Should Libertarians Vote Trump? Nick Gillespie Debates Walter Block in NYC on 11/1

A splendid time is guaranteed for all!

Todd Krainin, Reason

Next Tuesday, November 1, in New York, I'll be debating Loyola University's Walter Block about whether libertarians should vote for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Specifically, we'll be arguing the proposition that "Libertarians should vote for Donald Trump in the presidential election. I will be arguing against that idea, for some of the reasons I laid out in my contribution to Reason's quadrennial "who's getting our votes" feature.

Block, the author of Defending the Undefendable, will be, well, taking the affirmative.

Sponsored by the Soho Forum, the event is free and open to the public, but RSVPs are required.

Here are the details for those interested in attending:

What should libertarians do this election?

Libertarians are deeply divided about the presidential election. Some say the obvious choice is to vote for Gary Johnson. Others say don't vote at all.

Two prominent libertarians, Walter Block and Nick Gillespie, go head-to-head on this question, with Block advocating for Donald Trump, and Gillespie for Gary Johnson. The resolution to be debated has been framed as follows:

"Libertarians should vote for Donald Trump
in the presidential election."

Block will take the affirmative, Gillespie the negative.

The evening will include a 30-minute Q&A, and both debaters have been invited to stay for our wine-and-cheese reception afterwards. Your chance to bring sharply-worded challenges to the case for Trump and the case for Johnson.

Walter Block is the Harold E. Wirth Eminent Scholar Endowed Chair in Economics at Loyola University, and an Adjunct Scholar at the Mises Institute. He is also chief organizer of Libertarians for Trump.

Nick Gillespie is the editor in chief of Reason.com and Reason TV, and co-author of The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong With America.

Walter and Nick will provide a thrilling pre-election debate, and we're delighted to have them join us at The Soho Forum!

Soho Forum

Tuesday, November 1
Subculture Theater
45 Bleecker St., NY, 10012
Doors open: 5:45pm
Meeting convenes: 6:30pm
Wine-and-cheese Reception: 8:15pm
Moderated by Gene Epstein, economics editor of Barron's
Featuring warm up act by libertarian comedian Dave Smith

Tickets must be reserved in advance.

Comments

[tarran]

I take it no one is going to take the principled libertarian position that we shouldn't vote for anyone at all? 😉

[Stormy Dragon]

The way the resolution is phrased, Block is required to argue the case for both Libertarians voting at all and Libertarians voting for Trump specifically. Nick can win by winning the argument on either point.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Tuesday, November 1
Subculture Theater
45 Bleecker St., NY, 10012
Doors open: 5:45pm
Meeting convenes: 6:30pm
Wine-and-cheese Reception:

Nothing says "subculture" more than a wine-and-cheese Reception.

[tarran]

I think a shithole like New York city is the perfect place to have a meaningless debate about an unimportant election.

[Zero Sum Game]

Maybe it's a misspelling. Whine and cheese. Besides, cheese is the only culture some people are likely to get.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

Manchego or GTFO.

[The Fusionist]

It's actually Whipple and Cheez-Whiz. A populist gesture.

[The Fusionist]

Ripple.

[Robert]

After you've had enough it's Whipple & Wheeze-Chitz.

[EDG reppin LBC]

Fifflellllannnfffeeewwiiiisssss....

[Charles Easterly]

I have no idea what you meant to convey here, EDG, and I trust that you will not be offended by this ten second video clip which, at least to me, seems appropriate.

[Joe M]

Tuesday is November 1st, Mr. Nick.

[Sevo]

SIV wets pants.

[Playa Manhattan.]

We call those weekdays.

[SIV]

Why is this even up for debate?

[Zunalter]

I know, right? The science is settled people.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

Are you gonna attend, or are you still working out the details of your chicken-drawn carriage?

[John Titor]

No, SIV's setting up the afterparty at a Bronx warehouse. It's BYOB and if the cops show up the slowest guy's the ringleader.

I've got my bird already, I've named him STEVE SMITH.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

My bird has a gorgeous crest, so I named him Robby.

[Hugh Akston]

He is also chief organizer of Libertarians for Trump.

Scrub and scrub until your skin bleeds Walter Block, but you will never come clean.

[prolefeed]

Next up: Democrats for anarchy.

Soldiers for pacifism.

Libertines for chastity.

[Gojira]

Everyone who lives in NYC is a progressive lover of big government who votes for other progressive lovers of big government. And ye shall know them by who they vote for.

[Diane Reynolds (Paul.)]

Hi...

Hillary Clinton?

[Gojira]

Let me clarify something. There are exactly two kinds of people who live in the United States. Those who live in the Deep South, Texas, Oklahoma, or Utah, and faggot communist BLM supporters. If you are not one, you are the other.

[Pan Zagloba]

Sexists tools of the Patriarchy! Why not bring in Dalmia to provide

a) female perspective
b) "libertarians for Hilary" perspective?

[Brochettaward]

Nick Gillespie should get ball cancer, frankly.

[arbitrary wavefunction]

Wow.

[Hugh Akston]

You should boycott the comments section until your demands are met.

[Brochettaward]

You should die in a fire.

[Hugh Akston]

You should boycott the comments section until your demands are met.

[Brochettaward]

Saying something should happen to a person isn't a demand, you witless, principle-less cunt.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

You need to go get laid. Pay for it if necessary. This is not healthy.

[Ayn Random Variation]

I thought the new Reason position is that paying for sex is the evil.

[Hugh Akston]

When has Reason ever taken a position on anything?

[Scott Foval, Jr.]

Not paying for sex. Donald Trump offering to pay for sex is what's beyond the pale.

[Calidissident]

I don't see where in this article it says that (unless there's another one I'm missing). Also, it's not a contradiction to think that it's ok, or at least should be legal, to pay for sex, and also think it's sleazy or wrong to do so in certain circumstances, but that's beside the point here.

http://reason.com/blog/2016/10.....ng-porn-st

[Calidissident]

*that should say "to offer to do pay for sex"

[Crusty Juggler]

Someone is experiencing a little displaced aggression.

[Brochettaward]

No, you are.

[Crusty Juggler]

Do you need me to sign you up for a cuddle party, big guy?

[Ayn Random Variation]

To those who don't know, this is a real thing.

[BenG]

Cuddle Parties are what finally made me realize I am a Big L libertarian.

[DOOMco]

What happened??

[Calidissident]

I'm laughing at the Donald Sterling tag on this article. Someone screwed up the tags.

[Gojira]

lol good catch.

One rich blowhard is as good as another, I suppose.

[Playa Manhattan.]

I wouldn't call Gillespie "rich", per se. Maybe after the next webathon.

[Gojira]

Anyone who has more money than me is rich, and anyone who has less money than me is a disgusting poor. Only I have exactly the correct amount of money to be middle class.

[Sir Digby Chicken Caesar]

Yeah, Plano has that effect.

[The Fusionist]

Maybe Amherst can honor one of its underappreciated alumni and adopt, as a mascot, Fightin' Galusha Grow. This Republican Congressman from Pennsylvania was at the center of a brawl with Southern Congressmen, and on another occasion he almost fought a duel, It seems the only thing that restrained him was that the courts threatened that if he fought the duel he'd forfeit $5,000 - and this was back when $5,000 was a buttload of money.

[The Fusionist]

Don't let his temporary Pennsylvania residence fool you - Grow was born a Yankee, graduated from a Yankee college.

And that fact that he was willing to risk his life but not to risk his money makes him the prototypical badass Yankee.

[creech]

Not ironic at all that Block is still defending the undefendable.

[Chipper Morning Wood]

Wounded puppy syndrome?

[SIV]

Yeah but Block is defending the libertarian undefendable

Nick is gonna have to defend dope-addled, prog-lite gibberish.

[Nick W B]

No.
Now you know the answer and don't have to go through the trouble of reserving tickets or anything.

[You ARE a Prog (MJG)]

Oof. I don't think so, Tim.

Then again, free wine and cheese.

[Ayn Random Variation]

None of the trump is worse people here ever respond to the argument that trump is better because the media will be all over him, while they will be sucking hillarys cock n? matter how bad she is.
So when block brings this up, I'm curious to see what nick says.

[PapayaSF]

That is one of the points for Trump.

[Ayn Random Variation]

Trump wouldn't last 2 years. The impeachment proceedings would start in year one. He'd basically be a lame duck from day one. Meanwhile hillary will have the press, Hollywood, Academia and the Supreme Court in her pocket. And she'll be making foreign policy decisions based on who pays here.
If you're having an either/or debate, this is some obvious shit for anyone without his head up his ass.

[hurts_donut]

+1

[PapayaSF]

Trump is not an idiot. He's a big talker and a negotiator, which means a compromiser. All this talk of him being immediately impeached is silly.

[Azathoth!!]

Say something?

I thought Nick was just going to remain silent while pointing to his t-shirt--which will be, of course, from his extensive "I'm With Her' collection.

[OldMexican sine qua non]

Block, the author of Defending the Undefendable, will be, well, taking the affirmative.

Dr. Block, who founded the Libertarians for Trump group, has argued that Trump is better when it comes to foreign policy than Hillary Clinton. However, in light of more recent comments made by Trump on how he would deal with ISIS ("I will bomb the shit out of them!") and the list of advisors which contains a numerous group of Neo-cons, a Trump candidacy should look less attractive to the libertarian who is interested in reducing the military adventurism practiced by Bush and Obama these last 16 years. This, besides the candidate's awful anti-trade and anti-immigration policies which would not solve the economic problems that beset the American middle class (allegedly, I have to add) but make them worse instead.

Walter Block should reconsider the support he has given to Trump and maybe sit down for this one until next time. Maybe Rand will try again in 2020...

[thrakkorzog]

Hillary Clinton has cheered on every US military intervention of the past 25 years. Somalia, Bosnia, Iraq, Libya, and Afghanistan, she thought best course of action was to bomb brown people. Yeah, Trump might be a hawk, but I know for damned sure what Hillary's attitude towards military interventions will be.

[R C Dean]

If you are going to vote, it'll be a protest vote, so the question is, what do you want to protest?

Protest the duopoly - vote Johnson

Protest the disconnected ruling class and their media lapdogs - vote Trump.

[Meletaeus]

Trump isn't a libertarian, but his presidency would be, simply for the fact that the congress, media and courts would never let him do anything. The congress might actually start to reign in executive power for a change. It's the best we're going to get in our lifetimes.

[PapayaSF]

HSAs replacing Obamacare is pretty damn libertarian. As are decent Supreme Court picks, support for the 2nd Amendment, and a number of other things.

[Calidissident]

Yeah, I'm sure Trump will appoint people to SCOTUS who will really keep him in check. And banning people from owning guns based on being on a watchlist just screams respect for the 2nd amendment.

[PapayaSF]

Compared to Hillary, he will, or is at least is more likely to. You have to play the odds. Seeing Hillary and Trump as equally bad is foolish.

[Jimmy Free Trade Pirate]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7m2pUhjmis

[Jimmy Free Trade Pirate]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niqZnjPvwv0

[ammyt97]

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