"I'm That Libertarian": Presidential Candidate Marc Allan Feldman's Rap at the L.P. Convention

I've had people ask about what I referred to in my reporting on the intrigue and politicking between the ballots of the Libertarian Party convention over the weekend as presidential candidate Marc Allan Feldman's "remarkably impassioned and strangely quite good rap about the other candidates and libertarian activists in general." 

Here it is:

More reporting from the L.P. Convention floor later today.

Comments

[Hamster of Doom]

You've had fifteen minutes, Doherty. That should satisfy convention.

OT: We're All Gonna DIIEEE

The number of measles cases stemming from an outbreak at a private detention center has increased to 11 confirmed cases

Anyone who has received two MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccines or were born before 1957 and received one MMR vaccine are immune to contracting measles

[FreeSpeechMatters]

If only this guy could have been the nominee, rather than people who think civil liberties need to be sacrificed for the sake of political correctness. Like the current LP ticket.

Compare him to VP nominee William Weld. Weld ran to the left of his 1990 Democratic rival for Massachusetts governor on Social Justice Warrior issues, and his appointees to the state judiciary included people who had supported draconian campus speech codes. Two of Weld's three nominees to the state supreme court were lefties, while the third was a moderate former Reagan administration official who endorsed Obama in 2008. His lower court picks were almost invariably leftists.

Weld's appointees to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination demanded that people be fired by private employers for offensive racial jokes.(Perhaps reminiscent of how Gary Johnson thinks small religious businesses should have to provide services for gay weddings, and thinks that Jewish businesses should have to serve Nazis.)

Weld supported new red tape, like the Big Green initiative that his 1990 Democratic opponent, John Silber, found too extreme, and which was rejected as too extreme by Massachusetts voters. Weld is also an outspoken supporter of race-based, government-mandated affirmative action, and was to the left of both Silber and democratic state senate president Bulger on that issue.

[You Sound Like a Prog (MJG)]

This gets more fascinating every time you post it.

[AddictionMyth]

Wow you guys are getting desperate. Weld is far better than both Trump and Hillary on free speech. And every other issue. You probably would have supported Larry Sharpe, who never held elected office and knows nothing about Libertarianism other than "Do as you wish".

[Suthenboy]

"And every other issue."

Uh...no.

Litmus tests are a real thing, and these two fail, fail, fail. The LP has very little credibility outside of its small base, but having a pres/vice pres ticket that is not stridently opposed to gun control should kill its credibility with its own base.

[sarcasmic]

It's still better than Trump or Clit-ton.

[Cytotoxic]

Yup.

[Cytotoxic]

"Uh...no."

Uh yes. Being a crappy libertarian is still better than The Crook or The Fascist.

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

Which is which?

[Scarecrow & WoodChipper Repair]

I suppose they are both both.

[Clint Eastwoodchipper]

Both are both.

(Why else do people think Trump doesn't want to release his tax returns? Probably some unethical/shady -- if not illegal -- shit in there.)

[CE]

And if the small libertarian base boycotts Johnson/Weld and votes for Trump or stays home, Johnson's chances of winning stay about the same. He's a centrist moderate running against two extremists who are extremely disliked. And this pro-life anarchist libertarian won't hesitate to vote for him in November.

[Clint Eastwoodchipper]

Weld's appointees to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination demanded that people be fired by private employers for offensive racial jokes.(Perhaps reminiscent of how Gary Johnson thinks small religious businesses should have to provide services for gay weddings, and thinks that Jewish businesses should have to serve Nazis.)

Okay, but did Weld claim he would like to "open up the libel laws" like Trump? Or how about going after "violent video games" like Clinton did when she was Senator? Or the numerous times when Clinton pledged to rewrite the First Amendment because it currently allows private citizens to use their money to criticize her in political ads? Or when Trump and Clinton suggested shutting down parts of the Internet and free speech in the name of "combating terrorism"?

[Cytotoxic]

Funny how these puritans come out of the woods and we've never heard of them before.

[Citizen X]

Dude looks exactly like my optometrist, but is slightly better at rapping.

[tarran]

I'd like to say this one last time, then I am going to keep my peace on the matter.

The Reason coverage of the LP convention was pathetic in that it seemed to believe that the convention was consequential in some way.

It wasn't.

In 5 years, I expect the convention will be as forgotten and little noticed as the one that produced Badnarik.

Throughout my entire adult life, I've watched voters cast ballots for candidates who promised to make government less corrupt and less oppressive towards the little guy. I've watched the government coopt, blunt, repel, distract or utterly shit upon all of these reformist movements.

The incentives and realities that make the LP irrelevant haven't changed in the past 4 years.

Just because the desire people have for this cycle to be different is particularly ardent in no way changes that fact. Ardor does not alter reality. And the reality is that the administrative state is in no way is going to be affected by this election. The pork will still flow to the crony capitalists. The monetary policy will still be set to monetize federal debt. And the foreign policy guys will still childishly play their games of intrigue.

[Cynical Asshole]

^This^

By all means though, tilt at those windmills, LP. I'll be over here stockpiling ammo and non-perishable food.

Although I'll still vote for Johnson in November, I just don't expect it to make any difference.

[Clint Eastwoodchipper]

Although I'll still vote for Johnson in November, I just don't expect it to make any difference.

This is the kind of attitude that dooms both the LP and third party candidacies in general.

I literally don't give a shit whether Clinton or Trump wins the presidency because they're both horrible, vile, disgusting people. I can be at peace knowing that American voters foisted upon their neighbors such atrocities, and that all of them will suffer the consequences (whether they realize it or not; they likely won't).

We should be proud to vote our conscience especially if it fucks over one (or both) of the two major parties.

[Matt Welch]

Readers asked for coverage, readers read coverage, outsiders valued coverage and asked many follow-up questions. Your opinion on the consequentiality of the LP does not change the fact that we aim to keep the customers satisfied.

[GILMORE?]

mess with the bull, you get the horns, people

[DOOMco]

I liked the coverage. Thanks Matt.

[How You Like Me Now?]

Reminds me of Tupac

[GILMORE?]

"not dead enough?"

[scape]

Reminds me of Martin Short as Irving Cohen.

[Glide]

I just finished watching the full debate - for the most part it confirmed my existing opinions (including that I could support any of these guys) but Feldman was the biggest revelation (oddly, he didn't grab me at all in the 2 other debates I saw him in). He seemed this time like he was just in it to have fun, which might be bad for a president but is great for a fringe candidate.

At any rate, this little rant made me smile.

[Unreconstructed (Sans Flag)]

I first saw Feldman at the Texas LP convention, and while he didn't wow me, he certainly made a very good impression, in spite of the rap at the end.

[CE]

Lots of media coverage of the convention and the Johnson nomination on Sunday. Almost none yesterday or today. It's like they're doing their bare minimum obligatory stories and then pretending people would really prefer Trump-Clinton if given an informed choice.

[Glide]

Media doesn't really cover things well if there's no conflict. It's not like they're going to talk about his policies unless someone famouser than him calls out one of his policies. Now, if Trump makes fun of Gary's hair, that'll get 4 or 5 more days of libertarians in the news.