

McNutty and Freemon get punished for their wiretap violations (eventually). (do what you feel Keema).

Don't forget Calechio(sp) for his police brutality (nice move, Carv).

Fuck, I kind of miss that show.

[Robert]

So Luther was like El KaBong?

[Robert]

Sledge Hammer! wasn't statist if you got the joke. I don't find Monk statist.

[A Serious Man]

Are you serious? Are you serious?

[Fist of Etiquette]

Chung-chung.

[A Serious Man]

In the Reason commenting system, posts made by trolls are considered especially heinous. On Hit and Run, the dedicated posters who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Commentator Unit. These are there stories.

[Cytotoxic]

These are their stories.

[Episiarch]

Law & Order: FoE

[Fist of Etiquette]

"It looks like this guy corrected the wrong joker's spelling." [Walks away while medical examiner zips up Cytotoxic's body bag.]

[Francisco d Anconia]

Dun dun.

[Heroic Mulatto]

IT'S ALL SEMEN!

[Dave C]

That's Dick Wolf, not Tom Wolfe.

[Hugh Akston]

Rape jokes aren't funny, Dave.

[Paul.]

Their not "office", that's for sure.

[Paul.]

They're. I dare you, Cyto, I double dog dare you.

[Fist of Etiquette]

Your case is paper thin. Cut a deal.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Not as statist as blue Bloods

[Killazontherun]

Preview for this week, a cop is dealing with feelings of remorse after shooting a guy holding a gun. Yeaahhhhh. Like that would ever happen.

[Sevo]

"The only times I have not voted with the American people"

Not really sure I want to know what this means.

[Hugh Akston]

Charitably? It means he didn't vote for the winner.

[Sevo]

That's what I was afraid of. He voted for Carter?! Bush?! Obama?!

[Hugh Akston]

Well, at least he learned his lesson on Obama. If he voted for Bush in aughtfour then he's pretty clearly retarded.

[Greg]

Has he said that he's voted in every Presidential election though? Maybe he sat some of them out.

[Atanarjuat]

But, in a way, if he was always voting for who was most popular, a Ron Paul vote isn't that much of a departure. Many who voted for Obama or Romney were just voting against their opponent, and Ron Paul has a passionate, growing fanbase.

[Cytotoxic]

Fool should've just voted Johnson.

[Hugh Akston]

I would like to see him run into Helen Thomas at a party out on the Hamptons and tell her "Bitch I voted for Gary Johnson" before taking a sip of his martini.

[Cytotoxic]

With some James Bond score in the background and the sun setting, it would be the perfect scene.

[Paul.]

No, this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6E0oGIWpiGs

[Heroic Mulatto]

Surely, this is more fitting.

[Suthenboy]

When I tell people I voted Johnson I get blank stares.
When I tell people I am a Libertarian I either get blank stares or a rant about the parody of libertarians that exist in their heads.

[Hyperion]

I get the same. Sure that we all do.

People don't know who Johnson is, and most of them couldn't name a Senator from their own state, or point out any major countries on a globe, probably not even the US. But they can tell you who won the last episode of dancing with the stars.

Most adults today are totally clueless, bordering on retarded, sheepish, and living in blissful ignorance.

When I mention being a Libertarian, seems a majority have heard the term, we are getting lots more attention now, just mostly bad. They roll their eyes, most of them and grin stupidly. They think we are anarchist nuts who only want to legalize drugs.

[Clich? Bandit]

" A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky, animals and you know it!"

[kinnath]

I luv that line

[Francisco d Anconia]

When I mention being a Libertarian, seems a majority have heard the term, we are getting lots more attention now, just mostly bad.

The media has cast us as ultra-right wing conservatives, and I find that's what many on the left think of us.

[Killazontherun]

The media has cast us as ultra-right wing conservatives, and I find that's what many on the left think of feel about us.

FTFY

[AlmightyJB]

It is funny how the team cheerleaders think they have you pegged within two minutes of a discussion when they really have no clue.

[waaminn]

Dude makes a lot of sense when you think about it.

http://www.Cyber-Anon.tk

[sunny black]

Tell me if this sounds familiar (and awful as hell)...most of my low information friends who voted or considered voting for Ron Paul or Gary Johnson did so because, essentially, they were pissed off that Obama didn't *do enough*.

So no matter who people vote for, 75% of the time I still want to punch them in the face.

Which is why I come here to drink.

[Sevo]

sunny black| 1.10.13 @ 9:00PM |#
"Tell me if this sounds familiar (and awful as hell)...most of my low information friends who voted or considered voting for Ron Paul or Gary Johnson did so because, essentially, they were pissed off that Obama didn't *do enough*."

Not to me.
I've heard it once or twice, but only from those too stupid to bother with.

[Hyperion]

Here's an attempt to break down the current national voter situation:

1% of us vote liberty, even though 15-20% of us think we should vote for liberty, but instead vote for the RINO, because if we don't, the other worse guy will win, or we will waste our vote.

24% vote because they want someone like Rick Santorum to force their moral values onto everyone, or they are part of the 15-20% of the first group who don't want other worse guy to win.

14% have no fucking idea why they are voting, but it has something to do with their team.

10% vote because they want someone who is the most like Lenin or Mao to force a leftist ideology onto everyone else.

51% vote because they want free shit.

Free shitters win.

That about sums it up.

[Sevo]

"14% have no fucking idea why they are voting, but it has something to do with their team."

So shithead is a 14%er? I'd have figured something closer to 20, but that sounds about right.

[Clich? Bandit]

I like the "I am the 1%...who voted for Johnson!" t-shirts.

[Death Rock and Skull]

"Tom Wolfe on 2012 Election: "I Wrote in Ron Paul""

God dammit. Its the Ron Paul write-in people who spoiled it for Gary Johnson. If not for these assholes, Johnson could have had a slightly better looking spoiling affect for Mitt Romney. A write in for Ron Paul is a wasted vote.

[Greg]

Exactly! A vote for Ron Paul instead of Gary Johnson was basically a vote for Jill Stein

[mr simple]

+ .1% of the vote.

[Hyperion]

If RP would have been the LP candidate, or the GOP candidate I would have voted for him. But since he dropped out, what was the point? I voted for Johnson.

GOP had better get some Libertarian blood in them or it's going to be a long time before they see another POTUS. Either that or go red version of team blue and try to promise more free shit to get the win. Of course, when that happens, we will go over the real fiscal cliff in a hurry and become more like a bunch of waring tribes in the 3rd world. That's about the same time that high ranking members of both teams start swinging from lamp posts.

[A Serious Man]

Anyone hear about this? The guy behind the FPSRussia YouTube videos was shot dead at his office in Georgia.

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Ok all you cold hearted libertarians.
this is how customer service is done

[Archduke Pantsfan]

Save Water, Pee in the shower

[Robert]

Am I halfway there if I just sissy down my legs?

[Blueman]

Well, if he is the guy who always peaked too soon, then Ron Paul should become all the rage in about 3 years.